FISHERMEN AND FISHERIES. 153 



for that the markets being supplied with such smaller fish 

 doth enhance the price of the largest sort " (though it is 

 not easy to see the force of this reasoning), repealed the 

 provision allowing undersized hook fish. But the question 

 was not settled yet Only four years later the fact was again 

 pressed upon the Legislature that undersized turbot and 

 brill "are often taken in the sea with an hook, and if thrown 

 again into the sea it is uncertain whether such thereof as 

 have swallowed the hook will afterwards live or not." So 

 the prohibition of the sale of fish below the standard size Difficulties in 



enforcement 



was again removed in the case of these two species. But of the law. 

 Parliament, recollecting that a similar privilege had, on a 

 former occasion, militated against its express efforts at 

 keeping down the price of fish, now added the proviso that 

 undersized turbot and brill should not be sold at a higher 

 price than 6d. per Ib. It forgot, however, that if any- 

 thing was likely to " enhance the price of the largest sort," 

 it was the policy of fixing a very low price for the under- 

 sized fish. The intention, no doubt, was to remove the 

 inducement which the permission to sell undersized fish, 

 provided they were " hook fish," offered to the fishermen to 

 keep the undersized fish caught in their nets, and expose 

 them for sale when by no possibility could the fact of 

 their not having been caught by hook be proved against 

 them. 



This complication, which Parliament had brought about, 

 and from which it was unable to extricate itself without a 

 total repeal of all its enactments or a simple prohibition of 

 undersized fish, regardless of the fate of the unfortunate 

 fish cast back into the sea to digest a dinner of fish-hooks, 

 was partly caused by the belief which the public enter- Belief in trade 

 tained that there was no reason for the high price of fish, 

 except a deliberate arrangement on the part of the trade to 



