=F 
expense of obtaining a ton of trawl fish was seven times 
greater than it was fifteen years ago. It was possible 
to fish some grounds near at home, until it did not pay to 
fish them any longer, and then it became necessary to go 
further away, which of course entailed an additional ex- 
pense upon the owners. He thought the reason some 
grounds were not so prolific as formerly was, first, in 
consequence of their being overfished ; secondly, because 
of the destruction of the food of the fishes; and thirdly, 
through the destruction of the fry. When speaking of 
spawn, he referred to the eggs, and fry he called small fish. 
Having given great attention to the subject, he had come 
to the conclusion that the spawn of haddock and cod 
floated on the top of the water; the spawn of turbot he 
had never been able to find. He believed that one 
cause of the decrease in the number of turbots was the 
scarcity of male fish, which scarcity had been brought about 
by catching the fish when they had congregated on the 
spawning grounds in shoals. Although he had been 
fishing since last January, he had only seen one male 
turbot, and he suggested, in order to increase this kind of 
fish, an attempt should be made to artificially propagate 
them. He had not been able to definitely ascertain 
whether the spawn of plaice floated or sank; it was so 
light in the water that some would sink and some remain 
on the surface; but if the water was stirred, that which 
sank would immediately rise to the surface. His own 
opinion was that it was held in suspense by the motion of 
the current. The temperature of the water in which the 
fish spawned was generally about 45°. No doubt soles 
were the most important of all fishes. Upon the 8th of 
July he had in his possession a sole which commenced to 
spawn ; each egg was about one-twentieth of an inch in 
