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



465 



Upon a consideration of all the data, it thus appears fairly certain 

 liat in Torbay the observed liuctuations in the numbers of the 8-to- 

 L 1-inch plaice during recent years are attributable to corresponding 

 luctuations in the abundance of the still smaller fish in previous 

 »^ears. 



Turning now to Dabs, it will be seen from the following table that, 

 is in Start Bay, there was a considerable increase in the abundance of 

 jiiiall dabs in the summer of 1902 as compared with 1901 — a result 

 ivhich is not attributable to any marked inequality in the combination 

 3f the stations. 



Table XIII., showing, for Torhay, the total imimhcr of Dctbs measured, and 

 the Catch per Hour and Percentage Frequency of Small and Market- 

 able Fish for each quarterly period. 



Catch per Hour. 

 Season. 



1901. 

 July, August, Sept. 

 October, Nov., Dec. 



1902. 

 January 

 April, May 

 July, September 



Totals 



In this case Mr. Holt's records show that the catch of dabs in the 

 summer of 1901 was slightly less, in the case of small dabs, than the 

 average catch of the Busy Bee for July, 1898, viz. 66 small, 4 large; 

 total, 70. In June of 1897 the Busy Bee caught nearly twice as many 

 dabs per hour as did the Oithona in the spring of 1902, the numbers 

 being 38 small, 13 large; total, 51. There was, therefore, to some 

 extent, a deficiency of dabs in 1901 and the first half of 1902, as 

 compared with the previous period, 1895-8 ; but an increase in 

 the summer of 1902, which caused the ultimate numbers of small 

 dabs to attain a higher maximum than had previously come under 

 observation. 



As regards the relative numbers of dabs and plaice, there is no such 

 striking contrast between the two series of investigations as was 

 noticeable in the case of Start Bay. The proportion of mature dabs 

 to mature plaice appears, in general, to have been slightly higher in 

 1901-2 than in 1895-8, especially during the summer of 1902, when, 

 for the first time, the dabs above 7 inches outnumbered the plaice above 

 11 iuclies. 



