15 



Ihose we find vmtun- fcmulcit with, jit aiiy rate, neuvly ripe spuwn. It is a pity 

 fhoir nuinbor is l)\it slight; indeeil it is not every woek oi' tlic yt-ar tJiat sufli 

 a one is cauglit, to tiiat (lef^rec they have been fisiicd up. // /,■.• siwh a »i'c 

 the plaice wmild ordinarihj rcacli in Thistcd-IirpdviDii. al (iin/ ra/r tlic sjiumins. 

 if they were not Jisln-d up hcforc. Tlic vahic oi' tliese plaioe lias, )iy tiicif slav 

 in tilis expansion oi' tiic Fjord in 1 — 1 ' ., year, beeome 20 times greater tlian it Avas 

 at tiie liiiu' of tlioir ti-ansplantation. — It wiJl lieobscrved thai, wliileliieirgrowUi 

 in ienglh (hu'ing tiie tirst llireo i|iiartors ol' tho year is considerablc, Ironi 

 o. G — 10 to 13—14 iiu-hos, it is nuK-ii iess in llie next liall' year (to Ki- 17 

 inchesX l>nt tlioir weighl is angniented to abonl Ihe double. As tlicic ai'e so 

 l't'w large Hsb I caiuiot give exact average-iignres. — These plait-e arc luigi', 

 to be sure, but in the Cattegat and the Gcrnian 8ea tliere are tbose which are 

 as large, nav even larger; in the Cattegat 1 have seen plaioe oi' 21 — 22 inehes 

 in lenglli. an<l /■,'. II'. L. Holt in England has thought il necessary lo propose 

 a size limit ol' 17 inehes for jilaiee in the German Sea, Iieoause tlie spawners 

 do not lieeonie mature liil Ihey leaeli lliat length. Ouv jilnier at Thisted, il 

 must be remembered, hail ironi Ihe German Sea also, and have }>y their 

 growth proved that tliey beloug to the large raee. No wonder, therel'ore, 

 that they beeome so large in Thisted-Bredning; it is mueh more (tsfonislmHi 

 that the jjlaice do not lieromc as tarijc everywlterc in the Limfjord; this wants 

 as yet some ex))lanation. 



As soon as I liceame ac(|uainted with tlie iiiiicl; (/roirfh and considemlilv 

 fi.n- of the plniee in Thisted-Bredning, my Hrsl thouglil was thai al! ]>laiee 

 in the olher exjiansions of the Fjord grew as large, and that, where the plaice were 

 actually smaller, we had to do only with young tish, whicli as they grew larger 

 went away to other piaces where the large plaice usually live, as it is well 

 known from oui' more open shores. — Tliis, certainly, mu.st be the state of 

 things in Nissum-Bredning; for no plaice lives here for several years, as we. 

 with but very rare exceptious, only see small and hardly ever any mature 

 fish here ■'). If, tlierefore, we would preserve the plaice in this expansion of the 

 Fjord in hopes of getting larger fish hrrr by this means, we should certainly be 

 disappointed ; they go away before they reach maturity, and are rej)laeed 

 bv young fry innnigrating from the German Sea. This was proved also 

 when Krik-Fjord was locked; Ibis was done 188S, and IJio plaice here Imve 



•) Two fishennen, or rather fH-casional lisliennen, liviiifr :it Tliyboron Caiial, wlio fnr 

 years have carried nii soiiie li.shcvy for small phiioe when their farming let't theni 

 time for it, simply drelarcd that plaire, uj on the whole, ncver liave any spawn as 

 other flatlishes. 



