424, EXAMINATION OF THE PRESENT STATE 
night or day. Great numbers of small fish are caught, and many 
undoubtedly destroyed, since the men are not always so careful as 
they might be to sort them at the margin. Small soles, turbot, and 
brill are certainly returned at once if observed, but “ flat-fish,” 7. e. 
smal] plaice, are not held of much account. 
The following is, I think, a fair sample of the catch of one net 
for a single tide. The worth of the shrimps was estimated by the 
captor at 2s. 6d. 
Shrimps. : : : 4 quarts. 
Sole Fi 3 ‘ 5 4 = 23 to 34 inches. 
Turbot : : : : 1 = 3} S 
Brill j 0 A 3 2= 33 to4s ,, 
Plaice ; : 5 . 896=14 to 42 ,, 
. : 0 ‘ 5 UWA Seo e 
Flounders . 6 ; 6 6=23to4i ,, 
5 ‘ : ; ; 3S 3 
Dabs . : : : 38=1}tol? ,, 
Smelts 6 . : : 5 = 33 to 3% sCa, 
a : f ; : Th ==} 55 
Dragonets . : 5 Pe 2oi— nl Sopa sens, 
Gobies 5 c ; 5 rAotl 
Sticklebacks 5 29 
A few sand-eels, bullrouts, and pipe-fish. 
A lot of crabs are always caught, but got rid of as soon as pos- 
sible. The shrimper, resting the end of the shaft against his chest, 
can wade along with his hands free, and so intercept a good many 
unsaleable items on their way up to the bag. He can also swing 
the basket he carries in front of him, and occupy himself in 
lightening it by culling out a good many of the small fish. So 
many as benefit by this process are in no way injured by being 
caught, but I think a large proportion always remain to be sorted 
when the tide is over, and on dark nights very little sorting can be 
done while the fishing is going on. If at the end of the tide the 
young fish were culled out at the margin, or somewhere along the 
course of the numerous pools and runnels of brackish water which 
cross the sands, | imagine no harm would be done, as most of even 
the smallest flat-fish will survive a considerable sojourn in the basket ; 
but the favourite sorting-ground is at high-water mark, or the 
whole catch is simply carried home and sorted there ; and I thinkin 
very many cases not the slightest effort at culling out anything 
except crabs is made until the fisherman gets home. Consequently 
I fear the destruction of small plaice in shove-netting is very large. 
Even the meagre number of soles, turbot, and brill are important 
when we consider the present scarcity of these species. 
