biological point of viewo From an economical point of view^ 

 it is certainly not satisfactory if w© can o atch 377 million kilo- 

 grams of marketable fish with minimum sizes p to be satisfied with 

 the smaller returns from 350 million kilograms which we may 

 obtain without regulations on the size of the fisho 



CONCLUSION 



The optimum annual return from the North Sea in marketable 

 and undersized bottom fish is 390 million kilogramso If xt is 

 desired to obtain as high a price as possible for this 390 

 million kilograms, then as few undersized fish as possible must 

 be caughto To reach that goal it is proposed g- 



a) A minimum size of 8 centimeters for the meshes 

 of all nets used to catch bottom fishj, 



b) forbid the landing or the handling on land ' 

 or at sea of g haddock below 27 centimeterSj, 

 cod below 29 centimeters, plaice and sole 

 below 25 centimeters 9 



c) promote the fishery with the seine (dragnet), 



d) aid coastal fishermen^-^especially for Holland— 

 to buy larger ships and forbid the further 

 increase of the fleet of smallest ships o 



Bv application of these regulations it is to be expected 

 that one may take 377 million kilograms of marketable bottom fish 

 from the North Sea annuallyo 



TO prevent the fishing intensity from increasing beyond the 

 allowable value, it is necessary to calculate hovr many ships of 

 dif^rent types are necessary to make this catch, tl^t this number 

 of ships be partitioned over the different countries interested 

 in the North Sea fineries, and that measures be taken, to restrict 

 an increase in the fishing power of these ships. 



Onlv by applying such an international regulation can ^t 

 be ex?eJted that one'may get the optimum harvest from the North 

 Sea regularly and that overfishing will not appear m the future. 



69 The Prog ress of Fi3hing_fah e_Herring_Stook 



Table 18 shows the annual landings of herring from the 

 North Sea during various periods. 



It appears that the landing of herring generally increased 

 and that during the last few years more than twice as much herring 

 was caught in comparison to the amount of the optimum catch of 

 Tttriisho there is, therefore, no question of o-J^ itii?f;ial 

 whether it is to obtain material for the production of artificial 



