sea-fisheries laboratory. 181 



Report on the Deposits from the Liverpool 

 " Hoppers " in Relation to Shrimps and Young Fish. 



By W. A. Herdman. 



Early in the year the General Purposes Committee 

 asked for a report on the effect produced upon the move- 

 ments of shrimps and young fishes 'by the materials carried 

 out to sea from Liverpool in the hopper barges and 

 deposited near the Burbo Bank. It had, I believe, been 

 suggested (1) that the shrimps were attracted to this 

 particular ground — where young fishes are also found in 

 great abundance — to feed upon the refuse in the deposits ; 

 and (2) that if the attractive material were deposited on 

 some other neighbouring ground not frequented by small 

 fish the shrimps would follow, thus leading to such a. 

 separation of shrimps from young fish on the bottom as 

 would admit of shrimping being carried on freely without 

 causing any destruction of young fish. It would certainly 

 be very convenient if it were so, but a careful examination 

 of the facts shows that there is no real foundation for the 

 ingenious suggestion. 



Mr. Dawson, after discussing the matter with me, 

 caused the necessary samples and specimens to be 

 obtained from chosen localities in the area in question, 

 and these were sent to the laboratory where Mr. Johnstone 

 and I carefully examined them, and drew up the follow- 

 ing report for the Committee: — 



" Report by Dr. Herdman on Deposits, Shrimps, 

 and Young Fish- 



" A number of samples have been obtained during the 

 last two weeks by Mr. G. Eccles, and were brought by him 

 to the Laboratory for examination. 



