278 BRITISH FISHERIES 



relatively shallow, and where great numbers of 

 young plaice, brill, turbot, soles, and other fishes 

 are to be found. The physical conditions of the 

 area — depth, nature of bottom, temperature, pre- 

 vailing tidal drift, etc. — render it eminently suit- 

 able as a habitat for these young fishes. It is, 

 in fact, a fish-nursery on a large scale, and 

 although adult fish are to be found on it, the 

 characteristic fish population is an immature one. 

 For a number of years this area has been ex- 

 ploited by English sailing and steam trawlers, for 

 reasons that are rather obscure. It appears, 

 however, that the skipper of a trawler might be 

 unfortunate in securing a good " voyage of fish " 

 on his ordinary fishing grounds, and though he 

 could rely only on obtaining fish of small size, 

 and therefore of little marketable value, on these 

 " Eastern Grounds," yet it would be preferable 

 to return with a large catch of these, rather than 

 to come back with a relatively empty fish-hold. 

 Then a few large fish would be caught, and these 

 would enhance the value of his catch. It is very 

 difficult, in the absence of reliable statistics, to 

 obtain any definite idea of the amount of de- 

 struction of young flat fishes on this area, but 

 the returns from the Billingsgate fish-market give 

 some kind of idea of the magnitude of the practice. 

 In 1896, 368 tons of small fish were seized by 

 the officials of the Fishmongers' Company as un- 

 saleable, and were sold as manure, destroyed, or 



