68 THE IMMATURE FISH QUESTION. 
but this will be considered in reference to the protection of immature 
fish generally. It is enough to state here that no enlargement of 
the mesh sufficient to allow lemon soles of 7 or 8 inches in length 
has yet been proved to be practicable. 
It has been shown by my own observations at Plymouth, and 
Mr. Holt’s at Grimsby, that practically no lemon soles are taken 
which are less than 7 inches in length. Now this length bears the 
same proportion to 18 inches, the maximum length of the lemon sole, 
as 103 inches does to 28 inches, the maximum length of the plaice. 
Therefore, since it is proposed to restrict the capture of plaice to 
those above 10 inches, the corresponding restriction with regard to 
lemon soles, as actually now enforced by natural conditions, is an 
established fact without the aid of law. ‘To put this aspect of the 
matter in another lght, if it is proposed to set up a limit of 
11 inches for lemon soles, then the corresponding limit for plaice 
must be 17 inches, for 11 bears to 18 the same proportion as 17 to 
28. I do not think the fishing industry would consent to a law 
which prohibited the landing or sale of plaice under 17 inches. 
The limiting sizes adopted by the conference of 1892 were for 
turbot and brill 12 inches, for lemon soles 11 inches, for plaice and 
soles 10 inches ; and yet both the plaice and the sole grow to a larger 
adult and maximum size than the lemon sole. 
My conclusion, then, is that no case has been made out for any 
interference with the capture, landing, or sale of lemon soles. 
Where it is found that a kind of fishing is practised which is 
diminishing or endangering the supply of a particular kind of fish 
without producing any great profit either to those engaged in it or 
to the community, then it is allowable to restrict or prohibit that 
_ kind of fishing. But the evidence at present available shows that 
any restriction of the fishing for lemon soles now carried on would 
be a hardship to the fishermen, a loss to the public, and of no certain 
benefit to the fishery. 
It does not necessarily follow that if the supply of a certain kind 
of fish is diminishing, laws must be passed with the object of stopping 
the diminution. It may not be possible to improve the supply by 
special measures. When that is the case we must wait until the 
limit of diminution is reached ; at a certain point the increase of the 
apphances for capture will also cease, because profits will be reduced 
to a minimum, and so an equilibrium will be established. But it is 
necessary to point out that in the case of lemon soles we have no 
sufficient evidence that the supply is diminishing or has diminished ; 
scarcely any evidence at all on the question. For England and Wales 
we have no statistics of any kind with regard to lemon soles ; as far as 
this fish is concerned no statistics have yet been collected. 'Trawlers 
