NORTH SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 87 
evident that a number of vessels working in this locality must effect 
a serious injury to the species, the smallest members of which appear 
to suffer sufficient persecution from a natural enemy, the long rough 
dab. 
Observations of fish brought to market up to the end of the 
autumn of 1892 supported the conclusion derived from consideration 
of records kept at sea, viz. that no very considerable number of 
codling (apart from the very small examples which suffered in the 
way I have just indicated) were destroyed. A boat would bring in 
one or two boxes, or there would be a certain number of codling 
mixed up with the haddock, but I never noticed any large quantity. 
In the winter, however, there was a marked change, and codling 
began to be quite a conspicuous feature in the market. A number 
of experienced men have drawn my attention to this as something 
quite unprecedented, though I understand it is not unusual for fish 
of this sort to be rather more abundant in winter than at other times 
of the year. 
The number of boxes landed, from the time at which they first 
became noticeable, is as follows : 
ate (last week only) . : - - 180 boxes. 
1892 December . é A 4 ; S825ui 
January . A 3 5 3 = LGODtess 
1893 | Fsbo : . 5 5 : oP LTGSN ) 55 
March lst to 20th . : : : OOO) aes 
Total : : . . 4469 —,, 
There are about 100 fish in a box, so that the above figures re- 
present over 400,000 fish. They are from 12 to 20 inches in length, 
but an odd fish amongst several boxes may reach a length of 25 
inches or a little more. Thus all but an utterly insignificant pro- 
portion are sexually immature. A box fetches about 5s. 6d., more 
or less, according to the state of the market, and is therefore worth 
not very much more than one full-grown fish in good condition. 
By far the greater number of these fish were caught by a firm of 
steam trawlers, which, from their habit of making short trips and 
never going very far off port, are locally termed “ inshore ” boats, 
though it must not be imagined that the grounds they fish are 
within the three-mile limit or anywhere near it. Such vessels are 
also known as “ Cleethorpers,” the name conveying, as I gather, a 
delicate insinuation on the part of more adventurous spirits that they 
never get beyond the mouth of the Humber. Fish of all sorts 
having become very scarce during the winter, it appears that these 
vessels, finding a fair supply of codling at and near a ground known 
as the “‘ Yorkshire Hole,” continued to fish there regularly in default 
