MARINE FOOD FISHES 137 



Without this knowledge no sound legislation could 

 be passed. 



There is, however, a ray of hope for the future, for 

 now nine nations have combined to explore thoroughly 

 the conditions of life in the North Sea. It is possible 

 this may lead to useful results. 



Some may say : " Why this fuss about the North 

 Sea ? There are plenty of fish in other parts of the 

 ocean." 



Certainly ! But year by year the trawler has to 

 go farther afield, boats have to be longer away, wages 

 have to be paid, and this all adds to the cost of fishing, 

 and if this depletion of the North Sea continues, the 

 catch phrase which has in recent years been heard in 

 more than one election, may come true : " Your food 

 will cost your more." 



As to the possibilities of harvesting our food fishes, 

 we have a good illustration in the recent experiments 

 of the Marine Biological Association. Large numbers 

 of small plaice were captured on the coastal grounds. 

 These fish were marked, and certain of them were then 

 released on the same grounds, while others of them 

 were transplanted on to the Dogger Bank. Within 

 seven months the plaice on the Dogger Bank were six 

 times the weight of the fish on the coastal ground. It 

 has been calculated that as a commercial enterprise 

 alone, transplanting plaice to the Dogger Bank would 

 be a success, and incidentally it would materially assist 

 to increase the number of large plaice in the North Sea. 



