— 31 — APPENDIX K: KYLE 



The actual limits between these various groups are not given. 



England: The statistics of the plaice landed on the east coast of England include 

 large quantities brought from grounds outside the North Sea. For the earlier years, these 

 quantities are not known, but for 1903, Archer (1. c. p. 183) estimates provisionally, that 

 they amounted to ca. l3°/o of the total quantities of plaice landed in England and Wales. 

 This would mean between 5 and 6 million kilograms for 1903 alone, but whether the 

 quantities have been less or more during previous years is not known. 



The different classes of plaice, large, medium and small, are not separately disting- 

 uished in the statistics up to 1902. 



Scotland. The "plaice" for Scotland includes: flounder, brill, megrims, witches and 

 dabs. The increase in the total quantities since 1898 is referable in great part to these 

 extra species (see Part I, p. 115). 



The quantities of plaice brought from Iceland and the Fœroes and landed at ports 

 on the east coast of Scotland are said to be small (see Part I, p. 115). Further, there is 

 said to be no plaice of small size landed. 



3. Statistics of the sole fishery in the North Sea 



The prominence of the plaice in discussions on overfishing has somewhat obscured 

 the importance of the sole. This has a greater bathymétrie range than the plaice, but 

 its distribution in the North Sea is more limited and more easily definable. The lower 

 line (II) drawn across the Chart encloses the maximufn area to the south, where 

 sole fishing is carried on. As the sole is the most valuable species of the North Sea 

 fishes and is sold separately, the statistics have a greater accuracy than those of the 

 plaice. Further, the quantities brought to North Sea ports from grounds outside the 

 North Sea are relatively small (if any), and negligible in comparison with the numbers 

 taken within it. 



The statistical data with regard to the sole have therefore the greatest value in 

 studying the effects of severe fishing in the North Sea. The quantities taken by Belgium, 

 which lies close to the richest sole areas, are unfortunately not forthcoming, but to judge 

 from the numbers of the fishing fleet (Part I, p. 91) it is not probable, that the quantities 

 landed in Belgium over the period considered have increased. 



Table XII shows, that the quantities of the sole landed at North Sea ports since 1892 

 have unmistakeably decreased. If it is assumed, that the period is sufficiently long for 

 conclusions to be formed, there seems but one cause, apart from an actual- decrease of 

 the stock, which might explain this decrease ; viz. the amount of fishing for the sole is 

 not so great as it formerly was, i. e. the catches taken are not so representative as they 

 formerly were. This possibility has something to be said for it. In the first place, it has 

 to be noted that the otter trawl was introduced generally in 1895 — 96, and this apparatus 

 is relatively not so suited to the capture of soles as the beam trawl. Secondly, the 

 sailing trawlers using the beam trawl have very greatly decreased in all the countries 

 concerned. Thirdly, if we suppose that the current stock of soles has come to have a 

 similar composition as that of the plaice, namely, that the quantities of the small are 

 relatively in greater abundance than formeriy, the decrease in the total quantities may be 

 in part explained by the fact, that the smaller soles escape more readily from the trawl 



