SEA FISHERIES LABORATORY. 1D; 
the differences of opinion expressed about that time it was 
evident that further exact statistics from different parts of 
the coast were badly wanted, and it should be remembered 
that at the London International Fisheries Conference in 
1890 the followimg resolution proposed by Dr. P. P. C. 
Hoek the delegate from Holland (a well-known authority 
on fishery matters) was passed unanimously :—‘ This 
conference considers it desirable that before the official con- 
ference meets, the different nations interested in the Sea- 
Fisheries of Huropean waters will collect with as httle delay 
as possible, sufficient information, scientific as well as 
statistical, with regard to the damage done by the capture 
of under-sized fish by their fishermen.” This is now being 
done in Scotland by the Scottish Fishery Board, at Grimsby 
by Mr. Ernest Holt, and in the south by the Marine 
Biological Association at Plymouth, and we shall naturally 
be expected to do our part here. Our shallow inshore 
waters here are known to serve as “‘nurseries”’ for young 
flat-fish, in fact the areas over which the shrimpers work 
are at certain times swarming with young fish from 
immediately after post-larval stages nearly up to maturity. 
Those interested in the fisheries elsewhere naturally look 
to us to give exact information as to the state of affairs in 
this district, and I would strongly recommend that a 
systematic survey of these “‘nurseries”’ and a determina- 
tion of the proportion of different species of young fish, and 
their sizes month by month, be made a regular part of the 
work of the new steamer. The valuable statistics which 
Mr. Dawson has already been able to take in the district 
give some preliminary idea of the immense numbers of 
these young fishes which are caught along with the 
shrimps. The following hauls will show that :— 
July 27. Burbo Bank. Shrimp trawl out 1} hrs. 
5785 immature food fishes to 2 qts. of shrimps. 
