824 



INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE CONTENTS OF 



Table II. 



Showitig the relative numbers of plaice of different sizes taken in StaH and 

 TeitjnmoutJi Bays in columns I. Columns II. express the percentage number 

 of plaice up to the corresponding size, e.g., " 43"1 per cent, of all the plaice 

 caught in Start Bay were 12 inches and under in size." 



"We may now point out certain results which may be deduced from an 

 inspection of this table. It will be seen that the plaice in Teignmouth are, 

 on the whole, smaller than those in Start Bay ; and that, whereas half the 

 plaice in the former were 10| inches or under, in the latter, the length on 

 either side of which half the fish are found to lie is 12| inches. It now 

 remains to consider what percentage of the plaice in either bay fall below the 

 limit of maturity. 



Mr. Cunningham's investigations on the limit of maturity of plaice on the 

 South Coast showed that the higher limit for plaice was 15 in. ; that is to say, 

 that if it was desired to impose such a size limit as to wholly prevent the 

 capture of immature plaice, the limit we should impose would be as high, 

 but no higher, than 15 in. On the other hand, it has been .shoAvn that — with 

 only very occasional exceptions — no plaice under 9 in. is mature. A plaice 

 between 9 and 15 in. in length may or may not be mature. 



By imposing a size limit of 15 in. for plaice, we should, as I have just 

 pointed out, wholly prevent the capture of immature plaice ; but in so doing 

 we should also prevent the capture of a certain number of plaice which have 

 already arrived at maturity; and on the theory that the sole object to be 

 kept in view is to permit the fish to spawn, it might be reasonably urged 

 that the 15-iu. limit is too high — since a considerable number of plaice under 



