594 WHAT IS OVER-FISHING? 



they are slowly growing, and transplanted to areas where the III " P " 

 is fished out, and where there is, consequently, enough room and food, 

 — just as young cabbages are planted out every spring. I, for my part, 

 have much more belief in such work than in artificial hatching. By 

 marking the transplanted " P," it is possible to get an idea about their 

 growth, mortality, and augmented value, while we do not know what 

 becomes of the newly-hatched young larval fishes when liberated in 

 the sea. 



It has been set forth in former years that " the question of immature 

 fish" was itself an immature question. This charge may have been a 

 just one. Possibly the question when first urged was an immature 

 one ; but in a few more years we may hope that the fishes, as well as 

 the questions, will approach maturity more and more, i.e. if the fishes 

 are not caught too soon and the questions not forgotten. It is my 

 wish that the question, What is over-fishing? should not be forgotten, 

 but discussed and investigated in every possible way. 



Postscript. — To prevent misunderstanding, Dr. Petersen wishes to repeat 

 here that the diagram is not intended to represent the stock of ^jJaice, but 

 the stock of a hypothetical species of fish approaching the plaice in habits 

 and conditions of existence. A small number of " annual groups " has been 

 purposely assigned to the hypothetical fish, in order to facilitate simplicity of 

 treatment of the general problem. 



