REPORT. 



BY THE SELECT COMMITTEE appointed to consider the Sea 

 Fisheries Bill (H.L.). 



ORDERED TO REPORT — 



That the COMMITTEE appointed by your Lordships' House to consider 

 the Sea Fisheries Bill have examined witnesses representing the Board of 

 Agriculture and Fisheries, the Scottish Fishery Board, the Irish Department 

 of Agricultural Education, the Fishmongers' Company, the Marine Biological 

 Association, the Steam Trawling Trade, and others ; as well as fishermen 

 and owners of sailing smacks round the coast of England. They have also 

 examined representatives from the Sea Fisheries District Committees along 

 the coast, and have agreed to the following Report : — 



1. Several Bills have been introduced into Parliament to prevent the 

 destruction of undersized flat fish, and more than one Committee has 

 considered the subject. 



2. In 1893, a Select Committee of the House of Commons reported that a 

 considerable diminution appeared to have occurred amongst the more valuable 

 classes of flat fish in the great fishing grounds of the North Sea, especially 

 among soles and plaice, and they suggested a size limit in this country 

 approximate to that already adopted by some Continental countries. 



3. The last Bill was that introduced into the House of Commons by 

 Mr. Ritchie in 1900, and proposed to prohibit the sale in all places and at 

 all times of plaice and soles under 8 inches, and of turbot and brill under 

 10 inches. 



4. That Bill was referred to a Select Committee of the House of Commons, 

 who reported in the first place " that it was proved beyond doubt that there 

 was a very serious diminution of the supply of certain kinds of flat fish, 



particularly in the North Sea, that the evil was a growing one, and 



that in default of a remedy the consequences to the fishing industry in the 

 diminished supply of flat fish would at no very distant future be disastrous." 

 That Committee also thought that it was established that there were certain 

 well-known areas in the North Sea, where small and young fish undoubtedly 

 do congregate, and that to prevent fishing in such areas would be obviously 

 of great value. That Committee were of opinion that one of the causes of 

 this diminution was the destruction of undersized fish. That Committee felt, 

 however, that it would not be expedient to pass the Bill without further 

 inquiry and investigation, especially as to whether the prohibition of the sale 

 of fish below the limits proposed in the Bill would make it not worth while 

 for fishermen to resort to places where the small fish abound, and as to the 

 particular sizes proposed to be prohibited. They also suggested that the 

 precise position of foreign law in regard to restrictive legislation and its 

 results should be ascertained. 



5. This COMMITTEE, therefore, sought to ascertain what further 

 inquiry and investigation bad been made since 1900. and they found that 

 the various suggestions made by the Select Committee of the House of 

 Commons have been investigated by the Board of Trade and more recently 



(0.10) b 



