IN THE BAYS ON THE SOUTH-EAST COAST OF DEVON. 461 



The table illustrates the following extract from Dr. Kyle's report : — 

 "The accompanying table shows that there are only two species in 

 Torbay — the plaice and the dabs — which are worthy of any attention, 

 amongst trawled fish that is to say, for the fishermen, especially of 

 Torquay, earn a good living from the mackerel and other roving round 

 fish which enter the bay. With these, however, we are not concerned ; 

 they are seldom obtained by the trawl, and to the trawlers as trawlers 

 they are of no value. Amongst the trawled fish the large proportion 

 of thornback rays demands a word of explanation. They are almost 

 entirely small fish under 12 inches from wing to wing, and are most 

 probably migrants from the neighbouring Teignmouth Bay, where their 

 spawning ground seems to be. 



"The dabs are even more numerous in Torbay than in Start Bay, 

 and their distribution over muddy ground is more clearly shown. On 

 Station IVa., near the Rough, the proportion of dabs is less than that 

 of the plaice, and the bottom-soil here, it will be remembered, is of a 

 sandy nature. Over the rest of the bay, where the soil is muddy, the 

 proportion of dabs is greatly in excess of the plaice. 



" It appears from the table that the proportion of small dabs under 

 8 inches greatly exceeds that of the larger over this size and at all 

 times of the year. This is not to be wondered at when it is remem- 

 bered that the dab is mature on the average below 8 inches. 



" Soles are by no means numerous, but the great majority were over 

 8 inches, only one being captured under that size. Flounders are more 

 numerous, and were taken at all seasons of the year. Useless species, 

 as solenette, dragonet, bib, and scaldback, are very common, but the 

 useful forms other than those mentioned are few in numbers and 

 mostly small." 



It is, however, necessary to add to Dr. Kyle's remarks that Station VI., 

 strictly speaking, lies outside the trawling limit of the bay, as fixed by 

 the Sea Fisheries Committee. 



The station, owing to its greater depth, naturally exhibits a pre- 

 ponderance of large fish over small, in the case of plaice and dabs. 

 The actual catch per hour of the larger plaice is less than on the other 

 stations, and of the larger dabs somewhat greater. The station exhibits 

 a higher catch of thornbacks than any other in the bay. 



As will be seen from a comparison of the parallel columns of "totals" 

 excluding and including this station, the inclusion of the station in the 

 summaries has the effect of slightly depressing the average catch of 

 plaice, both small and marketable — the former slightly more so than 

 the latter. It is obvious, also, that its inclusion will have a tendency to 



