APPENDIX K: KYLE 



24 



The contrast between these two examples may also be interpreted in terms of over- 

 fishing. It may be said, that the Norwegian plaice fisheries show the final effect of over- 

 fishing. In the case of the Kattegat plaice fishery, it may be said, that the amount of 

 fishing has been practically ovei fishing, or at least on the borders of overfishing, for 

 a number of years. In other words, overfishing may result in a decrease of fish and a 

 cessation of a fishery, or it may not. This shows the advisability, as stated in the 

 beginning, of ascertaining first of all, whether a decrease of fish has or has not taken 

 place and what the decrease really consists in. 



The value of the various factors which, at one time or another, have been taken to 

 indicate overfishing or intensity of fishing, namely, average catch of the boats per day 

 or per annum, decrease in the average size, percentage of marked fish returned etc., has 

 been sufficiently discussed in describing the Kattegat plaice fishery. It is unnecessary, 

 therefore, to consider the fragmentary evidence of a similar nature which has been brought 

 forward with regard to the North Sea fisheries. 



The order to be followed in considering the North Sea fisheries may be put in the 

 form of questions. 



1. Do the fisheries of the North Sea resemble the cases of the Norwegian plaice 

 fishery cited, or the plaice fishery of the Kattegat? 



A brief comparison of the physical conditions will show, that the North Sea is on 

 the whole more akin to the Kattegat. Further, both are what may be called self-contained 

 areas biologically for most of the principal species, that is, the young grow up within 

 the regions, though not necessarily at the same places, where the adults live. The course 

 of the fishing in the North Sea should therefore resemble that of the Kattegat, and from 

 what is known of the fishing, it may be taken for granted, that the first stage has already 

 been passed, namely, that the "accumulated stock" of the principal flat fishes and perhaps 

 also of the round fishes, has practically been fished up. The problems to be faced are 

 therefore : 



2. Is the "current stock" able to meet the demands of the fishermen and yet to 

 maintain the species at practically the same constant level; in other words, have the total 

 quantities (weight) taken annually, of the species to be considered, remained constant? 



3. 11 so, what is the composition of the current stock? What is the average size 

 of the fish taken and the proportion of small to large? 



In addition to these, there are also subordinate questions to be considered, such as 

 the amount of the fishing in the North Sea compared with that in the Kattegat, the amount 

 of fishing as measured by the boats etc. 



To answer these questions, information has been taken from the statistics of the 

 different countries with regard to the following species: plaice, sole, turbot, brill, haddock, 

 cod and herring. The total quantities of all species landed at North Sea ports have also 

 been estimated so far as that was possible. 



I. Physical conditions of the North Sea in relation to the present problems 



In many ways, the North Sea is very similar to the Kattegat. Both have their main 

 entrances opening to the north, and communicate by narrow channels with other large 

 expanses of water in the south. The circulation of the waters depends, in great part, 



