CONSIDERATION OF INDIVIDUAL FISH 75 



On the other hand, would it inflict any hardship on the fishermen ? 

 On the inshore fishermen it would, and for that reason one is com- 

 pelled, though with reluctance, to object to the proposal. Already 

 the English and Welsh inshore fishermen have to bear the burden 

 of sea fishery legislation, since the regulations are only operative 

 within the territorial waters. Much of this legislation is of an 

 amateurish description, framed by bodies which knew little, and 

 confirmed by a body which knows less, of the manifold and intricate 

 problems concerning the sea fisheries. Fortunately there is a marked 

 tendency to relax or abolish much of this ill-considered and hasty 

 legislation. It would be a matter for regret if further burdens were 

 placed on the inshore fishermen, especially when it cannot be proved 

 clearly that such burdens would be to the public advantage. The 

 limit proposed by the International Council is not high enough to 

 prevent the steam trawlers from fishing on any of the grounds 

 known to be frequented by immature plaice, and the sole effect 

 of the measure would be that some proportion of the small and 

 extra small plaice which is at present sold in our markets will be 

 dumped over the trawler's side before her return to port. The 

 only result then so far as the steam fishing boats are concerned, 

 is that fishing wiU go on as before, the smaller fish will continue 

 to be caught and killed, the difference being that they will now be 

 destroyed uselessly, whereas there was some slight utility in their 

 previous destruction, since they served ultimately as human food. 

 The effect on the inshore fisheries will be quite different and the 

 proposed regulation is likely to affect seriously the inshore fisherman. 

 Here a digression is necessary in order to explain that, in the English 

 and Welsh territorial waters, the sailing trawlers can only fish 

 subject to local regulations, the chief of which is a proviso that the 

 mesh of the trawl nets be not less than a certain prescribed minimum, 

 usually 6 in. measured round the four sides of the square. While 

 this is far from being an ideal measure of protection, since imme- 

 diately outside the territorial waters fishing is unrestricted, it 

 certainly does prevent the destruction of a large number of fish 

 that are in any case far too small to be marketable. The addition 

 of an 8 or 8| in. measure of length will prove a serious handicap to 

 these inshore fishermen, probably sufficiently serious to compel 

 them to stop fishing altogether. 



A careful and detailed study of the plaice and plaice fisheries of 

 -the Irish Sea has been made by Dr. Johnstone.^ In this area the 

 most important plaice grounds frequented by the inshore fishermen 



• See various Reports of the Lancashire Sea Fisheries Laboratory, edited by 

 Prof. Herdman, C. Tinling and Co., Liverpool, and particularly the report for 1913, 

 p. 122, et seq. 



