STATISTICAL SECTION — JULY 1905 ( 58 ) 
It was finally agreed that the matter required further investigation. 
Under 2 b of the agenda of the day, “the fishing capacity of nets 
(netsexperiments)”, Dr. Kyze briefly explained how these were complementary to 
the statistical investigations. The statistical data obtained from the returns of the 
practical fishermen gave no notion of the quantities of fish which escaped from 
the net. By means of special experiments however, it might be possible to esti- 
mate approximately the percentages of fish at any given size which escaped, and 
if fish of that size were taken by the fishermen, the actual proportion of fish of 
that size on the ground fished over might then be estimated. The brief report on 
the experiments so far made! would perhaps serve to illustrate the point without 
further discussion. 
The chairman then stated, that these experiments were not to be taken as 
completed. Several interesting results had already been obtained, it was true, but 
the Bureau still held a considerable portion of the special grant in reserve and 
wished to encourage further investigation along the lines indicated. 
Under 2¢ of the day’s agenda, “the distribution of fishes”, Dr. Kya 
explained how the statistical material regarding the plaice which had been sent 
into the Bureau was of considerable importance in showing the distribution of this 
species. Dr. Prrrrsen and his assistant Dr. Jonansen had joined him in preparing 
the special Memorandum (appended to the Procès-Verbal of the meeting of the 
Council of July 1905, as Appendix D), in order to illustrate this point. If other 
portions of the international area could be dealt with in the same way as the 
North-West Kattegat, it would be possible to ascertain the distribution of the 
plaice in. a simple yet effective manner. In order to shew how the international 
area may be divided for this purpose, a chart appended to the Memorandum was 
laid before the meeting. 
In the discussion which followed, Prof. D’Arcy THompson expressed the 
opinion, that such a method of dividing up the international area was not the 
most suitable for showing the distribution of fishes. He much preferred the system 
of squares, i. e. areas marked out by the lines of latitude and longitude, and cer- 
tainly as regards the northern parts of the North Sea, where it was very difficult 
1 See Procés-Verbal of the meeting of the Council July 1905, Append. E, p. 85—101. 
