NORTH SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 171 
L895. -April) |. : : . 294 boxes, 
May «+s : ; i AGA2H 9 55 
July : : : ; P20; eet, 
November , ‘ iia OZOR 
December : j : Sie is: 
1894, January ‘ ; Soh ZOOS 
March . : ;  urgass ih 
April soy . ‘ it HAZ OOMINESA 
It therefore appears that the unusually large quantity of ‘ small ” 
landed in the winter months is almost wholly accounted for by the 
contributions of foreign vessels. Previous to the cholera epidemic 
at Hamburg in 1892 Iam not aware that these large vessels devoted 
much attention to the small plaice; in any case they did not land 
them here. Since that period, however, they have frequently landed 
their fish at this port, and, as I am informed, at Hull also. Last 
summer they landed several “ voyages ”’ of large plaice from Iceland, 
and from time to time they bring in large quantities of haddocks ; 
but, as a rule, “ small” plaice form by far the principal item in their 
contributions to our market. I do not consider that the difference 
alluded to, viz. that some of the fish are brought from small inshore 
boats, is sufficient to justify the exclusion of these foreign-caught 
fish from the returns, which profess to deal only with fish derived 
from first-class vessels. A small number of boxes from the Humber 
and Boston deeps, caught either in small boats or in a net worked 
from the shore, are not included. Sixty-eight boxes of mature but 
very small fish from the Baltic, consigned via Hamburg to this 
market, are also excluded. ‘They are dealt with elsewhere in the 
present report (p. 194). 
Remembering that vessels will work the Hastern grounds only 
when considerable catches can be made thereon, it is possible by 
observing the fluctuations in columns 4 and 6 to compute roughly 
the number of boats diverted from the North Sea plaice fishery 
proper, as apart from the pursuit of exclusively small fish on the 
area alluded to. Considering this, and taking into account the 
number of days omitted in various months, it may be inferred that 
the supply of fair-sized fish mecreased considerably in May, 1893, 
since the totals in column 3 remain about the same in April and 
May, although columns 4 and 6 give evidence of a great diversion 
of fishing power during the latter month. The decrease of column 
3 in June may be partly accounted for, I suppose, by the injurious 
effects of the prevailing calm on the fishing of sailing vessels, since 
the increase in column 6 is more or less neutralised by a correspond- 
ing reduction in column 4, and so implies but little diversion of the 
power supplying column 3. This column shows a marked improve- 
