COUNCIL - SEPT. 1912 - APPENDIX D — 86 — 



Dl-. Hugh Smith suggested that the quantity and value of the products of 

 the whale-fisheries should be included in the "Bulletin Statistique" for commer- 

 cial use. 



Dr. Hjort considered that the question of obtaining such statistics as those 

 proposed was of importance, but expressed the wish that further discussion of the 

 matter should be postponed until the next Council Meeting. The preparation and 

 publication of such statistics might perhaps prove a matter of some difficulty in 

 Norway; he would in any case like to confer with several persons in his own 

 country upon the matter. 



Dr. Redeke was of opinion that it would be difficult to prepare such stati- 

 stics with regard to Holland. 



Was it to be understood that those seals which were destroyed as enemies 

 to the fish, and not for the sake of the skins etc. should also be included? 



Dr. JoHANSEN was quite willing to postpone further discussion until next 

 Council Meeting. His idea was that information as to seals killed as dangerous to 

 fish should also be included in the statistics. 



Prof. D'Arcy Thompson supported the proposal that the consideration of 

 this matter should be postponed to a later meeting. He invited Dr. Johansen to 

 again bring forward his proposal at the next annual meeting, and expressed the 

 wish that each of the gentlemen present would endeavour to ascertain if statistics 

 regarding the catches of whales were available in his country. 



Point f was thereupon brought up for discussion (That investigations should 

 be made regarding the influence of herring-trawling with fine meshed nets upon the 

 depletion of the North Sea, the Skagerak and the Kattegat of small sized haddock, 

 whiting, and other food-fishes). 



Dr. Redeke stated that a cruise had been undertaken in July of this year by 

 Holland with the "Wodan" in the North Sea for the purpose of closer investigation of 

 horring-trawling. No vessels had, however, been observed on this cruise trawling 

 for herrings, nor had any herrings been taken in the experimental catches made 

 from the "Wodan" He was inclined to believe that herring trawling in the North 

 Sea was as yet of but slight importance. 



Dr. Hjort stated that he had this year made a cruise with the "Michael 

 Sars" for the purpose of experimenting with the herring trawl actually used in 

 practice, and of studying the herrings caught by this method. This cruise was, 

 however, not yet concluded, but as a preliminary result of the investigations he 

 was able to state that a quantity of fish of many different species and of very 

 small size had been taken with the trawl. He suggested that the width of mesh 



