36 



good or bad weather, on low, but particularly on deep water, and, fiiially, that 

 the boats catch large minilier.s of fish, generally so large numlicrs fliat the 

 weight of the fish themselves, during each hauling-in, is enough to kill most of 

 them, so that they cannot be delivered to the market in living state. 



As to the stock of fish, then, it is seeu by tlie statistics of our Hsheries, 

 that Danish fishermen catch for c. 2 million Kroner of plaice annually in 

 those of our seas where foreiguers are now trawHug and where, conse(iiiently, 

 also our own trawling should be carried on, namely tiie Nortli-Sea, 

 Skager-Rack, and the deeper parts of the Cattegat; in all three seas on inter- 

 national territory where tlie fisliermen of all nations, coiiscqiienfli/ aho the 

 Danish, ave periiiitted to Jish. But of all otiter Jish together (iucluding cod, 

 liaddocks, lobsters, cysters, herriugs, mackerel, etc.) they also catch only for 

 about 2 million Kroner. The plaice are, consequently, absolutely predomi- 

 uant, and the reason is that tve chieftij fish for plaice, and carry on the fishery 

 on low water. 



If, OU the other haud, we look over the accouuts of the somewliat more 

 than 100 steam-trawlers which land their catch at Geestemiinde, then we 

 see that the ]ilaice give only 280,000 Marks of the c. 5 millions, which 

 came in at the public sale in 1903, hd the otiter species of fish altogether 

 c. IS times as ninch. Among these other species of fish we find that "small 

 haddocks of the fourth sort and whitings" give the largest amount giveu 

 by a single class of fish, viz. between 6 and 700,000 Marks, and they sell 

 at 57^ Pf^- per pound. Haddocks give, all in all, more than 2 million Marks, 

 cod c. 1 million, pole dåbs 400,000 Marks, green cod 150,000 Marks, soles 

 190,000 Marks, turbots 140,000 Marks, and the reraaining amount is dis- 

 tributed over a number of other fish of less importance, which are seldom, 

 if ever, sent to tlie market in Copenhagen. 



It will be seen, then, that the trawlers do not particularly pursue 

 the plaice in these seas, as our plaice-seiue fishermen do. We may 

 rather say that these two ways of fishiug supplement each other. One 

 is based on plaice on low water; the other on roundfish on deeper water. 

 This is why our plaice-seine fishery has been able to thrive very well, on 

 the whole, beside the foreign trawlers in our neighbouriug seas; and I do 

 not think our principal fishery will get into danger, if we add a few Danish 

 trawlers to the international trawling-fieet. Tliey will not catch such large 

 munbers of plaice that it will be of any consequence, compared to what we 

 ourselves catch of this fish in other ways; and it is particularly this fish 

 that needs protection. I believe, therefore, that Denmark can take part 

 in the trawling on international sea-territory, i. e. outside our fjords and 

 belts and the lower parts of the (Jattegat, without any fear of destroying 

 the stock of fish (stock of plaice). Whether the deepsea stock of fish, as a 

 whole, can bear a great addition to the existing Heet of trawlers is another 

 ijuestion, though presumedly one which belongs to the future; and its 

 solution will scarcely be affected by the presence of a few Danish trawlers. 



