23 
are being caught, the favourable conditions for feeding remain, and 
their places are taken by others from the surrounding grounds 
which are not fished or cannot be fished, and on which the fish may 
not be so numerous. 
The question here again comes to be, if fishing is carried out in 
the places where fish abound on account of the relative abundance 
offered, and if few such places are left unfished in the North Sea, 
will these latter and the relatively less abundant places and the in- 
shore waters and the neighbouring oceans continue to supply and 
keep up the fishing grounds? There is a wide area to go and come 
upon, and it must not he under-estimated. The catch of fish 
increases every year, and still we find good catches can be made. 
Trawling, at least, is as successful as ever, if it is more difficult. 
The other side of the question is that nearer the land and in 
protected waters, where there was relative abundance not so long 
ago, the fish have been much reduced in numbers, and this despite 
the closing of three miles from the shore to trawlers has not been 
recovered from. We have been able to show an improvement on 
this coast if we compare the last half of the period we have experi- 
mented in with the first. But, as a rule, such comparative trawling 
trials do not point to any change for the better. It is feared then 
that the history of those places near at hand will be repeated and 
intensified in those at a distance. Moreover, the one depends 
greatly on the other for its supply of fishes. From many of the 
spawning fish in the deeper waters the young of the in-shore areas 
are derived, where they are happily protected at least from one kind 
of fishing, and as these get mature they pass out to the deeper 
waters to feed and to spawn. In regard to plaice, statistics appear 
to show that over-fishing is already beginning to have an effect. 
More of them seem to be caught than are necessary to cope with 
the destructive agencies to which they are exposed. That is to say 
a sufficient number of them are not allowed to spawn, and in conse- 
quence the annual survival at all stages is reduced. Not only so, 
but “the worse you are, the worse you are likely to be.” For 
enemies, finding that they cannot get a sufficiency of the larger 
forms, will be obliged to look further down the scale of size, and 
thus destruction will be intensified. It is quite clear that over- 
fishing must lead to a redistribution of food and feeding. 
That the danger of over-fishing is recognised by people who 
ought to know is sufficiently well seen in the establishment of 
