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the stock of plaice has been so much reduced by man. I do not know whether 

 the common dab has always been so much more numerous than the plaice 

 in the Gattegat, as it is now; but it does not seem likely to me, and we 

 must be entitled to expect that, when we diminish the Dumber of plaice 

 without diminishing that of the common dab to the same extent, the latter 

 will get the upper hand, and perhaps be able to prevent a new develop- 

 ment of the stock of plaice. The number of common dabs carried into 

 harbour in the Cattegat is as nothing compared to the number of plaice, 

 not because they have not been fished frequently, but because they have 

 been thrown out as valueless to the export-trade. Now it cannot be said 

 here that, when we have fished them in such great quantities and they 

 die so easily, as above stated, then they must have suffered so much al- 

 ready by the plaice-fishery that it is quite out of the question that they 

 should have become more numerous than they were originally; — for let 

 it be remembered: although the common dabs have been killed in thousands, 

 and thrown out dead from the cutters into the Cattegat, yet those spots 

 have been avoided where the common dab particularly goes, because the 

 plaice oftenest are but in small numbers there, and the size of the meshes 

 which diminishes the stock of plaice so much as it has been done, is unable 

 to destroy the stock of common dabs to the same degree, as its individuals 

 on an average are much smaller than the grown-up plaice. The plaice-seines 

 must be supposed therefore particularly to have made havoc among the 

 exceptionally large common dabs, and it its striking also how very few really 

 large specimens we have found in the Cattegat during these explorations. 

 Compare for instance table XI with table I from Fsena (»Report« III). It 

 is evident that they oftener reach a higher maximum size at the latter 

 place than in the Cattegat. This evidently cannot be the case originally 

 with a species which is so decided a sea fish as the common dab; but I 

 must suppose the reason is that the seine-fishery in the Cattegat has killed 

 the big ones, while this is not the case in the Lesser Belt where there has 

 been no seine -fishery of flat-fish carried on till 1891. 



Consequently, though the large common dabs in the Cattegat have 

 suffered mucli from the seine-fishery, the stock has presumably become 

 richer and richer in little individuals and is perhaps managed in such a 

 way that it gives the greatest bulk in pounds; but as this flesh has gene- 

 rally no value, it is scarcely any good to protect this fish by special regula- 

 tions in the Cattegat, because it competes with the more valuable plaice. 

 At mere local markets in our little seas, on the other hand, it might be 

 defended, perhaps, also to protect this fish as well as the liounder. 



