— 37 — 



Table 6. Composition of the landings of plaice by cutters from the North Sea at the port 

 of Esbjerg for the three years 1904 to 1906. 



The principal values of the total-series for number (re) and weight (w) are as follows: 



D. 



Q. 



M. 



Q. 



D. 



V. 



cm. n 



cm. tv 



25-53 

 25.89 



26.47 

 26.86 



27.70 

 28.35 



28.47 

 30.30 



31.38 

 32.43 



and sailing ships combined) both as regards the average weight of the plaice, and the 

 composition according to the various size-classes. There is this slight difference how- 

 ever, that the Danish plaice are somewhat smaller, and that the very large fish of over 

 45 cm. are entirely wanting. The latter is however probably only apparent, inasmuch 

 as these large plaice, though not found in the samples measured, may still have been 

 present in the actual landings in certain quantities: it may also partly be due to the 

 fact that the winter catches, of January and February, which in Germany contain espe- 

 cially large plaice, do not occur at ail in Denmark. Hence we arrive at the further 

 conclusion, that the German and Danish plaice landings from the North Sea are, as 

 regards the original catch taken out at sea, of the same composition, and only differ as 

 a result of the selection exercised by the different size-limits. This original similarity 

 is also to be expected, since the German and Danish fishery is carried out in the same 

 regions of the North Sea, i. e., its south-eastern parts. 



The Danish plaice landings from the North Sea thus render it possible to approxi- 

 mately determine what alteration would take place in the German landings from the 

 southeastern North Sea if the legal size-limit in Germany were raised from 18 cm. to 

 25.6 cm. This calculation shows that in such case, about 50 "/o of the number, and 

 40 "/o of the weight of the plaice in the German landings could not be landed. And 

 the average weight of the plaice would increase from 160 gr. in the landings with a 

 size-limit of 18 cm. to 233 gr. with the higher size-limit, or, roughly, from 4 kg. per 

 score to 5 kg. per score. This increase in the size and weight would in Denmark, ac- 

 cording to JOHANSEN effect an increase in price of from about 35 pfg. per kilo to 46 

 pfg. Part of the loss in number and weight would thus be compensated by the incre- 

 ased market value: while the weight decreased from 100 to 60, the value of the catch 

 would fall only from 100 to 80. 



The Danish plaice landed from the south eastern North Sea are certainly a far 

 better and more regular article of consumption than the corresponding German landings. 

 The average weight of the fish is nearly half a pound (233 gr.) as against 160 gr. in 





32.64 

 33.88 



