COUNCIL — SEPT. 1912 — APPENDIX M — 148 — 



tinued in the same way as hitherto, then we may certainly expect a further de- 

 crease of the plaice- stock. 



We arrive then at the conclusion that the regular annual removal of 20 to 

 40 "/o of the plaice stock by fishery is too great to be regularly compensated by 

 natural means. 



If we are convinced that the maintenance of the stock of plaice in the 

 North Sea is threatened by too intensive fishing, then we must either fish less, or 

 protect a part of the stock. In other words, certain protective measures, 

 and these, moreover, of an international character, are necessary. In this respect, 

 the conclusions arrived at in the General Report are as follows: 



1. The protection must affect the younger portion of the plaice stock, 

 i. 6. the so-called undersized (untermassigen) or immature (unreifen) plaice. 



2. Closed areas, close seasons, and the prohibition of certain implements 

 of capture are at present beyond consideration as international measures. 



3. The only measures which can be regarded as practicable at present 

 would seem to be size-limits, in the form of prohibition against landing and 

 sale of plaice below a certain size. 



4. The size -limit must be fixed at such a height as will make it no longer 

 profitable for trawlers to fish the grounds where young plaice occur in greatest 

 numbers, i. e. mainly in the coastal areas of the southern and eastern North Sea. 

 This is rendered necessary by the fact that the greater part of the plaice taken 

 by the trawl are brought to the surface either dead or with considerably impaired 

 vitality, and thus cannot live when returned to the water. 



5. From this point of view, an international size -limit for the plaice in 

 the North Sea should amount to 25 or 26 cm. 



The legal introduction of an international size -limit for the plaice would, 

 however, reduce the value of the catches causing a loss to the fishermen. Com- 

 pensation must be made for this loss; this can be done directly and indirectly- 

 Direct compensation for the loss would, for the steam trawlers, be found in the 

 fact that they could no doubt make paying catches at other places than on the 

 young fish grounds, despite the size-limit. The sailing vessels, however, as far as 

 they are chiefly concerned with plaice fishing, would suffer a relatively far greater 

 loss by the introduction of a size-Umit than the steamers, but this could be directly 

 compensated, without forsaking their old fishing grounds, by the adoption of less 

 destructive methods of fishing, (e. g. the Danish „Snurrevaad"). 



Indirect compensation for the loss caused to the fishery by the introduction 

 of a size-hmit would be afi'orded by the certain gain which would accrue, after 

 a period of time, from the protection of the young plaice. Protection of the 



