124 NORTH SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 
I have received the most valuable assistance from Mr. W. Clark, 
the laboratory attendant. 
It is to be regretted that it was not possible to extend the 
statistics thus collected so as to comprise all members of the various 
species under discussion, but so little time elapses before the fish 
landed from the boats are sold and scattered that a considerable 
staff would be necessary for this purpose. I have therefore 
confined my efforts to obtaining an accurate account of all the 
plaice landed, since there is no doubt that, in view of the objects of 
these investigations, the plaice is the most important species. The 
haddock, no doubt, is equally or even more important in a general 
sense; but since it is a species which in no way lends itself to pro- 
tection by means of a size limit, and which, on the whole, appears 
to have suffered less from over-fishing than any other, I have 
postponed for the present any attempt to collect full statistics. 
That my statistics are absolutely accurate is more than I can claim, 
but I believe that the method adopted presents less opportunities of 
error than any other feasible under existing circumstances. It will 
be noticed that in some months one or more days are omitted. I have 
purposely abstained from completing them by the deduction of an 
average, since the variation of the supply from day to day is so 
great that such an average is quite unreliable. In the case of large 
plaice, home consumption (by fishermen) is a not inconsiderable 
item. For this I have allowed, with, as I believe, approximate 
accuracy, by counting the level boxes landed from the only fleet 
fishing the grounds frequented by large fish as full boxes. So 
far as I know, no allowance is necessary in the case of the small 
plaice. 
Plaice.—In my last report I enumerated the number of boxes 
containing only small fish landed up to the 20th March. 
The figures for the whole month are as follows : 
From the Eastern grounds : . 489 boxes. 
From the Lincolnshire coast ; a AOL; 
During the following months the statistics deal with the whole 
quantity of fish landed. Boxes containing only small fish are 
recorded as “small,” other boxes figuring as “large.” Boxes from 
Iceland contain only large fish, and are enumerated separately. 
Total boxes “ Large ” “Small” 
Month. from N. Sea. N. Sea. N. Sea. Iceland. 
April. 6 5 : : SHS). dod W864) ee 2.669" oe 300 
May, less one day 5 op POSING cen), 0 82 Me (cOAaeeee ny a OSar" 
June . 0 5 3. pI PAO IS) ah 6,880 ... 5,825) ... 7,001 
July, less one day , 7 SsoO4ie Sen MOLSSD ee ee LO) ea SES 6 
August, less four days . 2 l2 287 eee OIGGS eee EOL GSA: 
* This number includes all days on which fish were landed from Iceland, 
