53 



pendently of the males to give birth to the young, and this is an 

 inshore migration, but the congregation far from the shore in 

 large numbers in October shows that the young speedily become 

 vigorous contranatant migrants, keeping, however, together in 

 shoals. 



This year, 1921, dogfish were numerous in May and June. 

 In May 30 cwts. were captured by North Shields trawlers ; in 

 June, 205 cwts. Some were obtained about 150 miles E.N.E. 

 of the Tyne, but the bulk of the catches were made in local 

 waters north and south of the Tyne, at a distance of about 

 14 miles. 



4.— DISTRIBUTION OF PLAICE AND DAB. 



The foregoing results indicate that the shallow waters of 

 2-5 fathoms on the coast of Northumberland annually receive 

 an immigration of important flat and round fish, that the immi- 

 grants on the whole gradually increase in size during the summer, 

 and that most leave the inshore waters close to the shore in the 

 winter. It has also been apparent that the immigrants are dis- 

 tributed along the Northumberland coast with remarkable con- 

 stancy each season. 



The " Garland " and the more recent " Goldseeker " trawling 

 experiments of the Scottish Fishery Board indicate that the dis- 

 tribution of the species is similar on the Scottish coast and in 

 deeper water. In the region extending from the north of the 

 Firth of Tajr to the south of the Firth of Forth there is a similar 

 assemblage of plaice and dabs to that of Northumberland. The 

 estuary of the Tay is a plaice area, that of the Forth a dab area. 

 Forty years ago a " bag " of plaice could be easily obtained during 

 a flood tide fishing on the sandbanks at Broughty Ferry, and the 

 same is likely the case to-day. 



The plaice caught per hour's trawling by the "Garland" 

 and by the " Goldseeker " illustrate with great clearness that in 

 depths of 6 to 20 fathoms the conditions of the Forth school with 

 respect to distribution are the same as those of Northumberland 

 in depths of 2-3 fathoms. 



The figures show also that plaice and dabs are subject to the 

 same seasonal change. But at all seasons the plaice and dabs 



