84 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



V. 39 Plaice, 11 Dabs, 2 Whiting, 1 Sole put in tub ; 

 after 1 hour only 3 Plaice andl Whiting were dead. 



VI. 100 Plaice, 3-5 inches, left on damp deck J hour 

 then put in tank when 50 were still alive. 



VII. 1 Sole, 2 Dabs, 2 Lemon Soles (all lively) put in 

 tank for 1 hour and 10 minutes when all were still alive. 



These results show pretty clearly that if the immature 

 fish taken by shrimpers and other small boats were sorted 

 out and thrown overboard within a reasonable time after 

 capture a very large proportion of them would recover and 

 have a fair chance of growing up. Mr. Dawson tell us 

 that the fishermen themselves are beginning to realise the 

 necessity of sorting out the fish and shrimps as soon as 

 possible after hauling. If they can be got to do so 

 systematically and efficiently it will undoubtedly prevent 

 a great deal of the present needless destruction of young- 

 fish and will perhaps obviate the necessity of restrictive 

 legislation in regard to shrimping which might otherwise 

 be required in the interests of our very important fluke and 

 sole fisheries. It can scarcely be too emphatically pointed 

 out that the remedy for the present unsatisfactory state 

 of affairs lies largely with the fishermen themselves. The 

 enormous destruction has been abundantly demonstrated, 

 these vitality experiments teach us that under ordinary 

 conditions the young fish will live if returned promptly to 

 the sea, consequently it is very important that this should 

 be made widely known to the fishermen, and it would be 

 well worth while to go to some trouble and expense in 

 persuading or compelling them to adopt such methods as 

 will lead to the young fish being separated out and 

 returned to the sea with the least possible damage and 

 delay. 



