51 



only say, that in 1904 flounder-dab eggs were found so to speak everywhere where 

 we songht them, from the Skager Rak to the true Baltic, in the months of 

 March — August. 



In 1904, pelagic dab yoimg were taken in the Danisli waters during six 

 months of the year, nainely April — September (see Tab. 3 B). We found them 

 everywhere from the Skager Rak to the true BaUic, most however in the northern 

 parts of the Danish waters. They were by far the most abundant of the pelagic 

 flat-fish young. Thus in June we took 755 pelagic dab young; more than we had 

 taken of all other flat-fish together in the whole year 1904. 



In Mai/ the dab young were small. In the beginniug of June we foimd 

 larger specimens, 12 — 13 mm., with the waudering of the eye just begun. 



The bottom-stages were first taken on July Uth: 



D. 11 — 7—04. At Schultz's Grund lighlship, 20 fm., hard bottom. Young-fish trawl on 

 the bottom, 10 minutes : 4 dab young, 1 of which at 13 mm. was metamorpho.sed and 1 at 12 mm. 

 had the eye on the ridge, as also some adults. 



Next dav we sought for the bottom-stages of the dab on soft bottom: 



D. 12—7—04. Anholt hghtship in N. W. to W., 5'/, miles, 21 fm., soft ground. Young- 

 tish trawl on bottom, 10 minutes; 17 bottom-stages of dab, 12—13 mm., also 20 young of long- 

 rough dab in bottomstage and many other fish. 



Tims the dab young had begun to pass over to the bottomstage shortly before 

 the beginning of May. 



From now onwards we searched a great deal for the bottom-stages of the 

 dab at the same time as we were seeking for the bottom-stages of the cod, see 

 the chart p. 24 During these investigations we used the young-fish trawl on the 

 bottom, but as it appeared that the apparatus usually went too hghtly over the 

 ground, we shortened the lines from the trawl to the boards, so that in passing 

 over the ground the boards could stir up the bottom-material iuto the trawl. It 

 was thus often filled with bottom-material, especially when we fished on soft ground, 

 and it is on this kind of ground that the dab young are usually taken. To bring 

 the trawl inboard over the raihugs, when it comes up from the bottom fuU of 

 mud, is in so wise practical and we tiierefore steamed under halfpower, when we 

 had hauled so far in that the trawl was hangiug along the side of the ship. In 

 this way we washed out all that could go through the stuff of which the trawl is 

 made, and the metamorphosed fish young could then be readily found in the 

 remainder. In order to protect the young-fish trawl, which suffered a good deal 

 on using it in this way, the Director had a special trawl made for this work: 

 the "mud trawl'', which was smaller and easier to handle when full of bottom- 

 material. The "mud-trawl" is only to be considered as a smaUer edition of the 

 young-fish trawl. 



The bottom-stages of the dab have only been detected in 1904 in the 

 deepest parts of each of the regions. This holds at any rate for the southern 

 waters. In the true Baltic we did not find the bottom-stages of the dab during 

 1904, in the western Baltic we took only 2, one in 20 fathoms on August 4th, the 

 other in 15 fathoms on August 2(3th. This catch is small in comparison with the 

 many hauls we made there. 



In the northern part of the Little Belt, north of Funen, we took 9 bottom- 



