Tt 
some narrow space commanded, or being capable of 
being commanded, by man, laws seem necessary for its 
preservation. When, on the contrary, the fish live in 
the open sea, we believe that no such laws are neces- 
sary. 
‘¢ Tt may, however, be thought that all sea fish, or 
most sea fish, do come within the rules which have 
thus been laid down, since all sea fish, during the 
earlier stages of their development, draw in either to 
estuaries, or to the shallow waters which fringe the shore. 
But, speaking generally, there is no reason to suppose 
that the operations of man are making any sensible 
impression on the numbers of the fry even in these 
places, since there is no evidence that the stock of fish 
in the sea generally is decreasing. 
‘‘Complaints of a decrease of plaice and flounders 
were made to us at Furness, Ulverston, and on the 
north side of Morecambe Bay, and the decrease was 
almost universally attributed to the shrimpers, or to 
the neglect of the shrimpers to throw over the young 
flat fish at sea. It appeared, however, in the course of 
our inquiry that in the neighbouring estuary of the 
Duddon, where there was no shrimping, the decrease 
of flat fish was equally marked. It is fair to assume 
that the same cause is affecting both places, and as the 
decrease in Duddon estuary cannot be attributed to 
the shrimpers, it seems unfair to lay the blame of an 
exactly similar decrease in Morecambe Bay on the 
shrimpers.”’ 
And on further considering even the question of pro- 
hibiting the sale of small fish their judgment was as 
follows— 
