18 



MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE 



3 March 1904.] 



Mr. "Walteb Archer. 



[Continued 



Marquess of Huntly — continued, 



were taken. But after the middle of July these 

 fish Avere cauo-ht outside the area coloured 

 yellow. 



232. But after that date these grounds are 

 visited, for other fish, by trawlers : you do not 

 mean to prevent them from doing that ? — No, 

 certainly not. 



233. There will be, even after July, a certain 

 number of small plaice captured ; but you would 

 not propose to prohibit that ? — No ; the quan- 

 tity captured would be very small; in fact, 

 apparentl}'' fishing on those grounds, from a 

 stud}' of the question during these two years, 

 becomes so unremunerative during July that 

 the trawlej's leave it ; they gradually become 

 fewer and fewer until the last trawlers leave 

 about the middle of July. 



234. Then the Ordei' you suggest that the 

 Board should issue would be only limiting it to 

 the period when these young plaice are most 

 prolific there, but withdrawing the prohibition 

 of sale in the later months of the year ? — Yes. 

 I think the object of the elasticity of the Bill 

 is to obtain powers which will enable such 

 regulations to be made as investigations show 

 may be required. 



Lord Tiveedmouth. 



235. Then do you really mean to say you in- 

 tend to allow small plaice to be landed at one 

 period of the year and not at another ? — Yes ; 

 we want to prevent, in the first place, the whole- 

 sale destruction of small plaice. At present we 

 are only beginning this work; we have onh' 

 carried on investigations for a year and nine 

 months; but as the trade assists us to obtain 

 more and more knowledge as to the places 

 where small plaice congregate, regulations may 

 be made which will meet the difficulty that your 

 Lordship suggests. 



Marquess of Huntly. 



236. But as the Bill stands, as I read it, 

 although it is proposed to be limited to April, 

 May, June, and the middle of July, you could 

 extend that period if you wished to ? — Quite so 



Lord Heneage. 



237. There are powers under the Bill to extend 

 it all the year roiind if required ? — Yes. 



238. You are only giving an opinion on what 

 the Department at the present moment have in 

 their minds ? — Yes, quite so, from the informa- 

 tion we have at present to hand, but we hope to 

 extend that information from year to year. 



239. As a matter of fact, the fishing in July 

 and August does not pay ; is not that so ? — Yes, 

 on those eastern grounds. 



240. And there has been a movement at the 

 present moment in a large number of ports to 

 get a general an-angemeut by which one-third 

 of the boats are laid up during those months ? — 

 Yes, I undei'stand so 



241. Did I eon'ectly understand you to sav 



Lord Ncyrthhoume. 



that there was power to prevent a trawler fish- 

 ing in anj' given area at the present time ? — 



No. 



Marquess of Huntly. 



242. May I ask, has any complaint been made 

 as to the destruction of small halibut ? — We 

 have not yet had complaints, neither has the 

 matter yet been investigated. 



243. But it is as important a fish almost as 

 plaice, and I am given to understand that there 

 IS a great destruction of small halibut ? — We 

 hope to investigate these questions in course of 

 time. It is only want of means which at present 

 prevents. 



244. As you &re including flat fish in the 

 definition, would it not be well to include all the 

 flat fish when you are going to Parliament ? 



Chairman. 



245. If I may interpose, I will ask the Wit- 

 ness a question to bring that out. {To the Wit- 

 ne.ss.) There are certain flat fish, are there not, 

 which are very small, but which are fully 

 grown ? — Yes. 



246. And it would not be desirable to prevent 

 the catching of very small but full grown flat 

 fish ? — No, certainly not. 



Duke of Abercorn. 



247. I think you have already stated that you 

 do not think there would be any market abroad 

 for any of these small fish when they are 

 prohibited from entering this country? — No 



arge market. 



248. At Altona or Hamburg? — I do not 

 believe so. I have been making inquiries into 

 it, and so far as I can ascertain there is not at 

 present any large market there. What fresh 

 markets may be developed it is difficult, of course, 

 to say, and one of the objects of the elasticity of 

 this Bill is, that if new markets are developed 

 on the Continent and the regulations are of no 

 use, it will be possible to withdraw them. 



249. Because that would very much interfere 

 with the working of this Bill supposing it became 

 law ? — Yes. 



250. You mentioned the large number of 

 small plaice captured ; I do not think you men- 

 tioned the number of small, immature soles ; have 

 you any statistics about them ? — I am sorry to say 

 that our investigations at the present time 

 have not been extended further than to 

 plaice. 



251. I believe you are a practical trawler 

 yourself, are you not ? — I am not a practical 

 trawler. I have been out on board a trawler. 



252. But you must know that there is a vast 

 number of small immature fish killed evey time 

 a trawl is drawn up in deep sea fishing, owing 

 to the present smallness of the mesh ? — Is that 

 flat fish you are referring to — plaice ? 



253 Plaice and soles i. — Plaice, and soles, and 

 dabs? 



254. Yes. — On the contrary, our investiga- 

 tions 



