138 MARKETABLE BRITISH MARINE FISHES 



board would not usually survive, but that the majority of them 

 would be fatally injured either by pressure in the trawl or by long 

 exposure and rough handling on deck. The argument is that 

 when the small fish were unsaleable the boats would not find it 

 worth while to fish on the grounds in question. If the size limit 

 were made high enough this result would certainly be secured. 

 Mr. Holt is convinced that a limit of thirteen inches for plaice 

 alone would make fishing on the eastern grounds quite unprofit- 

 able. This is probably true in the main, but it must be re- 

 membered that to the north of Heligoland, and probably in 

 other parts, a considerable number of adult soles, of turbot, and 

 brill of all sizes, and of plaice from 13 inches to 16 inches long 

 are to be found in summer, and even with a limit of 13 inches 

 for plaice some voyages might be made for the sake of these 

 other valuable fish. On the other hand I have shown that a 

 limit of 13 inches would cut off eighty or ninety per cent, of the 

 plaice taken by Lowestoft boats on the Brown Ridges, thirty to 

 fifty miles off the Dutch coast, that a large proportion of female 

 plaice on this ground under 13 inches are mature, and that the 

 limit of 13 inches would close such an extent of grounds to the 

 Lowestoft smacks, that it is doubtful whether they could be kept 

 at work at all. It was previously proved that in the English 

 Channel some females are mature when less than 13 inches long, 

 and that this limit could scarcely be borne by the industry there. 

 The limits recommended by the Sea Fisheries Protection Asso- 

 ciation were 12 inches for turbot and brill, 10 inches for plaice and 

 soles, 1 1 inches for lemon soles. As undersized lemon soles are 

 not known to abound regularly on particular grounds, and are 

 not found on the eastern grounds of the North Sea except in 

 very small numbers, there is no reason to impose a size limit 

 with respect to them at all. The other sizes are certainly reason- 

 able ; they would not unduly restrict the area over which deep 

 sea trawlers can work. It may be urged however that 12 inches 

 for turbot and brill is not high enough. These fish are not smaller 

 on the south coast, are so hardy that they would probably sur- 

 vive if care were taken to throw them overboard promptly, are 

 of greatly increased value when large, and lastly are confined 

 when small and young to shallow inshore grounds. The limit 

 of 10 inches for plaice and soles is certainly nearly as high as 

 the industry could bear; it might be raised to 11, but not 



