162 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
and the number of young fish that appear in-shore some 
weeks later, 
(6) and thus the death rate in the larval and post-larval 
stages, 
(7) the effect of adding artificially hatched larve to a 
district the population of which is approximately known, 
(8) whether any areas are overstocked with young fish 
and any others not sufficiently occupied, 
(9) and, therefore, whether transplantation, such as is 
carried on in Denmark, would probably be an economic 
success, 
(10) whether, in the course of years, a coast fishery is 
increasing or diminishing. 
I do not think that Iam under-estimating the magni- 
tude, the difficulties, and the probable imperfections of 
such a scheme as I propose. I am aware that all we can 
hope to attain to is a rough approximation, but even that 
will be of use, and it is an approximation which will 
approach more and more nearly to the truth with each 
successive year of work. 
In the first of these Annual Reports, in 1892, I printed 
a scheme of observations at sea which has been carried 
out by the steamer in her trawling over the district. The 
observations on each occasion have been recorded on a | 
separate sheet, and as the result of this eight year’s work, 
we have accumulated about a thousand of these sheets of 
statistics. These local fishery statistics are now being 
arranged and summarised in our laboratory. Mr. John- 
stone is taking out for me, in the first place, every entry 
in regard to certain fish, such as the plaice, and is arrang- 
ing them, in each year, under months, localities, and 
sizes. The analysis and consideration of these observa- 
tions will form an important part of our work during the 
coming months, | 
