— 23 — APPENDIX K: KYLE 



the trawls used in the North Sea, being 5 cm. from knot to knot as against 3-8 cm. at most. 

 Consequently, the smaller plaice have a better chance to escape. Secondly, the Danish 

 law forbids the sale of plaice under 25'6 cm. (10 Da. inches). Both these circumstances 

 must have some influence in maintaining the numbers of the medium-sized plaice. 



C. THE FISHERIES OF THE NORTH SEA 



The two cases, just described, throw considerable light on the problems of the North 

 Sea fisheries. In the first example, that of certain Norwegian plaice fisheries, the course 

 of a fishing on a new ground has been shown. The outstanding characteristics of such 

 a fishery are, that the fish are very abundant and very large; they constitute what has 

 been called an "accumulated stock" i. e. the product of many years' peace and growth. 

 According to all reports, the abundance and large size of fish have been, and are, charac- 

 teristic of all new fishing grounds, and it may be said further, that the fishing-out of 

 this stock has often been mistaken for the coming exhaustion of the fisheries. What is 

 of particular interest in the Norwegian plaice fishery is, that the accumulated stock was 

 fished out within a few years and that the quantities of medium-sized or smaller fish 

 were not sufficient, until a long period of rest had intervened, to make the fishing a 

 paying concern. Under the physical conditions which prevail on the north-west Norwegian 

 coast and islands, the only plaice fishery possible is that which is dependent on "accumu- 

 lated stocks". 



In the case of the Kattegat, the area is much larger and the physical conditions 

 more equable and less destructive to the early fish-life than those existing on the Norwegian 

 coast. The plaice fishery in the Kattegat seems to have also gone through the stage 

 when the "accumulated stock" was being fished up. The peculiar characteristic of the 

 Kattegat plaice fishery, as contrasted with that in Norway, is, that the fishery did not 

 cease with the disappearance of the accumulated stock, but has persisted since that time. 

 It has been shown, that the persistence of this fishery at practically the same level cannot 

 be due to the increase in the price of plaice alone, but is mainly due to the stock of 

 plaice remaining undiminished. The "accumulated stock" of large fish has certainly no 

 chance of reappearing, but its place has been taken by a stock of smaller medium-sized 

 fish, which seems quite able to meet the demands of the fishermen and yet maintain the 

 quantifies of the species at a fairly constant level. This second supply of fish has been 

 called the "current stock", to distinguish it from the "accumulated stock", on the one hand, 

 and the undersized fish on the other. Since the total quantity by weight taken annually 

 has not decreased, it follows that the "current stock" must be composed of greater 

 numbers than the "accumulated stock". This is explained by the theory, based on 

 plaice-marking experiments, that the smaller plaice now grow much faster than formerly. 

 Lastly, two main differences between the plaice fishery of the Kattegat and that of the 

 North Sea have been noted; firstly, that the size of mesh in the nets used is larger, and 

 secondly, that fiie Danish law forbids the sale of plaice under 25-0 cm. 



