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I shall propose that we, in the mean time, in the Limfjord, of whose 

 fishery the Danish nation is sole master, make experiments as to the protec- 

 tion of plaice, under a sharp control from land, the object of which experi- 

 ments should he: 



1) to give the plaice free entrance to the fjord by forbidding any fishery 

 at places where the immigrating plaice might he caught in too great numbers; 

 moreover, perhaps, such fish ought to be fished in the Herman Sea and sailed 

 into the fjord in a fishing-smack with tank, as it has now been commenced: 



2) to forbid in the Limfjord all landing of plaice under 10 inches to the 

 base of the caudal fin in the first year, under 11 inches in the second 

 year, etc. ; 



3) to follow closely in these years the course of the experiment and. by 

 fishing, try to form an idea of how far we may go up in fixing the minimum 

 size of marketable fish; for there is, among others, the possibility that the fish 

 perhaps will emigrate from the fjord, if it grows too large, so that it must breed. 



In other words, we should require a special law for the Limfjord as the 

 place of these experiments. — 



When it is so difficult to say for certain which size limit will lie the 

 most profitable, the reason of tins is that it is not easy to know how large 

 the (tmri</c sise of the plaice will be in the Cattegat, when if is not, as now 

 fished up too early; for at present nearly all the large fish have disappeared, 

 and the difference in length is. as shown in the table of ripe fish from the 

 Cattegat, rather considerable, from c. 7 1 _, — 21 V ' L , inches; moreover our seas 

 east i if the Skaw evidently contain both large and small races, which grow 

 rather differently and attain maturity with a different length. The small 

 races are evidently favoured by our present way of working ; for the large 

 races are more exposed to being caught before they are able to breed, than 

 the small ones. 



In England where, during the discussion of this matter, it has been 

 particularly emphasized that the fish must not be caught till they have spawned 

 once, they would say that the average size of the spawners, when they spawn 

 lor the first time, according to the above-mentioned table is 12 — 13 inches 

 (e. 10 — 11 inches to the base of the caudal fin), and as the milters are some- 

 what smaller, we must first take care of the spawners. They would say 

 there: »The biological limit« for the Cattegat plaice is 12V 2 inches to the tip 

 of the caudal fin. and smaller fish must not be taken. — 



In the German Sea has E. W. L. Holt fixed 12 1 ■., inches as »the biologi- 

 cal limit", for both sexes taken together, but lb 1 ., inches for the spawners. 



