420 HXAMINATION OF THE PRESENT STATE 
Soles, however caught, are not very numerous, sixty pairs being 
considered a very fine night’s work for one boat, while the quantity 
is usually very much less. Unfortunately they are nearly all imma- 
ture. Indeed, up to the end of June hardly a mature fish is to be 
found in the river. About the beginning of July a certain number 
of larger, spent fish begin to drop in, presumably from the offshore 
spawning grounds. ‘l'hey do not remain long, and very few Humber 
soles of any size appear in the market after September. The 
smallest fish landed measure about six inches; at the period of the 
greatest abundance of mature fish I do not think that the latter 
ever exceed 16 per cent. of the total, while prior to July about 
88 per cent. are immature. 
The plaice brought ashore are sold mixed up in boxes with 
flounders and dabs. Six hundred of such boxes would probably 
more than represent the total products of the whole fishery for a 
season. The plaice measure from 6 inches up to about 11 inches, 
but some reach a length of 14 inches. I found a box brought on 
the pontoon, and fairly typical to all appearance, to contain 425 plaice 
from 6 to 11 inches (averaging 7°71 inches), and 34 flounders from 
5 to 13 inches. 
I have devoted considerable attention to the question of the 
destruction of small fish by shrimp-trawling in the Humber, and may 
briefly summarise my results. 
It must first be remarked that “ shrimp-trawling” is an ex- 
pression used to comprise the fishery for two distinct creatures, 
viz. the common brown shrimp (Crangon vulgaris), and the pink 
shrimp or prawn (Pandalus annulicornis), which must not be con- 
fused with the true prawn (Palemon serratus) of the South coast, 
nor with the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus), though all the 
last three species are often spoken of as prawns. 
Speaking generally, shrimps and prawns do not consort much 
together; the shrimps prefer the shallow grounds, in most cases 
near the margin ; while the prawns affect deeper water, on grounds 
covered with ‘ross,’ the accumulations of a tube-forming worm 
(Sabellaria) on which the prawns appear to feed. 
Very few flat-fish are found on the prawn-grounds, and conse- 
quently when prawning the boats catch very few of them. The 
eight or nine smallest boats restrict themselves almost entirely to 
prawning, and so do little harm to the flat-fish. On the shrimp- 
erounds, however, there are many small plaice, the capture of which 
is unavoidable. Large numbers of dabs are also caught, and a 
fair number of soles may likewise be present on the shrimp-grounds. 
The bulk of the Humber soles, however, seem to affect rather 
deep parts of the channel, with a bottom of mud or clay, where no 
