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Part III. — Eighth Annual Report 
* the effect which will be produced upon the number of that fish by a 
' given amount of destruction of its young.' 
The Commissioners (Mr Frank Buckland and Sir Spencer Walpole) 
appointed to inquire into the Sea Fisheries of England and Wales, 
reported in 1879, that 'there are no reasons for thinking that the destruc- 
' tion of immature fish, which is undoubtedly going on, is wasteful in 
4 the sense that it is diminishing the future supply of mature fish.'* I 
am not satisfied, however, with the arguments by which this conclusion was 
supported. Too much stress was laid on those derived from the white- 
bait and herring fisheries. 
In the inquiry made by the Government Commissioners in 1884 into 
beam trawling, scientific investigations were for the first time systematically 
employed in connection w T ith the question of the destruction of immature 
fish. This branch of the inquiry fell into the highly competent hands of 
Professor M'Intosh, F.R.S., who, for the greater portion of a year, 
accompanied steam trawlers working off the east coast of Scotland. 
Professor M'Intosh made careful observations as to the results of ninety- 
three hauls of the trawl-net, the contents being in each case registered ; 
and he brought to bear upon the inquiry a wide and varied knowledge 
of fisheries. The results of these observations are referred to below, 
but I may say here, that since no standard of size could be then laid down 
for the specimens classed by Professor M'Intosh as immature, and since the 
great majority of those so classed consisted of common dabs and long 
rough dabs — which reach maturity while still very small — it appears to 
me that many of the fish classed by Professor M'Intosh as immature, 
were in reality adult ; and, conversely, that many excluded from 
the class of immature fish were immature. Thus, for instance, not a 
single immature cod is mentioned. This Commission reported as 
follows : — ' We are of opinion that, while at times a considerable number 
' of immature fish may be taken in the trawl-net, these, generally speaking, 
1 are not of the more valuable kinds of food fishes, and that there is no 
* evidence of any unnecessary or wasteful destruction of immature food 
' fishes by the use of the beam-trawl.' f 
The investigations undertaken by the Fishery Board as to immature 
fish have mainly consisted in the determination of — 
1. What an immature fish is. 
2. The distribution of immature fish in inshore and offshore waters at 
different times of the year. 
3. The capture of immature fish by different modes of fishing. 
II. DEFINITION OF IMMATURE FISH. 
Before describing the results of the inquiry into the distribution and 
capture of immature fish, it is necessary first of all to define what an 
immature fish is. Hitherto no scientific standard has been laid down for 
the discrimination of immature from adult fish according to their length ; 
although arbitrary standards have been adopted, as in the Act of 1714. 
But it is absolutely essential, if this question is to be treated rationally, 
and in order that any legislative regulations on the subject that may be 
made may be productive of good and not of harm, that the maximum size 
of immature individuals of each kind of fish should be scientifically 
determined. To the popular mind an immature fish is a small fish, 
* Report on the Sea Fisheries of England and Wales, p. xxii, 1879. 
t Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire and report upon the com- 
plaints that have been made by Line and Drift Net Fishermen of Injuries sustained 
by them in their Calling, owing to the use of the Trawl Net and Beam Trawl, 
in the Territorial Waters of the United Kingdom, p. xxxi, 1885. 
