70 THE IMMATURE FISH QUESTION. 
difference in maximum size of plaice on the east and south-west 
coasts of Britain. Dr. Fulton states (8th Report of Scottish Fishery 
Board) that the largest plaice found on the east coast of Scotland 
was 28 inches long. Mr. Holt tells me that he has never seen a 
North Sea plaice more than 27 inches long, although possibly one of 
28 inches may occur occasionally. The maximum observed by me 
at Plymouth is 25 inches. There can be no doubt that the average 
MALEs. FEMALES. 
Length. | No. examined. | 
Mature. Immature. Mature. Immature. 
6 inches il 0 0 0 1 
a3 26 (0) 10 0 16 
Sits; 13 0 4 10) 9 
9. 53 4 2 (0) 1 1 
OW. 8 4 1 (0) 3 
iy 9 3 | 6 3 1 1 1 
Hee es 8 4 1 1 2 
TO ey 12 5 0 5 2 
4s 035 10 4, 0 3 3 
Ws 5 3 1 0 2 0 
Ges. 9 1 (0) 8 0 
Wh ee. 1 0 0 1 0 
Ses. 2 (0) (0) 2 0 
UO 55 | iL 1 (0) (0) 0 
ZORe ss 1 0 0 1 0 
i. 55 2 0 0) 2 0 
2a es 0 (0) 0 0 0 
23 3; 0 0 0 (0) 0 
DA wes 1 (0) O 1 0 
PAS Ul 0 0 i 0 
109 25 ily 29 38 
adult size corresponds to the maximum size. There is still some 
little uncertainty in distinguishing an immature fish from one that 
has recovered from spawning. Mr. Holt’s discussion of this question 
in the preceding number of the Journal does not entirely exclude the 
possibility that some months after spawning the roe of a spawned 
fish may be similar to that of one which has never spawned at all. 
But among fish examined during the spawning season, as most of 
Mr. Holt’s and all of mine were, there can be hardly any uncertainty 
from this cause. ‘Therefore, if we take what Mr. Holt calls the 
biological limit, the length which will certainly exclude all imma- 
ture fish, which is 18 inches for the North Sea, it is 15 inches for 
the south-west coast. So much for the biological question apart 
from the practical. 
The fish included in the first table were partly samples of those 
landed by trawlers, deep sea trawlers, and partly samples of those 
