86 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Mr. John Fell used to tell us of the great stake-net fisheries 

 of a quarter of a century ago when the men were often unable 

 to cart away the whole of the catch. Vast quantities had to 

 be left to decompose in the nets, and the men could not be 

 persuaded to take the nets down to prevent so much waste. 

 Prices then were low, an abundance of fish tended to still 

 farther lower the market value until it became unprofitable 

 to take the catches away. The prices offered in 1916 by the 

 local dealers were astonishingly high, and the men had no 

 difficulty in disposing of every catch owing to the keen com- 

 petition. No fish were left in the nets to be wasted. 



Expectations of an autumn stake-net fishery were raised 

 when an immense visitation of plaice was discovered on the 

 rough ground just outside Barrow Channel, early in July. 

 Owing to the restrictions, none of the local trawlers could go 

 out to trawl in this area, and the fishing was left to boats 

 from more distant ports. Seventeen to thirty second class 

 trawlers from Morecambe and Fleetwood fished over the area as 

 the weather and tides permitted during the next three months. 

 The rough ground did considerable damage to the fishing gear 

 at times, but the boats on the whole did very well. Some of 

 them landed up to 50 score pounds — nearly half a ton — as 

 the result of the day's fishing. The general average is reported 

 to have been between 25 and 30 score pounds per boat per 

 day. 



The shoal of plaice gradually made its way further along 

 the shore, and by September had reached the area where the 

 stake nets are set at Roosebeck. These nets can only be profit- 

 ably employed during spring tides as they do not ebb dry at 

 low water of neap tides. This fishing is therefore intermittent, 

 and generally lasts from seven to ten days out of each fortnight. 

 Good catches were made in the period 11th to 17th September, 

 but these were far exceeded by the results of the second period, 

 September 25th to Oct. 1st. One fisherman employing six nets 



