COUNCIL- MARCH 1920-APPENDIX ■ —86 — 



1906 — 1912 would, according to this suggestion, be contained within the upward 

 phase favourable to plaice propagation, and the gradual increase of young plaice 

 may owe its origin to some such phenomenon". (Masterman 1. c. p. 114 — 115). 



It should be mentioned that the Plaice-Committee at the meeting in London, 

 in June 1913, unanimously recommended a size-limit for the plaice in the North Sea, 

 of 20 cm for the period October 1 to March 31 and of 22 cm from April 1 to Septem- 

 ber 30, and that the Council at a meeting in Copenhagen, in September 1913, unani- 

 mously accepted the proposal of such a size-limit. 



The strong and continued restriction of the North Sea fishery caused by the 

 war has, in all probability, afïected the stock of plaice in the North Sea considerably. 

 The evidence from the various countries which have dealt with measurements and 

 weighings of plaice during the war seems to show that the relative proportion of 

 large plaice has again increased considerably. The plaice and other important flat 

 fishes, as well as the haddock, seem to be very abundant and of considerable sizes in 

 the North Sea. Even from distant fishing grounds, such as Iceland and the Faroes, the 

 abundance of fish is reported to be very large now. 



Very likely, the plaice fishery in the North Sea will before long be carried on 

 very intensively and probably more intensively than before the war. 



Now if it is true that the stock of fish has increased and improved during 

 the five years of the war, it may also be expected that very soon, and most likely 

 before investigations can be made to any great extent, and laws made, the stock 

 ■of fish will again become seriousty reduced by intense fishing. The Council will then 

 have to face the same difficulties as before the war in carrying through effective 

 restrictions of the fisheries. 



It therefore seems to be advisable not to wait for further results of investiga- 

 tions and not to adhere to the low size-limit of the plaice accepted by the Council 

 in 1913, but to try, as soon as possible, to carry through, by intermediation of the 

 Council, a size-limit for plaice high enough to give an effective protection against the 

 destruction of young, undersized plaice on those grounds of the North Saa, the 

 Skagerak, and the Kattegat where plaice are most abundant. According to the in- 

 vestigations at hand from the specialists in the various countries, such a protection 

 could be obtained by an international size-limit of 25 — 26 cm. total length. 



Against the introduction of such a size-limit for plaice it might be urged that 

 we do not need any size-limit for the present, since plaice is very abundant just now. 

 This is assuredly right. The stock of plaice is undoubtedly so large that it is 

 not necessary to protect it for the present. The size-limit should, however, be in- 

 troduced as a provision for the future, and it seems possible to introduce it 

 now with considerably less harm to fishing in shallow waters than formerly, when 

 the stock of plaice was probably much smaller. 



An introduction of a size-limit in such large waters as the North Sea and ad- 



