74 THE SEA FISHERIES 



fishing ground outside the territorial area frequented by small 

 plaice. The territorial waters can always be, and as a matter of 

 fact are, dealt with by closure or other regulation. There will 

 probably always be sufficient fish of other species, together with a 

 few plaice over the size limit (which would naturally be " salted " 

 judiciously in the packing with those just under the size), to make 

 trawling pay on these offshore grounds. The International Council 

 themselves realise the absurdity of fixing even so low a limit as from 

 25 to 26 cm. (say from 10 to io| in.), so they wish to commence 

 with from 20 to 22 cm. (8 to 8| in.). This should be contrasted 

 with the various minimum size limits proposed to the House of 

 Commons' and Lords' Committees in 1900 and 1904. The chief 

 scientific witness representing the Marine Biological Association, 

 in his evidence before the House of Commons Committee of 1900, 

 said that a size limit for plaice would only be effective provided 

 the minimum was 13 in. The size advocated by the National Sea 

 Fisheries Protection Association was, as in 1893, 8 in. for plaice. 



Before the Committee of 1904 another scientific witness said 

 that ten years ago (in 1894) " I thought the size limit should have 

 been 13 in." Then, curiously enough, he argues that as the average 

 size has decreased, that is to say the larger fish have become less 

 plentiful, a smaller limit might be as efficacious as a larger limit 

 ten years ago.^ 



A curious example of fallacious reasoning. Since overfishing has 

 gone on sufficiently in ten years to reduce the average size of fish on 

 certain grounds in the North Sea, a less measure of protection is 

 now as useful as a greater measure of protection would have been 

 before the diminution was brought about. The witness evidently 

 forgot that the size limit is intended to protect fish below, and not 

 above, that size. It may be stated with confidence that the fishing 

 trade in this country will never tolerate a 13 in. minimum size 

 for plaice, or even anything approaching 13 in. It would require 

 much actual financial loss to the steam trawler owners before even 

 the idea of a 10 in. limit would be entertained. So the International 

 Council started wisely enough with a limit that might prove accept- 

 able to all parties, i.e. 8 in. (for winter) and 8| in. (for summer), 

 for North Sea plaice, with the recommendation that " These regu- 

 lations should not hinder any country in introducing higher size 

 limits for plaice than those named, or in extending the area of 

 prohibition to ports or other parts of the coast not in the North 

 Sea." Would the imposition of such a low size limit be of any 

 advantage to the fisheries generally ? It is open to very grave doubt . 



» Report from the Select Committee on the Sea Fisheries Bill (H.L.), I904- See 

 answers to questions, 1119, 11 20. 



