TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION D. / / 1 



(ii) On Remedial Measures. By Ernest W. L. Holt. 



Various measures have been put forward for checking the destruction of small 

 fish and renewing the tish supply generally. They may be classified as follows : — 

 (1) Prohibition of sale or possession of undersized lisb. 

 {2) Closing of grounds frequented by small iish. 



(3) Regulations affecting size of mesh. 



(4) Close seasons. 

 (.5) Artificial rearing. 



Of these various methods I am inclined to consider that the first is likely to 

 yield the most important results, since its enforcement would practically carry with 

 it the closing of the grounds on the eastern part of the North Sea, where, as 1 have 

 shown, by far the greater part of the damage is done. 



Indeed, I believe that the prohibition of sale or possession of undersized plaice 

 alone, or at most of undersized plaice, turbot, and sole, would render these eastern 

 grounds so unprofitable that they would be entirely deserted by trawlers. 



It is absolutely necessary, however, that the size limits should be higher than 

 those proposed at the Fishery Conference. Indeed, in the case of turbot and brill 

 I cannot understand why a limit of 12 inches should ever have been proposed, 

 since, as the number of turbot and brill below that size which are landed at 

 Grimsby is quite insignificant, the matter is practically left in st.atti quo. 



In the case of the plaice I do not consider that it is absolutely necessary that 

 the limit of 17 inches should be enforced, although, as I have shown, that is the 

 natural or biological limit. 



A limit of 15 inches would be high enough for the purpose, since all bvit a very 

 few of the fish on these eastern grounds fail to reach that size. 



It is the certainty of being able to pay his expenses by the sale of these small 

 fish that induces the trawler to visit these grounds, since the amount of other fish 

 taken there is utterly insufiicient for the purpose. 



The grounds lying without the territorial limits could not be closed without 

 international arrangement, and even if that could be attained I believe that it 

 would be practically impossible for cruisers to watch the grounds, great part of 

 which lies altogether out of sight of laud. Indeed, I am not aware that they find 

 the enforcement even of such restrictions as already exist an easy task. 



I consider an indiscriminate closing of the territorial area altogether inadvis- 

 able, since the distribution of young fish in relation to this area is by no means the 

 same on all coasts, being largely affected by physical conditions, chiefly those of 

 declivity. 



I agree with Dr. Fulton in considering that no restriction of the mesh can be 

 alone elhcient in protecting undersized fish, though no doubt some good can be done 

 in that way. 



Such restriction should, in my opinion, take the form of an alteration of the 

 pattern rather than any great enlargment of the mesh. Thus it is my experience 

 that by substituting a square mesh lor that at present in use, or by simply turning 

 the mesh across, so that the strain of the trawl meets with the greatest instead of 

 the least possible resistance offered by the knots of the mesh, much less small fish 

 are captured. 



Further, since the loophole of escape, if any, presents itself to the fish in the 

 cod-end of the net, the alteration need affect only that portion, and thus would 

 entail the minimum of trouble and expense to owners of nets. 



I have already suggested that when a spawning ground lies within the juris- 

 diction of fishery authorities, such part of it as best offers itself to the watchful- 

 ness of the autliorities might advantageously be reserved as a sanctuary for 

 spawning fish during the season, but I do not "see that any other form of close 

 season is practicable. 



I do not know of any North Sea spawning ground that fulfils the above re- 

 quirements, though some exist on the Irish coast, and probably on the west coasts 

 of England and Scotland. 



With regard to the culture of sea-fish it appears to me that we should concen- 



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