216 



North Sea Investigations. 



By 



Ernest W. L,. Holt, 



Naturalist on Staff iu charge of Investigations. 



The reasons wliicli induced tlie Association to undertake this 

 work, and the nature of the investigations proposed to be carried out, 

 will be familiar to readers of this Journal (see vol. ii, No. 2, p. 88), 

 and need not be here recapitulated. I shall, therefore, confine 

 myself to a brief account of such progress as has already been made. 



Grimsby was selected as head-quarters, as being the port from 

 which the largest number of boats work, and, in fact, the head- 

 quarters of the North Sea Trawling Industry. A local body, the 

 Marine Fisheries Society, has for the last few years been carrying 

 on work in Grimsby, principally in connection with the culture of 

 sea fish, and for that purpose has erected an aquarium or hatchery 

 at Cleethorpes, a small watering-place and fishing village on the 

 outskirts of the town. It was felt that it would be of great 

 advantage if the Association could secure the co-operation and 

 assistance of this Society, and communications accordingly passed 

 between the Director and Mr. 0. T. Olsen, Secretary of the Society 

 and also a member of the Association, and to whose energy and 

 enthusiasm the foundation and subsequent success of the Society are 

 in great measure due. As a result the Society at once promised 

 every assistance in their power, and furthermore placed their 

 premises at Cleethorpes at my disposal for such work as could be 

 most conveniently carried on there. The hatchery contains glass and 

 slate tanks of various sizes, with apparatus for circulating the water, 

 and its reservoir is connected with the sea pump of the adjacent 

 public baths, so that direct communication with the Humber can be 

 established at any time. There is an ample supply of hatching 

 boxes of various patterns, and machinery for setting them in motion 

 after Captain Dannevig's method. A museum and office are 

 attached, and the Society has further been at the trouble and 

 expense of erecting a small laboratory for my accommodation. 



An arrangement has also been arrived at whereby I secui-e the 

 services of the Society^s care-taker for such purposes as they may 

 be required, the Association bearing half the expense of his salary. 



I arrived at Grimsby on the 1st of January, and a certain amount 



