12 



NORTH SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 



1894. October .... 9,138 

 November . . . .17,134 

 ])6cember .... 12,627 



1895. January .... 3,806 

 February .... 7,077 

 March ..... 12,908 

 April ..... 15,908 



Comparison of these figures with those given by Mr. Holt on p. 174 

 of vol. iii. shows a very great increase, except in January, for which the 

 total is smaller. There is no indication, so far as I know, that the 

 supply of large haddock has fallen off. 



Cod. — The following are the monthly totals of boxes of trawled 

 codling : 



1894. October ..... 2638 



20,575 



The total for the corresponding months of the previous year was 

 17,319; but the figures for nineteen days were not obtained, so 

 that the difference does not appear to be really very great. 



II. Notes on the General Course of the Fishing. 



In the latter half of February, a large number of steam trawlers 

 were fishing in the neighbourhood of Flamboiough Head, where the 

 coast is steep, the 20 fathom line being only four or five miles from the 

 coast, and the soundings descending to 35 fathoms. The principal 

 item of the catch on this ground was large cod, which were taken 

 in large numbers in spawning condition. This region is, in fact, a 

 spawning ground for cod, and I am informed by the fishermen that 

 it is worked for cod regularly every year at this season. The proportion 

 of codling was not great ; for instance, in one voyage of a steam 

 trawler, lasting nine days, there were 90 score of cod, and only 4 boxes 

 of codling. There were also caught 10 to 12 boxes of large plaice, 

 a few boxes of liaddock (about 20), a few turbot, mostly large, 

 about 1 box of soles, 1 or 2 of lemon soles, and a few boxes of 

 whiting. 



