64 BRITISH FISHERIES 



The terms of reference to the Committee were 

 wide, and the inquiry was a somewhat comprehen- 

 sive one into the whole question of the British 

 sea-fisheries. Its chief interest, however, centred 

 round the question of fisheries impoverishment, 

 and the alleged cause of this, the capture and 

 destruction of immature flat fishes. There was, 

 on the whole, unanimity of opinion that this was 

 a true cause, and two remedies were suggested to 

 put an end to the practice. One was a direct 

 remedy, and involved the prohibition of trawling 

 on the area defined. To effect this would have 

 required international agreement, and similar legis- 

 lation in the countries entering into the agree- 

 ment, and an international sea-fisheries police. 

 The other remedy was an indirect one : it was 

 proposed to make the landing and sale of under- 

 sized fish illegal in the North Sea countries. It 

 was contended that, even if international agreement 

 was not to be obtained on this question, the pro- 

 hibition of the sale of flat fish in Great Britain 

 would still do a great deal towards finding a 

 remedy, for the English markets were by far the 

 greatest ones for this class of food. By making a 

 market for these small fishes impossible, fishing 

 would be practically stopped on the eastern 

 grounds of the North Sea, for trawlers would avoid 

 working on them, and so obtaining unremunerative 

 catches. Other remedial measures were suggested, 

 and I only mention one of these as showing to 



