104 



JUNUTES OF EVIDEXCE TAKEN BEFORE THE 



11 March 1904.] 



Mr. E. H. Geice. 



[Continual. 



Lord Xorthbounic — continued. 



foreigners would get an advantage over British 

 fisherroen. That has been all along the greatest 

 opposition upon the whole question. 



Earl of Tarhowugh. 



1974. What is the size of your boat ? — The 

 size of mj- boat -would be one ton — an open 

 boat. 



1975. What is the size of most of the boats 

 of your friends ?— They go from one ton up to 

 30. 



Duke oi Ahe>-coi-n. : 



1976. Do you catch as many fish npw pro- 

 portionately as "you did 20 years ago ?— 

 No. 



1977. To what do you attribute the decrease ? 

 — The increase of catching power. 



1978. And also the destruction of undersized 

 fish ?— Yes. 



1979. Would you like one universal law to 

 run along the coast, or would you have it 

 according to districts ? — I would lite to see it 

 dealt with in respect to districts. 



1980. As under the Bill ? — Yes ; we have 

 proved as practical fishermen that in the mouths 

 of March, April and May these dear little fish 

 by their own nature are so constituted that they 

 draw in near shore. Even these small vessels 

 do not kill one-tenth of the fish that these 

 large trawlers kill, and we could give the reason. 

 The large trawler has such an immense scope 

 that it takes in the fish, it takes in the brood of 

 fish, the food of fish, and all kinds of material ; 

 and naturally the life of the fish is crushed out 

 of it by force of weight. I have been on board 

 trawlers and have seen them throw tons over- 

 board with a shovel that were no use for con- 

 sumption. They would select from them what 

 they thoTight really they could make any value 

 of at all, and the rest would be scudded- up at 

 one side of the ship and thrown over with the 

 shovel. 



1981. How long do you think a small plaice 

 would live under those circumstauces on hoard 

 a trawler ? — Only a few on the top of the net 

 Avould live, in the large trawler nets. 



1982. We have had evidence that they are 

 verv hard-lived Kttle fish, and that sometimes 

 they have lived as much as eight or ten hours 

 after they have been taken out of the sea ? — I 

 have seen some instances, where they have not 

 had a weight on them. I have had some fi-om 

 Lynn, 50 miles off fi-om my place, soles put on 

 the train at Lynn and landed in my house alive. 

 The sole will live much longer than the plaice. 



1983. And if this BiU passes and prohibits the 

 landing of these fish, do you think if the trawlers 

 threw what they catch overboard, a large per- 

 centage of the smaller plaice would be likely to 



live ? I think they would be likely to live if 



this Bill could deal with the mesh of "the net. 

 That is the fearfid destruction — the mesh of the 

 net — the instrument. 



1984. You want a larger mesh ? — Yes. 



1985. But how would that do for the long 

 fish, the round fish ?— Even with the mesh, you 

 have now vou can hardly get your finger m ; 



Duke of Abercoi-n — continued, 

 there are himdreds of fish, and round fish, that 

 ought to escape and cannot escape. 



1986. Then you would increase the mesh ? — 

 I should, because we have proved by experi- 

 mental hauls, with a large mesh net next the 

 ■vessel, and a small mesh net behind it, that there 

 are a considerable number, and I have heai'd of 

 considerable numbers that, pass ihyough the big 

 mesh into the small net mesh. 



1987. ^Miat would be your extreme limit of 

 mesh for the trawlers, the smallest limit I — The 

 smallest limit would be what I call three 

 inches. 



Ch 



tdrman. 



at 



in 



the, 

 the 



1988. There are annual conferences 

 Board of Trade of those interested 

 fishing industry ? — Yes. 



1989. Have you been appointed a delegate to 

 those conferences ? — Yes. 



1990. Perhaps it is in that capacity that aou 

 were asked to come here to-day to give evi- 

 dence ? — Yes. 



1991. Notwithstanding the amount of de^- 

 struction of undersized fish whicTa you say is 

 done by the large steam trawlers, are you aware- 

 that they themselves are asking for this BiU ? — 

 Yes, I am. 



Duke of Abercorn. 



1992. Are the fishermen round your coast, 

 with whom you habitually live and work, in 

 favour of this BUl ? — The only opposition I say 

 is that foreigners would get a preference o-ver the 

 British people. 



1993. How, in your opinion, would they get a 

 preference over the British people under the 

 Bill ? — By prohibiting the landing of these 

 undersized fish they would be allowed to land 

 them in their own country. 



1994. Do you suppose that our fishermen 

 would take their boats over to foreign ports and 

 land these undersized fish there ?. — Not our 

 fisliermen, but the foreigner can. 



1995. But ho cannot fish in our own waters ( 

 —But he can fish close to them, and there are 

 a great number of these fish in difterent place.? 

 there fiom 6 to S miles from the land. 



C/iairman. 



1996. Do you know anything of the demand 

 in foreign countries for such undersized fish ? 

 Do you believe it to be a large one 1 — I only 

 know that they take them with them. I think 

 there would be no opposition in the least on the 

 part of practical fishermen if there could be an 

 international agreement. 



Duke of Abercorn. 



1997. Is there much breeding ground in your 

 district ? — Yes, from Cromer to the HumbW it 

 is splendid breeding ground for small plaice 

 and soles. 



1998. And when they come to maturity, liave 

 you any idea wher^ these small plaice and soles 

 go to ? — Into deep water. 



ft99. Do 



