SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY. 171 



data for the corresponding months of each of the years 

 1909-1913 are grouped together so as to obtain a general 

 picture of the distribution, unaffected by annual changes 

 over the quinquennial period in question. 



In this way the fishing grounds in Luce Bay, the 

 Lancashire inshore grounds from near Nelson Buoy to 

 near Liverpool Bar Light Vessel, the fishing grounds off 

 the Estuary of the Mersey, the small fish grounds 

 (shrimping grounds) off the Mersey, and the inshore 

 fishing grounds in and off Beaumaris, Conway, and Red 

 Wharf Bays are dealt with here. It was hoped in 1911 

 that it might also be possible to study the inshore grounds 

 in Morecambe Bay, in Menai Straits, in Carnarvon Bay, 

 and in Cardigan Bay, and the amplified scheme of investi- 

 gations prepared then included such samplings in its pro- 

 gramme. Some catches have indeed been made, but far 

 too few to be of any real value. The winter spawning 

 grounds about Bahama and King William Banks were 

 also to have been investigated, but this has not been 

 possible. The present summary deals, then, with the 

 plaice fishery of " Liverpool Bay " alone. 



Tables XVI to XXII give the results of the measure- 

 ments made at sea on these grounds. The Luce Bay 

 samples were obtained during the years 1908 to 1912 

 inclusive, when the vessel was employed in obtaining 

 spawning plaice for the Piel Hatchery. The voyages for 

 this purpose were made in the months September to 

 December. The Table gives, therefore, the distribution 

 of lengths applying only to a part of the year. The plaice 

 fishery on the inshore grounds between Nelson Buoy and 

 Liverpool Bar is essentially a summer one, so that the 

 months May to October are those considered. The fishery 

 in Horse Channel, and, generally speaking, outside the 

 Mersey Estuary is mainly a summer and autumn one. 



M 



