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port, will however, form the bavsis upon which the discussions and decisions of such a 

 Commission must rest. 



These results of our investigations seem to indicate, that a really effective protec- 

 tion against the enormous, and for the most part useless destruction of the young 

 of the plaice by the large steam and sailing trawlers can only be attained by 

 means of an international size-limit of 25 to 26 cm. Such size-limit is therefore extremely 

 desirable, and an endeavour must in any case be made to introduce same. On the other 

 hand, it is impossible to overlook the fact that the introduction of so high a size-limit 

 to be enforced in all the North Sea countries, would in the first instance be productive 

 of so heavy a loss to the plaice fishery of certain countries, e. g., Germany and Hol- 

 land, that these fisheries would be dangerously injured, and their very existence, upon 

 present lines, seriously threatened. In the interest of these fisheries it would be desi- 

 rable, in the general opinion, to fix for them at first — during a certain period of 

 transition — a lower size-limit. As the fisheries with which we are here concerned 

 bring a great part of their plaice to market alive, and in order to avoid, as far as pos- 

 sible, the difficulties which must arise, with locally varying size-limits, in connection 

 with the enforcement of same, and the really effective protection of the young plaice, 

 it would be advisable to allow such lower size-limit only for such plaice as are brought 

 to market alive. Such a size-limit for live plaice would perhaps be sufficiently high 

 when fixed at 22 or 23 cm. 



Finally we must take into consideration the fact that our knowledge as to the pos- 

 sible effects of a size-limit, and especially as to the height of the actual ultimate profit 

 accrueing from such protective measure to the plaice fishery of the North Sea, is as 

 yet very imperfect, and based rather upon theoretic conjecture than upon practical 

 experience. The introduction of an international size-limit is thus in the first instance 

 an experiment. And with regard to this experiment we trust, that it may prove feasible 

 and that it may succed, and hope that it may furnish the aid so sorely needed to repair 

 the serious damage at present suffered by our plaice fishery, and prevent the threatened 

 overfishing of the stock of plaice. But we do not know how far our hopes will be ful- 

 filled, or how far we may be disappointed. The experiment is, moreover, a costly one. 

 It would therefore be advisable at first to commence rather with a too low than too high 

 a size-limit. It will then be necessary to carefully study for some years the effects of 

 such lower size-limit, and only when it proves necessary, replace it with a higher. 



