FALLING OFF OP PLAICE IN THE NOKTH SEA. 181 



almost to vibrate. These combined efforts enable the 

 fish to conceal itself almost quicker than the eye can 

 follow, and nothing can be seen but its eye, which is of 

 a lovely emerald colour. 



I now i)ublish a very important letter I have received 

 from an exi;)erienced North Sea trawler, which gives us 

 very alarming news. 



*' To give you my opinion as to why there is a falling off 

 in the sui)ply of plaice and soles — and it is well known 

 among fishermen that it is so to an alarming extent — 

 when we first went to fish off the Sylt about ten years 

 ago, very near all the ground from Horn Reef to Heligo- 

 land was covered, as it were, with shoals of small plaice, 

 and intermixed with these plaice a good many soles, 

 both large and small. We have got as many as eighty 

 baskets of small plaice and ten baskets of soles for one 

 night when we first went there, and very near all the 

 plaice would be thrown overboard, and you may be 

 aware that they always die after they have been hove on 

 board by a trawler. These fish are so small, that I have 

 counted 250 in one basket, such as w^e use at Grimsby. 

 The small plaice that are brought to London market are 

 the largest picked out, and then the others are thrown 

 away, and I would have you to remember they all die. 

 Now, we have fished there every summer, heaving big 

 bags of small plaice on board and throwing them away 

 for the sake of the soles, till by destroying the young 

 brood, full-grown plaice have grow^nvery scarce, so that 

 at the present time very small plaice will sell well. 

 As the soles have grown scarce oft' the Sylt, the 

 small plaice, being saleable, makes up ; so you see they 

 are bound to be caught unless stringent measures are 

 taken for their preservation. Twenty baskets is the 

 most you would get for a night now. My opinion is that 



