82 



MINUTES OF EVIDENCE TAKEN BEFORE THE 



4 March 1904.] 



Professor D'Arcy AV. Thompson, c.b. 



[Corttirmed. 



Chairman — continued, 

 trunk of a cwt. of good-sized plaice ? — I think 

 the average in Aberdeen for tlie past vear has 

 been about 34s. 



542. It would be less than one-third of what 

 he would have got for fair-sized fish ? — 

 Certainly. 



•543. Is there a limit of size in Holland .' — I 

 believe not. There is in Belgium. 



544. But in Germany is there a limit also ? — 

 Yes, there is a Umit ot 25 centimetres, at Ham- 

 burg, or about 5i inches. 



545. That is scarcely worth much ? — It is very 

 small. 



Duke of Ahercwn. 



546. And in Belgium? — There is the same limit. 



Lord Tweed/mouth. 



547. Is it not (Jl 'i — I was wrong ; it is over 

 7 inches. I am told that in Hambm'g there is 

 now a hmit for plaice of 25 centimetres or 10 

 inches. 



Chairiiian. 



548. In view of what might be the result of 

 imposing a size limit in England being some- 

 what problematical and hypothetical, is it in 

 your opinion better that 3'ou should have elastic 

 powers ot altering the size limit, or do you think 

 it would be better to have a definite size limit 

 laid down in an Act of Parliament, which could 

 not be altered except by another Act of Parha- 

 ment ? — I am hardly prepared to answer that 

 question. 



549. You admit, however, perhaps, that the 

 matter is even now more or less in an experi- 

 mental stage :■ — I do. 



550. And that therefore Parliament might 

 easdy make a great mistake by fixing any par- 

 ticular limit, according to the information which 

 we at present have before us ? — Yes. I think in 

 the fixmg of a limit a very great many things 

 have to be taken into consideration, and a great 

 variety of different results, both biological and 

 commercial, may follow ; and so far I agree that 

 it is an experimental measure, and should be 

 treated as such. 



551. You are familiar, I have no doubt, with 

 the trawling industry in Aberdeen ? — I am. 



552. Are you aware of the views which the}- 

 entertain upon this question ? — The trawlers are 

 favourable to this Bill ; they sympathise with 

 their fellows in England in regard to the exclu- 

 sion of small fish ; but, as I have said before, the 

 question of small plaice does not arise in our 

 market. 



553. But do not the Aberdeen trawlers land 

 some of their fish in England ? — They do. 



554. And some of them go to these eastern 

 oTounds, do they not ? — We hardly hear of any. 

 Ordy two or three trawlers a year with ^is land fish 

 from the eastern gi-ounds, and of those that land 

 tlie fish elsewhere I have no information. 



555. Is the Aberdeen trawling industry 

 increasing ? — It has increased untU ■\vithin the 

 last vear, but this last year has been a very un- 

 profitable one, and I do not think that the 

 industrv 'will be found to increase very much for 

 a few years to come. 



556. Is there any other point which to you 

 \d&h to call the attention of the Committee ? — 

 I do not think so. 



001. 

 I have. 



558. 



559. 

 penal ; 

 impression 

 under the 



Lord Korthhouriie. 

 I take it that you have read the Bill ? — 



You approve of the Bill ? — I do. 



All these measures are, to some extent 



what do you think would be the general 



caused by the penalties inflicted 



Bill ? — I siiould think the penalties 



are reasonable, and necessary if the objects of 

 the Bill are to be attained. I do not see that 

 anyone would have great cause to grumble at 

 the imposition of a penalty. 



560. You do not ttiink they would consider it. 

 a restriction upon their fishing rights I — I do not 

 think so. So far as I am aware the whole 

 opinion of the trawling commimity is in favour 

 of keeping out these small fish, and, as I think I 

 said before, not only because of the probable 

 beneficial effect on the fishing grounds, but also 

 in order to steady the market and avoid gluts of 

 small fish. 



561. Do you think that result would be 

 obtained merely by legislation in England with- 

 out some mternational agreement ? — At present 

 the English trawling is so ver}' great m pro- 

 portion and the number of English boats that 

 go to these eastern gi-ounds is so great, that I 

 think a certain amount of good woidd be done. 

 The one country of any importance that stands 

 out at present from an agreement is Germany, 

 and I think there is good reason to believe that 

 if a reasonable and moderate size limit were 

 imposed, Germany would be inclined to follow 

 suit. As things stand at present, Germany is in 

 advance of us, having a size limit (though a 

 low one), while we have none. 



562. I am inclined to think it must have 

 been a mistake when, I think it was Mr. Millikiu 

 in his evidence 3'esterday, said that there were 

 not more than 20 tons of these undersized 

 fiat fish in the port of Aberdeen a year ? — On 

 the contrary, I should think it was an over- 

 statement. I do not think there are as man\' as 

 20 tons. \Ye had yesterday difiiculty in finding 

 a couple of stone of them. 



563. Then if the amount is so small what is 

 the object of legislation ? — Because in Grimsby 

 and Hull the matter is totally different. I never 

 understood this small fish"^ diflaculty until I 

 visited the ports of Grimsby and Hull, and saw 

 these fish in hundreds of boxes. In Aberdeen I 

 had never seen them before. 



564. Then you think that these restrictions 

 would have an indirect advantage which would 

 affect Aberdeen ? — 1 think for direct advantage 

 we reaUy stand out of the case ; it is not our 

 trade ; but we sympathise with the very reason- 

 able desire of the Grimsby people to put an end to 

 what is obviously objectionable, and with the 

 hope also of ulterior benefit probable to the 

 general fishery. 



565. To what depth do the}- trawl from Alier- 



deen ; how many fathoms do they go doivn ? 



"We may say roughly that 100 fathoms is the 

 limit of practicability, and very seldom do tlicv 

 trawl below 70 fathoms. 



566. And is the trawling Avhich is carried on 

 by the Aberdeen fishermen at a greater depth 

 than that carried on by the Grimsby and Hull 

 fishermen ? — The Grimsby and Hull fishermen 

 also go to Iceland, Faroe and other distant grounds 



^ but 



