648 REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. 



4. Special investigations on the rate of growth, age, fecundity, and 

 racial varieties of the more important fishes, especially flat-fish. 



These investigations, or some of them, will be carried out in the 

 Lowestoft Laboratory by the scientific staff from material collected on 

 the trawling voyages of the s.s. Huxley. One of the aims of the 

 Laboratory investigations will be to provide the necessary materials 

 for a scientific forecast as to the probable effect on the fisheries of the 

 various measures which have been proposed for protecting undersized 

 fish. 



5. Special quantitative investigations at sea (in co-operation with 

 the Dutch and German vessels) concerning the abundance of the 

 floating eggs of the sole, as a means of estimating the numbers of the 

 breeding stock of this species. 



6. Special investigations in the markets of the chief fishing ports 

 as to variations in the size and weight of fish landed throughout the 

 year. 



These investigations are to provide additional data for converting the 

 official statistics on the weight of fish landed into their equivalents in 

 numbers of fish. 



B. WORK AND RESULTS TO DATE. 



1. The Hvxley began her fishing work on the 1st November. Her 

 equipment was not then quite complete, but it was considered desirable 

 to begin operations with the least possible delay in order to make 

 preliminary observations and experiments before the winter. 



Up to the middle of June the Huxley had completed twelve scientific 

 trawling voyages in the North Sea. Investigations have been made 

 along the western, southern, and eastern slopes of the Dogger Bank ; 

 in the deep-water area between the Dogger Bank and Shields; on the 

 Hartlepool, Whitby, and California Grounds ; in Bridlington Bay ; on 

 the Dowsing, Leman, Botney, and New Zealand Grounds ; on the deep- 

 water trawling grounds between the English and Dutch coasts ; on the 

 Terschelling and Ameland Grounds; in Heligoland Bay; on the shallow 

 grounds north and south of the Horn lieef ; and on the deeper grounds 

 between the Horn Pteef and the Dogger Bank. 



Over 34,000 fishes have been measured, the majority being flat-fish. 

 The animal life of the bottom has been systematically studied from the 

 point of view of distribution, and the food-contents of about 3,000 

 fishes have been examined and determined. 



In the investigation of the plaice nurseries near the Horn Eeef in 

 May, Mr. Garstang was joined on board the Huxley by the distinguished 

 superintendent of the Danish investigations, Dr. C. G. Job. Petersen. 

 Opportunity was thus afforded of repeating investigations on some of 



