THE IMMATURE FISH QUESTION. a 
captured by small ground seines in the estuaries near Plymouth, 
chiefly in the estuary of the Tamar, called the Hamoaze. It is very 
instructive to exhibit the details concerning these two classes of fish 
separately, as I have done in the tables on this and the next page. 
Plaice: January 1st to March 11th, 1893. 
From Trawlers. 
| MALEs. 
| FEMALES. 
Length. | No. examined. SS Se 
| Mature. | Immature. | Mature. Immature. 
7 inches | a 0 0 | 0 iL 
Ste 5; 2 0 2 10) 0 
©) 3 2 0 1 8) 
Tot 5, | 8 4 2 (0) 2 
Die 5, 5 3 1 i 0 
it |. 8 4 1 aa 2 
Vy 5; 12 5 (0) 4 | 3 
Wa, 10 A (0) 3 3 
1G ae 3 1 0 2 0 
Gr 5; 9 1 0 8 (0) 
ae 53 1 0) 0 1 0 
LSE 5; 2 0 (6) 2 0 
19) 5s 1 i (0) 0 0 
DOr ie. 1 | 0 0 | 1 0 
21... 2 0 10) 2 (0) 
es 0 (0) (0) (0) 0 
20) 3 0 0 0 0 (0) 
24 ==», 1 0 0 1 0 
2D) 55 1 0 0 1 0 
70 25 | 6 28 11 
Total number examined ‘ ‘ Os 
Immature. : 3 . . 17=24 per cent. 
Under 10 inches . 3 é a o—aS 35 
Under 17 inches . 3 A 5 6 Gila a 
Under 14 inches . 5 , - og=o0D 
33 
Thus, of the plaice landed by trawlers, 24 per cent. were immature, 
of those landed by the seines, 100 per cent. The trawled fish con- 
tained more than the average number of small fish, because on several 
occasions small fish were selected for examination, and consequently 
the percentage of immature among trawled fish taken all together 
is less than 24. The other percentages given are interesting in 
relation to the various proposals for restriction which have been made. 
It is a well-established fact, the evidence for which has been 
published in full by Dr. Fulton, Mr. Holt, and myself, that the 
young of the plaice when they first take to living on the sea bottom 
seek the shore, and pass the first part of their lives in bays and 
