— 53 — 



Sea plaice of equal size being of approximately the same average age. In any case, 

 the Iceland plaice are not younger than North Sea plaice of the same size. 



The material at our disposal for purposes of comparison consists of German market 

 measurements of Iceland plaice from the year 1909, carried out with about 27,000 plaice 

 during all months of the year. 



The composition of these German plaice landings from Iceland calculated for the 

 whole of the year 1909 is as follows: 



Table 9. Composition of the German plaice landings from Iceland for the year 1909 

 and the English from the North Sea for 190611907. 



Thus the plaice in the landings from Iceland are considerably larger than in those 

 from the North Sea. This does not, however, prove anything with regard to a difife- 

 rence in composition between the two stocks of plaice, but merely expresses the fact 

 that the small plaice under 25 cm. long, which play a considerable part in the North Sea 

 landings, are scarcely ever landed from the Iceland fishing grounds, although they are 

 certainly to be found there, and are no doubt also caught. Is does not pay the Iceland 

 steamers to bring these small fish in, evidently because plaice of large and medium size 

 are to be had in relatively considerable numbers. The predominant size-class in the 

 Iceland plaice landings, which makes up 50 "/o of the total number, lies between 32 and 

 41 cm. being thus medium plaice in the terms of our fish markets. "Large" plaice in our 

 acceptation of the term, i.e. over 35cm., amount in the landings from Iceland to about 57 "jo. 



For the purposes of comparison between the composition of the stock of plaice in 

 Iceland waters and that of the North Sea stock, we are only concerned witli that part 

 of the series of measurements lying above the value ot greatest density of the Ice- 

 land series, i. e., 33 cm. Compared thus, we see that plaice from 35 to 54 cm. which 

 are, on an average, from 5 to 1 1 years old, are of equally frequent occurrence in both 

 waters. Plaice from 55 to 59 cm. long, averaging from 11 to 15 years old, are some- 

 what more numerous in the Icelandic waters, while the oldest plaice, from 15 to 25 

 years old and upwards, measuring 60 cm. or more, are in the landings from Iceland 

 about three times as numerous as iiî those from the North Sea. Here it must be borne 



