128 NORTH SEA INVESTIGATIONS. 



These indications are iiseful in giving a correct picture of the 

 character of the trawling at Lowestoft, but the products of the grounds 

 can be more completely examined on board a vessel during her fishing. 

 I made one voyage on a smack from Lowestoft, and was able to ascertain 

 very thoroughly the character of the ground called the Brown Eidges. 



We sailed out of the harbour on Monday, Sept. 23rd, and steered 

 to the east in fine weather, with a light breeze. The skipper informed 

 me that £20 was a large sum for the catch of one of these vessels, that 

 they did well if they got £800 in a year as total gross receipts. 



At noon on Tuesday our skipper took an observation of the sun, and 

 made our latitude to be 52° 41'. We shot the trawl at 2.30 p.m. Our 

 distance from the English coast I do not know exactly, as we could not 

 log it as the steamers do, but it was between 50 and GO miles, and about 

 40 or 50 miles from the Dutch coast. At first we towed towards the 

 south, and at 5 p.m. we tacked round, and towed northwards. At 6 p.m., 

 the depth was between 19 and 20 fathoms. 



The trawl was hauled at 11.30 p.m., having been down nine hours. 

 There was a fair quantity of fish in the net, consisting of rather small 

 plaice, whiting, weevers, latchets, and gurnards. There were a large 

 number of small whiting, dabs, and grey gurnards. The smallest plaice 

 was 9f in. long, the largest 17f in., and none were thrown overboard. 

 The fish kept for market were: 3i baskets of plaice, 9f in. to 17| in.; 

 ^ basket of dabs ; ^ basket of latchets, largest 20 in. long ; 1 brill ; 

 1 turbot; 9 pair of soles. The larger dabs were saved, and all the 

 smaller thrown overboard; the smallest was 4i in. long. All the 

 whiting, weevers, and gurnards — about a trunk full altogether — were 

 thrown overboard, but not the latchets {Trigla hirundo), which, though 

 a species of gurnard, are of larger size. These fish — weevers, small 

 dabs, whiting, and gurnards — are saved from the last hauls, but do not 

 pay for icing if kept from the first day or two of the voyage. The 

 weevers were of two kinds, the small (Trachinus vipera) and the larger 

 {Trachinus draco). There was one scald back [Arnoglossus laterna), a 

 female mature, and two dragonets {Ccdlionijmus lyra). Of invertebrates 

 there were 1 squid, starfishes, a few hermit crabs, and whelks. 



The trawl was shot again at once, and the second haul was made at 

 10 a.m. on Wednesday, trawl having been down about 10 hours. At 



9 a.m. we sounded 13 fathoms, being then on one of the ridges. The 

 marketable fish from this haul were: 2 trunks of plaice; i basket of 

 dabs ; | basket of gurnards, whiting, and weevers ; 10 latchets ; 5 pair 

 of soles. 



The largest plaice was 16^ in., evidently ripening for next season, the 

 smallest was 9 J in., a female immature. The smallest sole was 



10 in. long. 



