INTR0DUCTI017 



The North Sea fishery showed a strong decline during the' period 

 1930-39o It is accepted generally that one of the main reasons for this 

 decline was the diminishing of the fish stocks as the result of too 

 intensive fishingo International conservation measures had been tried 

 several times to stop the diminishing of the stocko However^ satis- 

 factory working agreements have not been accomplishedo 



Although the stock gradually diminished during the last years before 

 World War Ij, it regained strength during the waro One might have expected, 

 thereforOj that during World War II the stock would again reestablish itself. 

 Ifj, soon after the ending of hostilities, ^an international treaty for the 

 conservation of the fish stock could be made, a new decline of the stock 

 might be preventedo 



When during the war years I received the order to investigate the 

 means by which a new decline might be prevented in the North Sea^ I meant 

 to look upon the problem from an entirely new point of view, without 

 necessarily continuing those formerly usedo 



In view of the facts brought to light during the years by fishery 

 investigations^ I have tried to see if and how the fish stock can be 

 influenced by fishing^ and consequently how fishing should be carried 

 out to get as large returns as possible from the fish stock© These 

 principal questions are dealt with in Part A of this report© 



From the definitions propounded in Part A, I have studied in Part B 

 the question as to whether or not the fishing has actually been too 

 extensive in the North Sea and if it has led to a decline of the 

 productive power of the fish stock© As this has proved to be the case, 

 I havCg after dealing T/ith the different possibilities for conservation, 

 developed a plan for the regulation of the North Sea fishery© 



This paper consists of a study and analysis of available literature 

 rather than a report of an original investigationo 



Ao THE PRINCIPLE OF A RATIONAL EXPLOITATION OF TH E SEA 



Before we can start to work out methods for overfishing we have to 

 see what is meant by overfishing, if it is possible, and if danger 

 threatens for the North Seao 



First of all, we will have to answer the questions is man actually 

 capable of influencing the production of a seaj in other words, can he 

 harm the productive power of the sea? Obviously, many will not believe 

 immediately that this is possible. To the casual observer the immense 

 waters, 2-1/2 times as large as all land on earth, appear as a homogenous, 

 continuous water mass© 



