207 



Director's Report. 



The general condition of the Laboratory since the date of my 

 report in the last number of the Journal calls for little mention. 

 Some slight repointing of the walls and glazing has been necessary to 

 keep out the winter rains, and the overhaul of one of the gas engines 

 deemed desirable for the proper continuation of pumping without loss 

 of gas. In other respects the entire building continues to render 

 every satisfaction. 



The work done by the various members of the Staff will be most 

 readily estimated by the perusal of the several papers written by the 

 members, and need not be mentioned in detail by me. 



In my last report I made mention of the fishery investigations 

 to be carried on by Mr. Holt in the North Sea, stating that in this 

 Journal I would probably be in a position to state upon what lines 

 the observations had been begun. 



Since the issue of last number, another Fishery Conference has 

 been held at Fishmongers' Hall under the auspices of the National 

 Sea Fisheries Protection Association. At this conference the capture 

 and sale of undersized fish was again under discussion, and again a 

 resolution was passed defining, to the satisfaction of most of those 

 present, the sizes below which soles, plaice, turbot, &c., should not 

 be captured and sold. The discussion, as well as the resolution, 

 proved abundantly to anyone at all acquainted with the sizes at 

 which the various food fishes first spawn, that the sizes were arrived 

 at purely with a view to keeping 'undersized fish out of the market, 

 and without any reference to the maturity or immaturity of these 

 fish. It showed most clearly how much information is yet needed 

 by those who are personally interested in the fish trade, and who 

 draw up measures for its regulation, and how important is the 

 work undertaken by the Marine Biological Association in that area 

 of the North Sea most frequented by trawlers from Grimsby, Hull, 

 Great Yarmouth, and Lowestoft, as well as from other countries. 



The following is a brief sketch of the work at present being 

 carried on by Mr. Holt, who contributes, in another part of this 

 Journal, a preliminary report on his methods of procedure. 



