92 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



summary of the main results obtained so far is given in this 

 Report by Mr. Daniel. 



So far, then, the work of the Fisheries Laboratory has 

 related partly to questions that interested us before the war 

 period (and which, of course, must still be investigated) and 

 partly to questions that are, in my opinion, of particular 

 interest at the present time. To the former category belong 

 the problems of over-fishing, size-limits, and the nature of 

 restrictions designed to prevent impoverishment of the fishing 

 grounds. These I regard as routine investigations which ought 

 to be pursued in order that data may be available in the future 

 when they become of pressing importance. So it is necessary, 

 from this point of view, to collect statistical information with 

 regard to such matters as the prevalent sizes of plaice, soles, 

 cod, and some other important species of fish : the composition 

 of the fish populations with regard to year classes and so on. 

 By and by all this information will accumulate and can be 

 worked up from new points of view. 



To the latter category of investigations belong such as 

 will assist in production — when the time comes that an export 

 trade in fish may again attain large dimensions. These 

 researches ought to relate to the methods of preservation of 

 fish whether by refrigerating, curing, canning, or by other 

 means industrially practicable. In dealing with them there 

 are a host of questions which involve difficult and rather 

 abstruse chemical and bacteriological investigations, and, 

 unfortunately, it has not been possible yet to make a really 

 promising beginning with such work. There is also the very 

 important matter of the further utilisation of the enormous 

 abundance of mussels, cockles, shrimps and prawns that exist 

 in local waters. First of all a renewed survey of the shellfish 

 beds on this coast is now necessary, and this ought to include 

 not only an examination of the foreshore from the point of 



