CONSIDERATION OF INDIVIDUAL FISH 63 



eastern grounds, south of 58 degrees and east of 2 degrees E. 

 longitude. With these are grouped certain data not definitely 

 localised called " North Sea various." The clearest way of illustrat- 

 ing the changes is by reducing the annual catch per voyage to a 

 percentage of the mean catch for all the years. Taking this at 

 100 the proportions in the different years were as shown on p. 67. 



This table shows how serious the decline has been in the large 

 and medium plaice, especially in the last few years, while in some 

 of the regions the catch of small plaice increased. 



At the first glance the English statistics of the plaice fishery do 

 not appear to support those of Scotland, but when the detailed 

 figures are examined ample evidence of overfishing is discovered. 

 The operations of the English steam trawlers unquestionably 

 indicate an impoverishment of the North Sea as regards plaice. 



In 1906 and 1907 the plaice fishery was much the same. Plaice 

 amounted to nearly 11 per cent of the total quantity of demersal 

 fish landed and 98 per cent was taken in the same five regions : 

 White Sea, Iceland, North Sea, English Channel and Irish Sea. Of 

 the total quantity 67 per cent is taken in the North Sea, by far the 

 largest proportion of which comes from the southern part from 

 depths of less than 30 fathoms. The total quantity of plaice landed 

 in England and Wales increased from 853,150 cwt. in 1906 to 

 966,316 cwt. in 1907. 



In 1909 in the North Sea plaice was responsible for 14-92 per cent 

 of the total quantity of demersal fish landed. We have now evidence 

 of a diminution of the stock of plaice in the Iceland region (p. 34). 

 In the North Sea as compared with 1906, the percentage of large 

 plaice has declined from 36 to 2171 and the percentage of small 

 increased from 31-56 to 46-14. 



In 1910 the total quantity landed (941,462 cwt.) was considerably 

 less than in 1909 (1,051,665 cwt.). There was a decrease in the 

 average catch of steam trawlers from the White Sea, Iceland, 

 Faroe and North and West of Scotland, otherwise there were slight 

 increases. The rapid development of the White Sea plaice fisheries, 

 which increased more than sevenfold between 1906 and 1909, was 

 checked in 1910 (p. 33). Even this region, in spite of the great 

 distance from English ports, showed an average catch per day's 

 absence from port for plaice over nineteen times as much as from 

 the North Sea. The latter area still maintains its unenviable repu- 

 tation for small plaice, this kind still forming no less than 42 per 

 cent of the total. The total and average catch from Iceland is 

 found to be steadily decreasing, and at the same time the pro- 

 portion of large fish regularly diminished from 59 per cent in 1906 

 to 36 per cent in 1910. In all regions in which plaice forms an 



