136 NORTH SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 
North Sea plaice; some of these were avowedly taken in fjords, 
where fishing by vessels other than Danish is illegal, and, though 
the fishermen observe a certain reticence on the subject, I have no 
doubt that all the small fish landed were caught close inshore. 
They commanded a ready sale at a remunerative price, but I am 
inclined to think that the prospects of the fishing are by no means 
improved by this circumstance. Though large enough by standard 
of North Sea fish to escape criticism, it is probable, taking into 
view the large size attained by the species in northern waters, that 
they are chiefly young and immature fish, the destruction of which 
is rather to be deplored, whilst any extensive poaching on Danish 
preserves in Iceland seems likely to hinder an understanding with 
that power which may become necessary with regard to other areas. 
Comparison with North Sea Grounds. 
The opening up a virgin trawling ground at a time when public 
(including scientific) attention is so much directed to fishery questions 
is of peculiar interest, since by watching its development we may 
be able to form a judgment as to the correctness of theories deduced 
from such accounts as we possess of the earlier history of the grounds 
off our own coasts. 
These accounts are extremely meagre, consisting as they do of 
the reminiscences of a generation of fishermen which is now fast 
disappearing. Moreover to some minds they are prejudiced by the 
rather general idea that the conditions of the seafaring profession 
are not altogether unfavourable to the development of the imagina- 
tion, and that the grain of salt proper to the assimilation of pisca- 
torial narratives is not a small one. 
Nevertheless there are certain facts which appear with remark- 
able regularity in all narratives, whether of those who actually 
witnessed the occurrences, or received them from their immediate 
predecessors. To take the Dogger Bank, which, as essentially a 
plaice and haddock ground, is well suited for comparison with the 
Iceland trawling grounds, I am given to understand on all hands 
that when the trawl was first used there an extraordinary number of 
large plaice were taken: they were not so large as the Iceland fish, 
nor in fact, so far as I can learn, any larger than some few which 
are still to be got in the same place; but the quality was very poor, 
and (Mr. G. Alward is my authority for this statement) the spots 
were brown and notred. Fishermen called them “ elephants’ lugs” 
in derision. 
As trawling was continued a great improvement in quality was 
noticed, “‘shoal” fish becoming, as they have since remained, 
