236 
Part III. —Tenth Annual Report 
obtained within the limit. From the .results of the observations of the 
Fishery officers, combined with those of the 'Garland,' there is little 
doubt that brill and turbot, like halibut, ling, and torsk spawn most at 
considerable distances from shore. I may say briefly, from all the evi- 
dence in my possession, that most of the common food fishes spawn 
beyond the three mile limit in the regions of the East Coast investigated ; 
that the spawning shoals are very numerous from five or six to twenty and 
more miles offshore, and that there is abundance of evidence that spawn- 
ing fish may be found at great distances out in the North Sea. The 
greatest distances at which ripe specimens were obtained, according to the 
officer's records, are as follows: — Cod and ling, 170 miles; turbot and 
halibut, 150 miles; brill, 50 miles; saithe, 100 miles (also within four 
or five miles) ; tusk, 65 miles ; hake, 60 miles ; skate, 90 miles ; gurnard 
and lemon soles, 30 miles ; ' flounder ' (1), 45 miles ; whiting, 60 miles ; 
and haddock, 30 miles.* 
The investigation of the offshore fishing and spawning grounds in the 
North Sea appears to me to be one of the most important duties to be 
undertaken in the interests of the fisheries in the near future. 
2. The Size at which Sea Fishes become Mature. 
Since the publication of my paper on immature fish in the Eighth 
Annual Report, investigations have been carried on elsewhere on this sub- 
ject, especially by Mr Holt, in the work previously referred to, by Dr 
Petersen in Denmark, and by Mr J, T. Cunningham. The paper men- 
tioned was meant as a contribution to the practical side of the question, 
and in drawing up a table giving the minimum sizes at maturity, the smallest 
ripe example of either sex — almost invariably a male — was selected as 
a measure. From the practical point of view of regulation, I still believe 
this to be reasonable and sufficient. I am aware that several naturalists, 
•working at the subject, are of opinion that the female of every food-fish 
should be allowed to spawn, at least once, before it is subjected to 
the risk of being eaten ; but this doctrine when applied indiscri- 
minately to all kinds of fish, seems to me as injudicious in theory as it 
would be impossible in practice. The problem is how best to conserve 
and increase the food supply from the Sea> and any action taken must be 
based upon economic considerations — guided, of course (but only guided) 
by the results of scientific inquiries. The problem is extremely complex, 
but it appears to me that only those fisheries which show signs of diminu- 
tion — as indicated by statistics — require regulations of this kind. Take, 
for instance, one or two examples. In the great herring fishery of Scot- 
land, the quantity of immature herrings caught last year amounted to 
rather over 25 per cent, of the total catch, and of a value to the fishermen, 
as near as can be calculated, of between £200,000 and £230,000. Pro- 
bably not one of these herrings had ever produced an egg, and yet they 
supplied about 45,000 tons of wholesome and nutritious food. In some 
years the proportion of immature herrings was very much greater. Take, 
again, the cod. Last year the quantity landed in Scotland was about 
* Desirous of ascertaining, if possible, something about the spawning of the 
conger, I sent a circular to the twenty-six Fishery officers around the coasts, inquir- 
ing if they had ever seen a female with ripe eggs, and the reply was in the negative 
—although nearly 12,000 cwts. were landed last year. They are sent to market 
unopened. 
