8o 



FISHES AND FISHERIES OF THE IRISH SEA. 



The minimum sizes as recommended by the National Sea Fisheries Protection Asso- 

 ciation are : 



under 12 inches in extreme length 



Brill 



Lemon Soles 



Plaice 



Soles 



Turbot 



12 

 1 1 

 10 

 10 

 12 



Finally, the minimum sizes recommended by the recent Parliamentary Sea-fisheries 

 Committee, and adopted in the Board of Trade Bill (1900) are : 



Turbot and Brill ... ... ... 10 inches. 



Plaice and Soles ... ... ... ... 8 inches. 



Even these reduced sizes are larger than in some other countries, France having 

 only 5^ inches for soles and plaice; Belgium, soles and plaice 7 inches, turbot and brill 9 inches; 

 Denmark gf inches for plaice, turbot and brill ; Holland 6| inches for plaice, and Germany 

 8 inches for soles and plaice. But any protection is probably better than none, and as yet 

 there is no legislation in this country in regard to our undersized fish. 



We now append as giving- further information in regard to the working- of our 

 District* : 



I. A copy of the Draft Bye-laws adopted for the Lancashire and Western Sea- 

 Fisheries Committee, and now awaiting- the confirmation of the Board of 

 Trade. 



Tables showing- the results of some of our series of experimental hauls as 

 samples of the scientific and statistical work carried on by our fisheries 

 steamer, the "John Fell," and by the bailiff's sailing cutters. 



II. 



FIG. 14. Shrimping from a Cart. 



* We hoped to have had also an appendix on the fishing implements used in the distriet, written by out- 

 friend, Mr. Robert Lamb Ascroft, of Lytham, and illustrated by photographs taken by Mr. Andrew Scott ; but 

 unfortunately, Mr. Ascroft's recent illness has, interrupted that and other good work in Natural History and 

 Sea-Fisheries upon which he was engaged. We are indebted to Mr. Scott for most of the photographs from 

 which our illustrations are taken. 



