NORTH SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 291 
support the same conclusions with regard to any other fish, it is at 
least possible that the principle is capable of a wider interpretation. 
Fishermen hold the opinion that a warm spring means a good supply 
of fish of all sorts in the autumn of the same year, but the experi- 
ence of 1893 can hardly be said to have given any very great 
support to this view. It must be remembered, however, that the 
advantages of a good supply of fish may be seriously discounted by 
weather unfavorable to their capture ; while, on the contrary, as 
during the present autumn, an open season permits of catches 
which may make the supply appear relatively greater than it 
actually is. 
Cod.—Trawled codling, of the size explained in previous records, 
have been landed in the following numbers : 
June (less 1 day) . : : 304 boxes. 
July : ; STARZ OG TH tes 
August (less 2 rdayuy j ARS TAME... 
September : : 2636" Vy, 
The most noteworthy feature is the lepenee of the returns for 
June. April (supra, p. 175) was also somewhat unproductive, and 
fish were certainly scarce in May. I have already alluded to the 
general opinion that codling are comparatively scarce (in the trawl) 
in summer, and comparison of the different months shows that the 
least productive period of each year has been from April to June 
(inclusive). 
Inshore Fisheries—I1 referred in my last report to the unusually 
large catches of prawns (Pandalus), shrimps and small plaice, &c., 
made in the Humber last summer. It was attributed by fishermen 
to the fine warm weather, and I considered it probable that the 
good effects of such weather would continue to be felt in the 
summer of the present year. ‘There has been, however, at the best 
only a moderate supply of prawns and shrimps this year, while 
** flat-fish,”’ 7. e. young plaice, have been remarkably scarce, though 
the same cannot be said of soles. Indeed, from observations which 
I was able to make on board the s.s. “‘ Garland,” both this year and 
last, I believe that there has been a distinct improvement in the 
supply of soles in the river. Comparatively few were brought to 
market, owing to the energetic action of the local fisheries authorities 
in enforcing their bye-laws with regard to fish trawling in the 
river, and to this action the increase may to some extent be due. 
It may be explained that soles are likely to receive the most pro- 
tection from this legislation, because they are the fish to which the 
fish trawlers were wont to devote the bulk of their attention as long 
as they were permitted to do so, and the greatest number of soles 
are found in parts of the river not much frequented by other flat-fish. 
