CONSIDERATION OF INDIVIDUAL FISH 



89 



Sea lost its superiority in 1909, as compared with all other regions, 

 and has never since regained it. (See Appendix, p. 281.) In 1906 

 the North Sea yielded 6i-68 per cent of the total English and 

 Welsh catch. In 1909 the North Sea percentage was 4676, this 

 being the first year that the North Sea percentage was less than 

 50. In 1911 the North Sea percentage was 40-89, but by 1913 this 

 had increased to 45-38. The Irish Sea catch of soles increased 

 from 4-86 percentage of the whole catch in igo6 to 22-13 in 1913. 

 Similarly the Bristol Channel percentage increased from 10-65 in 

 1906 to 16-99 in 1913, but the English Channel catch remained 

 practically stationary in this period (10-88 to 10-90). 



The statistics of the sole fisheries do not as yet give so certain 

 evidence of overfishing as those of the plaice fisheries. 



The Haddock (as a type of demersal round fish) 



The cod family, to which the haddock belongs, is one of the 

 greatest importance to British trawlers and liners. In reality, 

 though so unlike in external appearance, there is a close zoological 

 relationship between the cod family and the plaice family. At least 

 seventeen members of the cod family are met with in abundance in 

 British seas, and of these no less than eight are landed in sufficient 

 quantities by British fishermen to justify their being recorded 

 separately in the official statistics. Just as there are five species of 

 the genus Pleuronectes separately recorded, so are there five 

 members of the genus Gadus. These are the haddock {Gadus 

 aglefinus), the cod (G. morrhua), the whiting {G. merlangus), the 

 coalfish (G. virens), and the pollack (G. poUachius). The total 

 quantity and value of these five species landed in the British Isles 

 in 1 913 is appended : — 



Weight in Cwts. (1913) 



Cod . 



Haddock 



Whiting 



Coalfish 



Pollack 



England and 

 Wales. 



2,646,666 



1,553,869 



427,262 



363,499 

 12.893 



Scotland. 



1,233,449 

 730,104 



223,745 

 410,985 



Ireland. 



20,381 



10,292 



7,236 



Total. 



3,900,496 



2,294,265 



658,243 



774,484 



12,893 



