28 
V 39 Plaice, 11 Dabs, 2 Whiting, 1 Sole put in tub; 
after 1 hour only 3 Plaice and 1 Whiting were dead. 
VI. 100 Plaice, 3-5 inches, left on damp deck } hour 
then put in tank when 50 were still alive. 
VII. 1 Sole, 2 Dabs, 2 Lemon Soles (all lively) put in 
tank for 1 hour and 10 minutes when all were still alive. 
These results show pretty clearly that if the immature 
fish taken by shrimpers and other small boats were sorted 
out and thrown overboard within a reasonable time after 
capture a very large proportion of them would recover and 
have a fair chance of growing up. Mr. Dawson tell us 
that the fishermen themselves are beginning to realise the 
necessity of sorting out the fish and shrimps as soon as 
possible after hauling. If they can be got to do so 
systematically and efficiently it will undoubtedly prevent 
a great deal of the present needless destruction of young 
fish and will perhaps obviate the necessity of restrictive 
legislation in regard to shrimping which might otherwise 
be required in the interests of our very important fluke and 
sole fisheries. It can scarcely be too emphatically pointed 
out that the remedy for the present unsatisfactory state 
of affairs lies largely with the fishermen themselves. The 
enormous destruction has been abundantly demonstrated, 
these vitality experiments teach us that under ordinary 
conditions the young fish will live if returned promptly to 
the sea, consequently it is very important that this should 
be made widely known to the fishermen, and it would be 
well worth while to go to some trouble and expense in 
persuading or compelling them to adopt such methods as 
will lead to the young fish being separated out and 
returned to the sea with the least possible damage and 
delay. 
