_ 137 — GOMM. B — FEBR. 1903 - APPEND. 



At the request of the Committee the Convener will submit at the coming 

 meeting, 



1. a report of the various forms of trawl, 



2. samples of labels for marking fish, 



3. a report as to the progress made towards bringing about a division of labour 

 for the study of special problems. 



The conmiittee attached great importance to the collection of statistics from 

 the fishermen. The methods employed in Germany and in Scotland were laid be- 

 fore the Committee, and it was generally agreed that the German trawling statistics 

 should form the type towards which similar statistics in the other countries should 

 be assimilated as far as possible, and that every effort should be made to create 

 such statistics in those countries where they did not exist. Reports on the present 

 situation of this matter in the various countries have been received from Denmark, 

 Holland, Scotland and England. 



It was further agreed that the special research vessels should carry out their 

 fishing experiments as often as possible on grounds where commercial vessels were 

 at work, in order to provide a check upon the accuracy of the fishermen's records. 



The following is a brief summary of the preliminary work already reported 

 to have been carried out at sea by the special research vessels so far as it relates 

 to the problems referred to the Committee: 



The Dutch vessel „Wodan" on a fishing voyage extending from November 

 18th to 29th, made a first survey of the fishing grounds off Ameland, Terschellinger 

 Bank, Haaks, Egmond and Scheveningen , the Brown Ridges, Hoek van Holland 

 and near Lowestoft. Eight hauls with the otter trawl were made, and 2,405 

 fishes (including 1,181 plaice, 30 soles, 493 dabs, and 535 whiting) were measured. 



The English vessel „Huxley" made five fishing voyages between November 1st, 

 and January 23rd. 23 hauls Avith the otter trawl were made on the following 

 grounds : Dogger Bank , S. W. part of Oyster Grounds , Borkum and Ameland 

 Grounds, Broad Fourteens, Brown Ridges, and the Lowestoft Deep Water (Die tiefe 

 Rinne). 12,382 fish were caught and 9,277 measured (including 3,801 plaice, 140 

 soles, 2688 dabs, 190 cod, 296 haddock, and 1,635 whiting). 41 marked plaice 

 were liberated on November 20th off Ymuiden, and two have been recovered, 

 having travelled a minimum distance of 53 miles in 74 (?) days, and 90 miles in 

 84 days respectively. 147 marked plaice were liberated on December 8th off Ameland, 

 and two have been recovered, having travelled a minimum distance of ± G3 miles 

 in 60 days, and no less than 170 miles in 45 days respectively. Bono buttons after 

 Dr. Petersen's model were employed in these experiments. 



One of the marked plaice liberated by the Biologische Anstalt in Helgoland 

 was recovered by a Hull fish salesman, among fish from the Horn Reef Ground; 



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