768 REPORT— 1892. 



II. The Benefit of the Proposed Restrictive Legislation. 



If the destruction of all fish which had not spawned at least once could he suc- 

 cessfully prevented the henefit would he indubitable, and the permanent produc- 

 tiveness of the sea fisheries would be assured. 



But it is bj' no means certain that the prohibition of the sale of fish below a 

 certain standard will prevent the destruction of such fish. All that can be said is, 

 that it may be hoped that when the sale of such fish is made illegal the trawlers 

 will avoid catching them as much as possible, and when they do catch them will 

 throw them overboard. 



(1) Can fishermen avoid catching them by ceasing to fish in certain areas ? 

 Are the small fish especially abundant in certain places ? 



There is evidence in Dr. Fulton's reports and my own that young plaice, sole, 

 turbot, and brill haunt shallow waters, and in summer occur close inshore. It is said 

 that the young of these kinds haunt shallow extra-territorial water on the east 

 side of the North Sea. I cannot speak of the North Sea, but I know something of 

 inshore trawling for small fish, especially soles and turbot, and this mode of fishing 

 would be practically stopped iDy the proposed legislation. 



On the other hand, it has been proved that the young of the lemon sole, megrim 

 (or sale-fluke), long rough dab, and witch are never found in shallow water or near 

 the shore, but prefer deeper water even than the adults. 



{;2) Can fishermen avoid catching the young fish by enlarging the mesh of the 

 trawl ? 



I think to a great extent they can. If the mesh at the cod end, at present 1^ 

 inch square, were enlarged to 3 inches square, more small fish would escape ; the 

 net would not be so liable to be choked with debris, and so kill the fish. 



It is probable that if the proposed legislation were carried out the men would 

 enlarge the mesh of their own accord, if recommended to do so. 



(3) AVhen young fish are caught and thrown overboard, will they survive ? 



From Ur. Fulton's experiments and my own experience I think it is clear that 

 a proportion of the fish will survive, and equally clear that a good many will be 

 killed. This applies to deep-sea trawlers. 



The proposed legislation would cause shrimpers and ground-seiners to throw 

 back the young fish they had caught, and if this were done at once as soon as the 

 net was hauled the young fish would survive. 



III. Other Measures for the Maintenance op the Fish SuprLT. 



It has been abundantly proved that a dose time is absolutely no use, even if it 

 were practicable. 



But on the other hand close places may be of the greatest benefit. 



If fishing could be prevented in certain defined areas where young fish congre- 

 gate, those young fish would live in security to supply large fish in the future. 



It might also be possible to prevent fishing in certain areas where full-grown 

 fish are abundant, in order that these might form permanent reserves in which 

 there would always be abundance of mature fish spawning. 



It might further be possible to prohibit trawling for a given number of years 

 on exhausted grounds, to give them time to recover their productiveness. 



Such measures as these could only be considered by a permanent fisheries com- 

 mission composed of experts, such as exists in France, a central commission for the 

 whole kiDgdom, as distinguished from the district committees. 



Part IV. (i) On the Destruction of Immature Fish in the North Sea. 

 By Ernest W. L. Holt. 



'^^'e have long been familiar with the fact that immature fish of valuable food- 

 species are destroyed in dangerously large quantities. 



From time to time efforts have been made to ascertain the condiLions that 

 givern such destruction and its approximate extent. 



