CONSIDERATION OF INDIVIDUAL FISH 87 



The Sole (as a type of flat-fish). 



Although the plaice is the most important flat-fish to the fish trade 

 in the British Isles, yet the sole occupies in several respects so remark- 

 able a position that some reference 1 it , however brief, is indispensable . 



The sole is by far the most highly priced sea fish, and it is also 

 the only demersal fish which is stiU caught in larger quantities 

 by sail than by steam trawlers, though the latter are fast overtaking 

 the former. In 1913 the weight of soles landed in England and 

 Wales was 66,766 cwt., of which 29,675 were landed by steam 

 trawlers, 32,957 by sailing trawlers (first class) and 3962 by sailing 

 trawlers of the second and third class. There can be no doubt that 

 apart from the sole, sailing trawling would fail to provide its votaries 

 with sufficient remuneration to enable them to make a living ; 

 though it is true that at certain times of the year they depend on 

 other fish such as the plaice. Nothing is more certain, on the 

 west coast, at any rate, than that the failure of the sole supply 

 would lead to a collapse of sailing trawling. 



In its broad features the life-history of the sole resembles that of 

 the plaice. There are, of course, several kinds of fish sold — ^some 

 legitimately and some illegitimately — ^under the designation sole. 

 There are four species of sole commonly met with in British waters, 

 but of these the solenette {Solea lutea) is too small to be marketable. 

 It is, however, a common feature of the shrimper's catch, where it is 

 frequently mistaken for the young of the true sole. Of the three 

 edible species the common sole {Solea vulgaris) predominates 

 enormously. The writer has witnessed hundreds of hauls with the 

 trawl off the west coast at varying depths and at all times of the 

 year. In most of the hauls, made from all classes of fishiag vessels, 

 soles have been present, but only on a few occasions, certainly less 

 than half a dozen, was the French sole or sand sole (Solea lascaris) 

 met with ; and the thickback or variegated sole (Solea variegata) 

 never. These two species are probably more abundant on the 

 other coasts, but they must constitute an insignificant portion of 

 the British catch of soles. The sole is a southern species and is not 

 included in the fishery statistics of Scotland, Sweden or Norway. 

 Occasionally soles of the genera Synaptura and Cynoglossus are to 

 be met with in British markets ; they are caught by steam trawlers 

 on the grounds off the coasts of Portugal and Morocco. Frequently 

 soles are sold under local names, for instance, at Chester as " Parkgate 

 soles," or at Manchester as " Southport soles," these are generally 

 true soles, even if not from the locality specified. Soles sold with 

 any other qualification are almost certainly not the true sole, the 

 " lemon sole " (Pleuronectes microcephalus) is a case in point. 



