172 NORTH SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 
ment in July ; but though in August a still further increase is notice- 
able (allowing for days omitted), the augmentation of fishing power 
indicated by the decrease in columns 4 and 6 would seem to show 
that the supply available for individual boats had on the whole 
diminished. <A further reduction of individual supply may be 
inferred from comparison of the different columns in September, 
though the total remains unaffected, or is perhaps rather higher. In 
October, however, the distribution of power remaining practically 
the same as in September, we find a very marked increase in column 
3, indicating an individual supply not inferior to that of July. This 
confirms to some extent opinions which I have heard expressed—that 
the unusually warm spring and summer (of 1893) would be produc- 
tive of a fine autumn supply. If any such connection exists, the 
only explanation that occurs to me is that the warm weather has 
hastened the growth of the fish, so that the annual autumnal recruiting 
from the small fish on the Eastern grounds has been unusually great. 
In November the supply again falls, and this in spite of the 
landing of individual catches of from 73 to 219 boxes from the 
*“Holman’’? between the 16th and 23rd of the month; but the 
tempestuous weather of that month will be within the recollection of 
every one. While several fishing vessels were lost, many were tem- 
porarily disabled, and the consequent paralysis of fishing power is a 
factor that must be reckoned with in addition to scarcity of fish, 
which itself is usually enhanced by coarse weather. The lowest ebb 
is reached in February, but a rapid improvement is noticeable in the 
succeeding months ; April is the only month in which we are able to 
compare the statistics of two years collected in exactly the same way, 
and so far as the large fish are concerned, the present year (allowing 
for days omitted) yields rather better results than the last. The 
difference, however, is not very great, but there is a very marked 
increase in the amount of small fish destroyed, indicating that the 
season is earlier this year than last on the Hastern grounds. It 
might also be inferred, by the consequent diversion of boats to these 
grounds, that the individual supply of large fish showed an improve- 
ment; but the fact is that a great number of boxes reckoned as 
“large ” contained, during the month in question, only ‘ half-fish.’’ 
These are mostly immature, but above the limit which, for reasons 
given in former reports, I have found convenient for separating 
“large” and ‘ small.””? The Iceland season is also early this year, 
or, perhaps, I should rather say that boats have commenced to go 
there earlier than they did last year. The first voyage had an 
unfortunate termination, as the vessel ran against Filey Brigg in a 
fog, and became a total wreck, with a loss of several hands. Some 
20 boxes of her plaice, included in the above returns, were brought 
