11 
'L'lie results of these experiments this year agree with those of 
last year in that the catches were better both in quantity and 
quality towards the end of the summer than at the beginning. A 
glance at the numbers for Alnmouth Bay and for Druridge Bay 
will illustrate this. This is the more curious that such was not 
observed in previous years. We have certainly noted before that 
an increase in size had taken place in the latter half of the season. 
It is about August and September that large mature plaice come 
into the in-shore waters. They are accompanied by the largest 
sized dabs we obtain. These lisli used to he obtained on well-known 
smooth areas of ground such as that in the neighbourhood of the 
Longstone. Fishermen aver that there are so few to be caught on 
these off-shore grounds that they have given up this particular form 
of fishing. Trawlers agree likewise in saying that plaice at any 
rate are much less numerous, not only on the nearer grounds, but 
even on the more distant hanks. General fishery statistics show, in 
fact, that plaice are really suffering from over-fishing. The 
numbers we take year after year are fairly constant, and as we have 
proved are not influenced by our trawling experiments. The 
average is some 100—150 per day — a very small number indeed. 
This year the average catch of plaice is 110, which is below that 
recorded for the past 5 years. These considerations go to show that 
the larger plaice are migratory, and have to some extent changed 
their habits, forsaking the grounds they used to frequent for 
the more in-shore waters, but still evidently in small numbers. 
Their food is also changed (see page 23), and it is perhaps the fact 
that the in-shore waters cannot support very many of the larger- 
sized plaice, and it is this factor which tends to keep the numbers 
pretty level. Fishermen state that their lines soon fish such places 
clean, but our experiments show that the power of recupera- 
tion is great. We naturally do not have the chance which line 
fishermen have, of. finding the best hits of ground, for it is well- 
known that even on a smooth area where plaice may be constantly 
procured, there are limited spots where the fish mostly congregate, 
it is fair to assume that such spots also present a larger quantity 
of food than the general ground around them. But though our 
trawling area is a band of the ground not very broad near to low 
water mark, the constant increase in size and numbers, week 
after week, such as we experienced last year, and to a less degree 
this year could not result from the dispersion of the local plaice over 
the grounds. They must have been gradually coming in from the 
deeper waters. 
