SEA-FISHEEIES LABORATORY. 201 



Limfjord, of undersized plaice, and he considers that this 

 might lead to a great increase in the value of the plaice 

 fisheries. 



This superabundance of young plaice may possibly be 

 present in some special localities, but I doubt whether it 

 is at all general, and I do not see how, in the face of 

 natural enemies and of fishing operations, we can speak 

 of an over-population anywhere until it has been proved 

 that there are more young fish than the ground and the 

 food will support. I do not think that there is any 

 evidence that anywhere in our district have we any young 

 fish to spare. But still Dr. Petersen's observations are 

 full of interest, and I think we might benefit by his 

 suggestion in one particular. In view of the destruction 

 of young fish effected in some of our nurseries by the 

 Shrimp trawlers, it might be well to carry out transplant- 

 ation experiments, such as those he proposes for Denmark, 

 and remove some millions of young plaice and other 

 immature fish from grounds where a large proportion of 

 them are doomed to destruction, to other localities of a 

 suitable nature where they can feed and grow in peace. 

 The institution of "sanctuaries" amongst our fish 

 nurseries is eminently desirable. 



Oyster Investigation. 



The investigations on the bacteriology and various 

 diseased conditions of Oysters and other shell-fish, and 

 on their possible connection with public health questions, 

 are still being carried on by Prof. Boyce, Dr. Kohn, and 

 myself. In July we communicated a paper to the Boyal 

 Society, giving an account of the presence of relatively 

 large quantities of copper in certain green leucocytes 

 found in a diseased condition of the American Oyster as 

 bedded on our coasts. The Oysters suffering from this 



