Simultaneously with the application of steam power to ocean fishery, in the middle of 

 the last century, and in particular, the introduction of the otter trawl in bot- 

 tom fishing in the middle of the 90's, complaints begin to arise as to the "Over- 

 fishing" of the North Sea, especially with regard to the plaice and the haddock. It 

 soon became a matter of experience beyond all doubt, that in the case of most of the 

 bottom fishes, but particularly as regards the plaice, the weight and number of the fish 

 landed from the North Sea did not by any means increase in due proportion with the 

 number, size, and fishing power of the vessels employed. On the contrary, the actual 

 quantity of plaice landed from the North Sea has, of late years, in spite of the con- 

 tinually increasing intensity of the fishing, increased but little, or not at all; moreover 

 the landings of plaice have for several years past shown a decrease, both relative and 

 absolute, in the number of larger and older fish, with a corresponding increase in the 

 number of small and very small plaice. Even though the present annual quantity of 

 plaice brought to land by the fishing vessels be equal, when measured by weight, to 

 that of thirty or fifty years ago, it is certain that the composition of the catches is 

 essentially different from what it formerly was. The so called large plaice, for instance, 

 of abt. 40 cm. and upwards, have decreased from abt. 30 "/o of the total weight to abt. 

 6 %, the whole of the weight thus lost being replaced by small and very small fish. 

 Entirely different conditions prevail on fishing grounds outside the North Sea, which 

 are not yet so intensively worked, e. g. oft' the coast of Iceland, and in waters which 

 have only of late years been fished at all, as for instance the Barents Sea, in which places 

 the relative quantity of large plaice is much greater. The gradual alteration which has 

 taken place in the composition of the catches of plaice landed from all parts of the 

 North Sea must therefore apparently be regarded as a result of the increased fishing. 

 The question now arises, whether the decrease of the large plaice in the North Sea by 

 fishery, and the greater encroachment on the small young fish which should replace 

 them, really indicates an actual overfishing; i. e., encroachment on the capital represented 

 by the entire stock of plaice in the North Sea. In other words, can that portion of 

 the stock at present removed each year by fishing, be regularly replaced by natural 

 means, or not? This question it is as yet impossible to answer with certainty. It is, 

 however, beyond doubt, that the great decrease in numbers of the larger plaice in the 

 catches, and the still greater increase of small and very small fish without any augmen- 

 tation of the medium size-classes, represents a depreciation in value of the plaice as an 

 article of consumption, a circumstance which is only concealed by the fact that the 



