168 TRANSASTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
female plaice to fill the boxes once, and counting in the 
males required to fertilise the eggs, another 25 would be 
wanted, making 100 in all, or 200 to fill the boxes twice. 
Under the existing arrangements, where we have no 
spawning pond, and only a small steamer to depend on for 
our supplies, it is practically impossible to collect the 
number of eggs required. This has been fully demon- 
strated during the past season. Instead of even 23 
millions, only about 4 millions in good condition could be 
obtained. The weather, on the whole, was suitable for 
the work; with unfavourable weather the results would 
have been much worse, as the steamer is not of sufficient 
size to carry on such work in a rough sea. 
The system of collecting eggs by means of the steamer 
has some disadvantages. It is hable to be interrupted 
at any time through accidents to trawl gear, or by a 
continuation of bad weather, and a large number of 
eggs are necessarily collected which are not suitable for 
incubation. At the saine time, it ought to be remembered 
that the fry hatched out from eggs collected in such a 
manner and afterwards set free, as has been done this 
season, represents a great gain. Practically 95 % of the 
fry set free were hatched out from eggs taken from fish 
caught by the trawlers for the market, and these eggs would, 
in the ordinary run of work, have been entirely lost. 
Much could be done to minimise the enormous loss to the 
fish population of the sea which accompanies the capture 
of ripe fish during the spawning season if the steamer 
were of sufficient size to visit the trawlers for the purpose 
of collecting eggs in all ordinary weather. 
The scheme advocated by Professor McIntosh and others, 
that trawlers should be furnished with suitable vessels for 
the collection and fertilisation of the eggs, which would 
then be returned to the sea, is certainly a good one if it 
<A ae ae 
oe a 
