708 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



owners or fishermen, scientific experts or statisticians," showed 

 that a considerable diminution had occurred among the more 

 valuable classes of flat-fishes in the North Sea, which was to be 

 attributed to over-fishing by trawlers in certain localities ; and 

 they recommended that the sale of undersized flat-fishes should 

 be forbidden, and that the three-mile limit should be extended 

 for fishery purposes alone, provided it could be effected on an 

 international basis. 1 



It does not appear that any action was taken by the British 

 Government in consequence of this report ; and as the trawlers 

 had failed to get the large area off the German and Danish 

 coasts closed to them directly, they got a Bill introduced into 

 Parliament to prohibit the sale of undersized flat-fishes, in the 

 belief that an enactment of that kind would result in closing 

 the grounds indirectly. The reasoning on which they proceeded 

 was this. Trawling, to be remunerative, depends upon the 

 capture of a variety of fishes, and it is not possible by an 

 enlargement of the mesh of the net to allow of undersized flat- 

 fishes escaping, without also and at the same time permitting 

 the escape of numerous large marketable round -fishes, as 

 haddocks, as well as of many marketable soles, and fishing 

 under such conditions would be unprofitable. It was also 

 known that it would be futile to return to the sea the under- 

 sized fishes after they had been brought on board, because in 

 commercial trawling they are dead or moribund, and might as 

 well be taken ashore as thrown back into the water. It was 

 admitted that the only effective way to protect the immature 



1 " Your Committee are sensible of the difficulties of making international regu- 

 lations, but are nevertheless of opinion that the best method for effectively govern- 

 ing the operations of the various classes of fishermen, and, at the same time, for 

 securing, so far as it may be found possible, the proper protection of spawning 

 and immature fish, would be to throw the responsibility of these duties, so far as 

 the waters immediately adjacent to the various countries are concerned, on those 

 various countries ; that, for the effective realisation of this object, the present 

 territorial limit of three miles is insufficient, and that, for fishery purposes alone, 

 this limit should be extended, provided such extension can be effected upon an 

 international basis, and with due regard to the rights and interests of all nations. 

 Your Committee would earnestly recommend that a proposition on these lines 

 should be submitted to an international conference of the Powers who border on 

 the North Sea." Report from the Select Committee on Sea Fisheries, 377, 1893. 

 The Chairman of the Committee, which consisted of fourteen members, was Mr 

 Marjoribanks (the late Lord Tweedmouth) ; among the others were Sir Albert 

 Rollit, Mr Buchanan, and Mr (now Lord) Heneage. The report was presented 

 to the House of Commons and ordered to be printed on 17th August 1893. 





