Abstract
THE fourth of a valuable series of post-War reports on the plaice stocks of the North Sea has recently been published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. The first (published in 1923) dealt with the effect of the partial closure to fishing due to hostilities so far as it could be ascertained by two years of intensive work. It was found that the stock as a whole consisted of much larger fish than in pre-War years. This condition lasted but a short time after normal fishing activities were again resumed, and a second report, dealing with the investigations in the period 1921-23, recorded a marked falling off in abundance and size, though the fish had not by that time reached so small an average size as in pre-War days. Further work carried out in 1924 and 1925 formed the substance of a third report in which it was stated that the effects of the War were still being felt but that other important changes were also taking place. The information acquired was insufficient, however, for the purpose of separating the effect of natural fluctuations in the stocks from the effect of fishing. From 1926 onwards, therefore, the work carried out by the Ministry was increased in scope and magnitude with special reference to the solution of this problem.
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References
Bulletin Statistique des Pêches Maritimes, vol. 20.
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Plaice Fishery of the North Sea. Nature 132, 35 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/132035a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/132035a0