DISTRIBUTION AND GENERAL NOTES ON THE SPECIES 

 Our records of the total catch of this species are as follows : 



313 



WS77 



WS79 



WS91 



WS92 



WS94 



WS95 



WS99 



WS108 



WS216 



WS218 



WS762A 



WS762B 



WS763 



WS764B 



WS765 



WS771 



WS774 



WS775 



WS776 



WS786 



WS788 



WS789 



12. 111. 27 



13. iii. 27 



7. iv. 27 



8. iv. 27 



16. iv. 27 



17. iv. 27 

 19. iv. 27 

 25. iv. 27 



1. vi. 28 



2. vi. 28 

 16. X. 31 

 16. X. 31 



16. X. 31 



17. X. 31 

 17. X. 31 



29.x. 31 



i.xi. 31 

 2. xi. 31 

 3.xi. 31 

 7. xii. 31 

 I3.xii. 31 

 13. xii. 31 



I 



4 



3 



24 



49 



2 



4 



32 

 I 



3 

 I 



123 

 6 



4 



25 



12 



368 



43 

 162 



34 

 I 



I 



WS790A 



WS790B 



WS791B 



WS792A 



WS792B 



WS793 



WS796A 



WS796B 



WS797B 



WS797C 



WS799A 



WS799B 



WS800B 



WS805 



WS806 



WS807 



WS810 



WS811I 



WS811II 



WS812I 



W 881211 



WS813 



14. xii. 31 

 14. xii. 31 



14. xii. 31 



15. xii. 31 

 15. xii. 31 



15/16. xii. 31 



19. xii. 31 

 21. xii. 31 



20. xii. 31 



20. xii. 31 



21. xii. 31 



21. xii. 31 



22. xii. 31 

 6. i. 32 

 7- •• 32 

 7- i- 32 

 9. i. 32 



10. i. 32 

 12. i. 32 

 10. i. 32 



12. i. 32 



13. i. 32 



107 



23 



30 



9 



932 



5 



56 



3 



26 



37 



37 



12 



I 



I 



I 



12 



3 

 162 



75 



33 



5 

 80 



WS814 



WS815 



WS816 



WS817A 



WS817B 



WS818A 



WS818B 



WS838 



WS848 



WS8S3 



WS8s5 



WS857 



WS858 



WS859A 



WS859B 



WS864 



WS866 



WS868 



WS870 



WS874 



WS875 



13.1.32 

 13.1.32 

 14. 1. 32 

 14. i. 32 

 14. i. 32 

 17. 1. 32 

 17.1.32 

 5. ii. 32 

 10. ii. 32 



21. iii. 32 



22. iii. 32 



23. iii. 32 



24. in. 32 



25. iii. 32 

 25. iii. 32 



28. iii. 32 



29. iii. 32 



30. iii. 32 



31. iii. 32 



3- iv. 32 

 3. iv. 32 



981 

 2 



56 

 5 

 2 

 2 

 I 



33 

 3 



26 

 I 



48 



5 



12 



II 



I 



1180 



98 



227 



II 



78 



Two main features of the distribution already mentioned become quite clear from these figures: 

 the greater relative abundance of the species in the southern region, and the tendency to form dense 

 local shoals, so that a small minority of the catches are vastly bigger than the others This latter feature 

 is the probable reason for lack of a clear north to south gradient in abundance of Macruronus m our 

 records A single extra large catch (of small immature individuals) was made in the northern region, 

 but no corresponding shoal happened to be encountered while we were sampling the intermediate 

 region. It is clearly necessary to consider other lines of evidence, bearing on the probable spawning 

 time and movements of the fish, that may help to explain the observed distribution. The most fruitfu 

 studies possible from existing data appeared to be considerations of seasonal variations in ponderal 

 index regional variation in mean length, and relation of relative abundance and mean length with 

 depth • but before we pass on to these one most important feature, quite clear from the catch records, 

 must be emphasized: Macruronus was present at only two stations worked in winter, and these were 

 among the most northerly of thirty more or less comparable hauls worked along the shelf edge, and 

 over the shelf, in the main summer haunts of the species. This strongly suggests that the fish move 

 north in winter. The repeated attempts made by Mr John to trawl in deep water over the shelf edge 

 during the winter survey sufficed to show the offshore movement of hake at that season and should 

 also have revealed the presence of Macrr^ronus offshore if there were not also a considerable mendiona 

 component in the direction of movement of the latter species. We have no proof, of course, tha 

 Macruronus does not move eastwards offshore-it probably does, though not to the same ex^nt as th 

 hake-but it seems certain that it moves north as well, whereas any meridional component in the 

 direction of movement of the hake would seem to be too small to be demonstrable from existing 



"^Tn Table 29 the data have been grouped at mean dates, from stations selected according to their 

 tine distribution, so as to show the seasonal variation in 'average' ponderal index of Macruronus in 

 each o the three regions. The chief stress was laid upon inclusion of stations within a narrow interval 

 ot: about the m'ean date and therefore regional differences in the other futures shown-reative 

 abundance mean lengths and sex ratios from the same groups of data-are not fully illustrated by this 

 array The' Tata suffice to indicate three main points, however: greater abundance and size of in- 

 d "duals in the south, and the constancy of the sex ratios, showing a slight preponderance of females 



