CERTAIN BAYS ON THE SOUTH COAST OF DEVON. 327 



I have drawn attention to both these grounds of objection, because the 

 criticism mentioned above — to the effect that the supply of larvae is more 

 than adequate, and that there is no reason for anxiety as to the consequences 

 that may follow the destruction of a certain number of immature flat-fish — 

 is not infrequently urged by those who have no special knowledge of the 

 subject ; and I am anxious to point out that whether this criticism be accepted 

 or not, the position generally adopted still holds good — that the destruction 

 of small flat-fish is to be deprecated. 



It follows that, looking at the matter from a purely biological standpoint, 

 we cannot regard with favour any proposal to effect a change in the bye-law 

 which will permit the destruction of a greater number of under-sized flat-fish ; 

 and if such a change is to be advocated at all, it must be on grounds which 

 it does not come within our province to consider. 



It may, however, be reasonably asked whether, and if so to what extent, 

 the fisheries in which the Committee is especially interested are likely to be 

 benefited from a continuance of the restrictions now in force. Granting that 

 an abolition of the restrictions against trawling within the areas under con- 

 sideration would be detrimental to the fisheries as a whole by decreasing the 

 number of flat-fish, have we any right to expect a material improvement, 

 supposing that these restrictions remain in force 1 This question does not 

 admit of a simple answer. Looking at the fisheries as a whole, it maj'', 

 of course, be rightly said that the preservation of young flat-fish will be 

 beneficial for reasons mentioned above ; but if I am asked by the Committee 

 to say whether restrictions enforced by them in a particular area will lead to 

 an increase in the number and size of the flat-fishes in that area, I shall be 

 unable to answer the question. I may be allowed to refer in this connection 

 to certain experiments and observations made by the Naturalists under the 

 Scotch Fishery Board. 



The experiment of closing certain bays (part of the Firth of Forth and 

 St. Andrew's Bay) to trawlers has been tried since 1886 : and hauls have 

 been regularly made in the closed areas, at intervals since that date, to test 

 the effect of the closure. The results show that there have been fluctuations 

 in the number of flat and round fishes in these closed areas, but no steady 

 increase since the dates when the areas were first closed. This statement 

 holds good, not only for the closed areas, but for the open areas adjacent to 

 them. 



It might, of course, be urged that this is enough to show that it is useless 

 to close a particular area to trawlers, inasmuch as no increase in the number 

 of fishes results from such a proceeding. But, granting that, as time goes on, 

 the condition of the bays remains what it is — and no increase in the number 

 of flat-fishes they contain is seen to result from the closure — the above con- 

 clusion would still, in my opinion, be unjustifiable. It would, in fact, only 

 be justifiable if the flat-fishes inhabitatiug such a bay at any time were 

 confined to that bay during the whole of their lives. But this is not what 

 happens in Nature. Plaice, for instance, which, as a rule, are confined to 

 inshore waters during the period of their immaturity, go out into deep waters 



