Doughty, 653. 

 Alward, 1426 

 Garstang, 2162. 



Holt, 1119-20. 



i'lDel, 1886-7. 



Doughty, 2584. 



[ viii ] 



at all ports during the months of March to July inclusive. An Order sucl 

 as the one suggested would not protect all the undersized fish in the Nortl 

 Sea, but would, if eflfectual, leave a very large proportion, which woulc 

 otherwise be taken in the trawls, to grow to a more marketable size. 



17. It was suggested that the Bill itself should prescribe the limi 

 within which the Board of Agriculture should have power to make Orders 

 Your Committee cannot agree that it is desirable so to tie the hands of th( 

 Department, in view of the diflBculty of securing the time and attentioi 

 necessary from Parliament to efiect changes in a law once made. 



18. The evidence tends to show that over a period of years the average siz( 

 of the fish may decrease, and the larger fish become less plentiful, and thai 

 consequently a limit which would be efficacious to-day might require in th( 

 future to be either raised or lowered : while if the prohibition were limitec 

 to the class of vessels that fish the eastern grounds now, other vessels whicl 

 do not at present go there might be tempted to take advantage of the pro- 

 hibition imposed on the larger ones. 



19. In view of the expression of opinion not only from the ports at which 

 the smaller trawlers are registered, but even from Grimsby itself, that some 

 limitation should be placed on the absolute powers of the 13oard of Agricul- 

 ture and Fisheries to make orders, your Committee are of opinion that sucL 

 orders should not be made until the draft thereof has lain for a period oi 

 30 days on the Table of each House of Parliament, and they have therefore 

 added at the end of Sub-Clause 1, a proviso to effect this object. 



20. The ideal manner of protecting the fishing grounds in the North Sea 

 most frequented at certain seasons of the year by young and immature fish, 

 would be by an International agreement between all the Powers whose 

 fishermen fish in that sea, but up to the present time little disposition has 

 oeen shown by the Governments of those nations to enter into a convention 

 for this pm'pose. The Committee venture to express a hope that His 

 Majesty's Government will not relax their efforts to secure such a convention. 



Td,rstang, 2256-9. 21. The COMMITTEE have reason to hope that such a consummation 

 may be ultimately attained, and, at any rate, the first step towards its attain 

 ment is the passing of this Bill, inasmuch as the International Council have 

 passed the following Resolution : — " The Council resolves that it is desirable 

 that, in the event of a law being passed in Great Britain giving powers to 

 make experiments for restricting the destruction of undersized flat fish 

 powers be also taken by the various Governments concerned to make 

 experiments for restricting the destruction of undersized flat fish." 



Archer, 189, 



Archer, 200-1. 



Pibel, 1867. 

 Elliott, 51. 



22. The COMMITTEE were informed that there is comparatively little 

 market for undersized flat fish on the Continent, and that foreign trawlers 

 at present find their best market for undersized fish in England, which, of 

 course, could be prohibited by an Order of the Board of Agriculture and 

 Fisheries. 



23. The COMMITTEE are of opinion that it is desirable that so far as 

 possible there should be greater uniformity of bye-laws round the whole oi 

 the coast, and they think that Clause 2 of the Bill will tend in this direction. 



24 March 1904. 



