174 NORTH SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 
reason, the fish are very hard to catch. Thus in the last winter a 
smack failed to average two boxes of plaice in ten consecutive 
voyages along the neighbouring coast and off Flamborough Head, an 
area which has the reputation of being fairly productive for the 
season. The matter may be further illustrated by extracts from 
some observations of which my friend Mr. R. Douglas permits me to 
make use. On the Ist February, 1893, a steam-trawler landed one 
plaice after ten days’ fishing, on the 3rd another landed one box 
after eight days. On the 13th December, 1892, a steam-trawler had 
three boxes for fourteen days, and on the next day two similar vessels 
had two each for eight days. ‘These figures are unfortunately by no 
means so rare as to be exceptional. 
A new departure in the trawling industry has been made by the 
launch, during last year, of several steam-vessels designed for fleet- 
ing vessels. Their function is simply to fish, the catch beg taken 
to market and the coal supplied by cutters. As the company to 
which they belong does not land its fish at this port I have no means 
of knowing what the results have been, but it is obvious that a steam- 
vessel, staying perpetually on the fishing ground, is a most powerful 
engine of destruction,—dangerously so, in fact, in the present state of 
the grounds. 
Haddock.—The appended figures show the total number of boxes 
of “small ”’ fish landed during the months specified : 
1893. September (less 7 days) . . 4670 boxes. 
October : : ; OL aeh cx 
November (less 1 day) . ds MONE > aes 
December (less 8 days) . pO Oe woe 
1894, January ; : : we WV OZASe yes 
February ; : 1 BSS es 
March (less 6 tee t te SOe |) =¥35 
April (less 4 days) . : 8502 si, 
On the whole the supply of ‘small ”’ Hedd@ek has shown a steady 
increase since my inquiries were commenced, allowing for fluctuations 
in individual months. It has so far been impossible to extend the 
statistics so as to include fish of all sizes, so that I am unable to say 
what proportion the “small ”’ bears to the total. During the present 
year, however, I have noticed large catches consisting entirely of 
“small,” a condition not previously observed. So far as I know, 
the general supply shows no marked decrease. 
Cod.—The figures relate to trawled codling, with the restrictions 
explained in previous reports : 
1893. September (less 7 days) . . 21238 boxes. 
October : : smi2o3oF i 
November (less 1 ae be pA Ot | 53 
