SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE SEA FISHERIES BILL. 



15 



3 March 1904.] 



Mr. Walter Archer. 



[Continued. 



Chairman — continued. 



these ships were debarred in any way from 

 -going to those eastern grounds during those 

 particular months ? — Yes, the figures, so far as 

 they go at present, seem to show that ; the 

 -small fish migrate westwards as the season 

 advances, and are no longer congregated 

 in dense masses on the so-called eastern 

 grounds. 



181. Now, passing from that for a moment 

 to another subject which was raised by Lord 

 Tweedmouth just now, namely, the position of 

 foreign Powers towards this question, you have 

 recently been, have you not, one of the repre- 

 sentatives of this country at the International 

 Conference on the statistics of the North Sea ? 

 — On the investigations of the North Sea at 

 Hamburg. 



182. And certain resolutions have been passed 

 Avith regard to that, which I will read to the 



■ Committee, and they can be handed in as a part 

 • of your evidence ? — If you please. 



Marquess of Hiintly. 



183. What countries were represented ? — All 

 the North Sea countries except France. 



Chairman. 



184. Were not these two of the Resolutions 

 that were passed : " The Council considers it 

 highly desirable that full and careful statistics 

 be collected at the chief port of entry, on the 

 •question of the destruction of small fish, Avith 

 especial reference to the size, place, and season 

 of capture of young plaice and other flat fish, 

 ^nd d!esires to bring before the Government con- 

 cerned the necessity of allocating, out of the 

 funds for fishery research at their disposal, a 

 provision sufiicient for the thorough carrying 

 out of this portion of the work " ? — Yes. 



185. That is to say, continued investigations 

 on lines that you have been first describing 

 to the Committee as having carried out your- 

 self ?— Yes. 



186. And has not the opinion been expressed 

 through His Majesty's Minister at Copenhagen 

 that more of this statistical information was 

 expected by the Bureau from a country which 

 takes so very large a proportion of the total 

 catch o. fish in the North Sea as England ? — 

 Yes, it was. 



187. And, secondly, did the Council pass this 

 resolution : " The International Council resolves 

 that it is desirable that in the event of a laAV 

 being passed in Great Britain giving powers to 

 make experiments for restricting the destruction 

 of undersized flat fish, poAvers be also taken by 

 the various Governments concerned to make 

 experiments for restricting the destruction of 

 undersized flat fish " ? — It did. 



188. That I may conclude is the indication to 

 Avhich Sir Thomas Elliott alluded, as the 

 direction in which it might noAv be hoped that 

 foreign countries were moving ? — Yes. 



189. That is to say, if England takes the 

 initiative, the council Avill recommend to their 

 respective Governments that they should follow 



dhairman — continued, 

 our example by placing further restrictions in 

 the first instance on the capture of small flat 

 fish ?— Yes. 



190. What are the countries whose interests 

 are most likely to come into conflict with our 

 own in these fishing grounds ? — Germany is the 

 principal country. 



191. Why is it more so than other countries ? 

 From the information which was put before 

 the International Council last week, it appeared 

 that Germany is almost the only country, 

 besides ourselves, which fishes with steam 

 trawlers on the Eastern grounds. The Dutch 

 fishings are carried on mostly by small sailing 

 vessels along the Dutch coast. In Denmark 

 the fishing is carried on almost exclusively by 

 small sailing trawlers, and plaice, below 9f inches, 

 may not be sold. 



192. Therefoie any danger, whatever it may 

 be — I Avill not go into what the extent of that 

 danger is — of competition by foreign vessels is 

 practically limited to Germany ? — That is so. 



193. In Holland there is a size limit, is there 

 not ? — -Yes, of 6f inches. 



1 94. And in Belgium ? — There is a limit there 

 of 7'1 inches. 



195. And in Germany ? — In the North Sea 

 ports of Germany there is a limit of 7'1 inches. 



196. Whaf is the total number of foreign 

 trawlers fishing from North Sea ports ? — It is 

 under 200. 



197. How many English trawlers are there ? 

 — Last year over 1,200 were fishing from North 

 Sea ports of England. 



198. Can you hand in a table from two of the 

 four principal fishing ports of Germany, Bremer- 

 haven and Geestamunde, showing the quantity 

 of small plaice landed at those ports ? — Yes. 



199. What is the proportion as compared Avith 

 those landed in English ports ? — Only 6"4 per 

 cent, of those landed at the North Sea ports of 

 England. 



200. When you were in Germany did you 

 make some inquiry as to what market there was 

 for small undersized flat fish ? — Yes. 



201. With what result ?— I found that ther 

 Avas no very extensive market there ; that th® 

 sale of these fish is almost necessarily limited 

 to the large seaports, where it can be brought 

 by sea carriage. Naturally, therefore, England 

 affords the great market for these fish. Altona 

 and Hamburg are possibly the only places 

 Avhich could at all come into competition with 

 us, and even there the amounts would be 

 relatively small. 



202. Then is the result of your investigations 

 in that direction to show that if the landing of 

 undersized flat fish were prohibited in England 

 from these places, it Avould practically not be 

 Avorth anyboc^ else's while to go and catch 

 them ? — Yes, I think so. 



203. I should like to ask you Avhat was the 

 result of your conversation and the impression 

 left upon your mind at the conference, as to the 

 attitude of other maritime countries in making 



further 



