146 



reported during the first eig-ht weeks the supposition is 

 still more plausible. Again, of the plaice caught in Red 

 Wharf Bay and liberated off Puffin Island and Gt. Orme 

 Head, a fair number did go back into the Bay. But I 

 think that the theory (which is a [yriori improbable) is 

 discounted by the other migrations observed. Thiis the 

 Newcome Knoll fish, which were caught in Red Wharf 

 Bay, scattered everywhere, when they might more easily 

 have returned into the Bay, and the Blackpool fish also 

 caught in Red Wharf Bay went North, for the most part. 

 It is more likely that there was a migration already in 

 existence, in each of the cases of apparent " homing," 

 into the areas into which the " homers " travelled, and 

 that these simply obeyed the impulses which led to this 

 migration. 



Fish caught in intra and extra- territorial waters. 



It will be obvious from a glance at the charts that the 

 greater number of fish returned have migrated along the 

 shallow waters within the territorial limits. The line 

 defining the seaward limit of the Lancashire and AVestern 

 Sea Fishery District is indicated roughly on the charts, 

 and it Avill be seen that, of the fish returned, the place of 

 capture of which could be defined without doubt, by far 

 the greater number have been caught within the 

 territorial waters. Of 173 fish, the places of recapture of 

 which are marked in the charts, 124 or over 71 per cent, 

 were caught within the district, and 49 or over 28 per 

 cent, were caught outside the limits of the latter. It must 

 be remembered that some marked fish recaught by steam 

 trawlers may have escaped identification, but I have 

 reasons for concluding that comparatively few have been 

 alloAved to escape notice. It is also to be borne in mind 

 that there i,« more fishing along Ihe coast and within the 



