18 



and the number of young fish that appear in-shore some 

 weeks later, 



(6) and thus the death rate in the larval and post-larval 

 stages, 



(7) the effect of adding artificiallj' hatched larvae to a 

 district the population of v^^hich is approximately known, 



(8) whether any areas are overstocked with young fish 

 and any others not sufficiently occupied, 



(9) and, therefore, whether transplantation, such as is 

 carried on in Denmark, would probably be an economic 

 success, 



(10) whether, in the course of years, a coast fishery is 

 increasing or diminishing. 



I do not think that I am under-estimating the magni- 

 tude, the difficulties, and the probable imperfections of 

 such a scheme as I propose. I am aware that all we can 

 hope to attain to is a rough approximation, but even that 

 will be of use, and it is an approximation which will 

 approach more and more nearly to the truth with each 

 successive year of work. 



In the first of these Annual Eeports, in 1892, I printed 

 a scheme of observations at sea which has been carried 

 out by the steamer in her trawling over the district. The 

 observations on each occasion have been recorded on a 

 separate sheet, and as the result of this eight year's work, 

 we have accumulated about a thousand of these sheets of 

 statistics. These local fishery statistics are now being 

 arranged and summarised in our laboratory. Mr. John- 

 stone is taking out for me, in the first place, every entry 

 in regard to certain fish, such as the plaice, and is arrang- 

 ing them, in each year, under months, localities, and 

 sizes. The analysis and consideration of these observa- 

 tions will form an important part of our work during the 

 coming months. 



