290 NORTH SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 
them, but, out of twenty-five “ voyages ”’ in May, twenty averaged but 
little more than 100 boxes each. Later on matters improved somewhat, 
but at no period were the fish to be found in the same abundance as 
last year, while, as I am informed, some of the best grounds were 
practically “cleaned out.” ‘To some extent, no doubt, on this account, 
but largely also on account of the higher price obtainable for the 
smaller inshore fish, there appears to have been a very general 
disregard of the territorial regulations of the Danish Government, 
with the result that one or two vessels were seized and _ heavily 
fined. This had the effect of bringing the season to an earlier close 
than last year, and, as the Iceland Parliament passed a bill early in 
September enforcing still heavier penalties on territorial trawling, it 
may be supposed that the inshore grounds will be little molested in 
future years. The penalties under the new law are as follows: 
For the first offence ; j . 2,000 crowns, £100 each. 
For the second offence . j . 10,000 crowns, £500 each. 
For the third offence. ; . Confiscation of the vessel. 
On a coast where the declivity is rapid the three-mile limit is far 
from being the natural one, but no fault can be found with the 
authorities for availing themselves of all the protection which imter- 
national law allows them. 
Haddock.—The appended figures show the total number of ‘small”’ 
fish landed during the months specified : 
June (less 1 day) . : . 5570 boxes. 
Silay: ees ; : ‘ a) (0059 
August (less 2 days) : a) nOZgS 
September. : ; BOs 7/ 
Comparison with the same months of last year (supra, pp. 128 
and 174.) shows a large increase for the present year, which increase, 
it may be mentioned, is being maintained in the later part of the 
season. Indeed, I am given to understand that haddock are now 
more plentiful than they have been for a great number of years, 
and there has certainly been a steady augmentation ever since these 
statistics were commenced. My figures deal only with “small” 
fish, but I have no evidence of any diminution in the supply of fish 
of all sizes, and however the haddock may have suffered from over- 
fishing in the past, it apparently holds its own at present. The 
exceptionally large catches of the autumn and winter of this year 
may possibly be to a great extent dependent on the favorable 
weather of 1898. Bottemanne has clearly established the dependence 
of the anchovy supply of any year on the temperature of the 
previous year ;* and though there exists no series of observations to 
* Cf, Dr. Fowler’s epitome of Bottemanne’s researches (supra, vol. i, N.S., p. 840). 
