SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE SEA FISHERIES BILL. 



21 



3 March 1904J 



Mr. Alexander Millikin. 



[Continued. 



Chairman — continued, 



305. What part of Germany ?— Hamburg and 

 Bremen and other large towns. 



306. Are you speaking from personal experi- 

 ence ? — Yes. 



307. You have seen them actually sold in 

 large numbers ? — I have seen them exposed for 

 sale in the shop windows. 



308. What size have you seen them exposed 

 for sale ?^rrom 4 to 6 or 8 inches in extreme 

 length. 



309. Are you aware that in most ot the 

 Continental countries there is a size limit ? — I 

 am not aware of it. 



310. You did not know that there was a size 

 limit ?— No. 



311. You thought it was just the same as it is 

 in England ? — Yes. 



312. You may take it from me that there is a 

 limit. You were not aware whether the small 

 fish you have seen sold was in contravention of 

 any law that there may be ? — No, I was not. 

 It is several years ago since I saw them. 



Duke of Abercorn. 



313. When you went abroad did you go in an 

 olHcial capacity ? — Yes. 



314. As regards the fisherjr interest, was it ? — 

 Cured herring trade. 



315. And when you saw these small fish in 

 the various shops, did you have any official 

 information at all as to the number which were 

 imported into Germany ? —No, none. 



316. Do you think that, if there was a limit 

 put to the importation of undersized fish, say in 

 bcotland or Aberdeen, there would be any mar- 

 ket for them elsewhere on the Continent? — 

 There might be, quite possibly. 



317. How would that be" affected ? — If the 

 British trawlers obtained any large quantity of 

 them, and knew they could not land them in 

 this country, they would naturally go to 

 Germany, France, or Denmark and expose them 

 for sale. 



318. You know nothing about the foreign 

 tariffs ? — Not particularly. 



Lord Heneage.] Is not the tariff now in 

 Germany prohibitive of landing any small fish 

 by British vessels ? — I do not think so — fresh 

 fish. 



319. And is it not also the fact that they now 

 assist fishermen in bringing these small fish to 

 London by a special freight, by Parkeston Quay, 

 Harwich, to London in order to get rid of them ? 

 That is a fact — that undersized fish do now come 

 there. You do not know that ? — I do not know 

 that there is any duty on fresh fish in 

 Germany. 



Duke of Abe7 



•corn. 



320. You said that 20 tons were landed of 

 undersized fish in Aberdeen. What class of 

 fish does that represent ? — Flat fish. 



321. But what class of flat fish '• — Plaice, dabs 

 and witches. 



322. Are there not many soles in Aberdeen ? 

 —No. 



323. Then you also stated that it would be 



Duke of Ahercorn — continued. 



very difficult to find out if these undersized .fish 

 were landed, because they would mix them up 

 with a higher class of fish ? — They could 

 do so. 



324. Do you think any Aberdeen trawler 

 would do that ? — Well, naturally he would do it 

 to avoid a fine of 5L or lOZ. 



325. Surely any Custom House oflacer, if he 

 opened one of these boxes, would be able to 

 discover if there were small fish amongst them ? 

 — There could be a little collusion between 

 buyer and seller if they wanted to allow this 

 small fish to escape or to go undetected. , 



Marquess of Hnnily. 



326. How do you account for this very small 

 proportion of 20 tons out of the enormous 

 quantity that is landed in Aberdeen of small 

 fish ? Mr. Archer told us that last year at 

 Billingsgate the proportion of small plaice to 

 the total catch was one-third in the summer 

 months. How do you account for the pro- 

 portion being so small in Aberdeen ? — The 

 trawlers do not take them ashore ; they throw 

 them overboard, because they often get a very 

 low price for them. 



327. Must not that entail an enormous amount 

 of waste ? — Yes. 



328. No legislation would prevent that, I am 

 afraid ? — It would be difficult. 



329. Is it not also the fact that the Aberdeen 

 trawlers do not go to this part of the Jutland 

 coast opposite Heligoland so much ? They go 

 more north, do they not ? — I think that; . the 

 Aberdeen trawlers would naturally go where 

 they think they can get the best choice or the 

 most valuable choice of fish. 



330. Do you know particularly v/here they do 

 go ? — Ail over from Iceland, the Faroes, away 

 perhaps a couple of hundred miles north of the 

 Shetlands — all over the North Sea. There is no 

 particular place. 



331. But I think 3'ou know as a fact that this 

 particular part opposite Heligoland of the Jut- 

 land coast IS not very much frequented by the 

 Aberdeen trawlers ? — Just because it does not 

 pay them. I could understand that. They 

 would rather work farther north. 



33:2. And it does not pay them to take these 

 small fish ? — Certainly not. 



333, To turn to the Bill, do you think that 

 the effect as regards the Aberdeen trawler 

 would be that he would pursue his avocation, 

 and if he had any small fish on board the boat, 

 instead of bringing them to Aberdeen he would 

 rather throw them overboard ? — Yes, rather 

 than run any risk of a fine. 



Lord Tweedmouth. 



334. You are chief inspector for the whole of 

 Scotland ?— Yes. 



336. Therefore you have a general knowledge 

 of the fi.shing that goes on all round Scotland ? 

 —Ye?. 



336. Do you think it would be advantageous 

 to the fishings of Scotland that such a provision 

 as is proposed in this Bill should be introduced 



into 



