iAR 31 1904 



Report on Trawling and other Investigations carried 

 out in the Bays on the South-East Coast of Devon 

 during 1901 and 1902. 



Prepared for 

 The Information of the Devon Sea Fisheries Committee. 



By 

 Walter Garstang, M.A., F.Z.S., 



Naturalist in charge of Fishery Investigations. 

 ( With one chart. ) 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Introduction ...... 



Section I. The Brixhani Fishing-Grounds and Fishery Statistics 

 Section II. Distribution and Migrations of Food-Fishes 



§ 1. Trawling Investigations 



The Causes of the Observed Fluctuations . 

 Summary of the Trawling Records 



§ 2. Tlie Migrations of the Plaice 



§ 3. Rate of Growth of Plaice 

 Section III. The Reproduction of the Fiat-Fishes 



§ 1. Spawning Period of the Plaice 



§ 2. Spawning Grounds 



§ 3. Average Size at First Maturity 

 Section IV. General Summary and Conclusions 



Ajipcndix I. Preliminary Report on the Investigations, July 7th, 1903 

 Ajijiendix II. Summary Tables in Illustration of the Preliminary Report, 

 f)th, 1903 



Octobe 



PAGE 



435 

 437 



447 

 447 

 472 

 473 

 47G 

 487 

 490 

 490 

 494 

 495 

 498 

 522 



52G 



Introduction. 



The investigation of the trawling-grounds in Start Bay, Torbay, and 

 Teignmouth Bay, which had been previously investigated in 1895-8 by 

 Messrs. Stead * and Holt.f was resumed by the Marine Biological 

 Association in 1901, under authority from the Devon Sea Fisheries 

 Committee. 



* Stead, "Preliminary Note, etc.," Journ. M. B. A., iv., 189(3, pp. 90-6. 

 t Holt, "Report on Trawling, etc.," Journ. M. B. A., v., 1898, pp. 296-329. 



NEW SEI:iES.— VOL. VI. NO. 1. UECEMIiEll, 1903. 2 G 



