340 



NOTES AND MEMORANDA. ' 



Probable Relation between Temperature and the Annual Catcli of 

 Anchovies in the Schelde District (with PI. XXIV). — Mr. C. J. Botte- 

 manne, of Bergen-op-Zoom^ the Inspector of Fisheries for Holland, 

 has expressed in tables published in extenso in the Verslag omtrent 

 den Toestand der Visscherijen in de Schelde en Zeeuwsche Stroomen 

 for 1888, some very interesting statistics which have been condensed 

 in PL XXIV of this journal. The temperature observations were 

 made on the Einkelaar guardship of the Ijerseke Bank of the Eastern 

 Schelde (see Map, PI. XXI) ; the amounts of the annual catch are 

 taken from the official returns. It appears probable from these 

 statistics that the extent of the catch of anchovies in the Schelde dis- 

 trict in any year is {at least largely) dependent on the temperature of 

 the water during the midsummer months of the preceding year. The 

 curves in PI. XXIV exhibit the temperature on the Ijerseke Bank 

 during the months June to September from 1883 to 1888, the shaded 

 blocks below them represent graphically the mass of anchovies talien 

 in the succeeding year, i. e. 1884 — 1889 (the figures in the bottom line 

 placed after the year indicate the total number of barrels). The 

 only apparent exception is 1886, but, though the highest recorded 

 temperature of this year is not great, the mean temperature in July 

 to September was extremely and unusually high, as will readily be 

 seen in the diagram. As an example of the valuable information 

 which scientific observers may give to those interested in fisheries, 

 Mr. Bottemanne, on receiving the statistics of temperature for 1888, 

 warned the fishermen of the district last year not to go to trouble 

 or expense about the anchovy fishery ; they persisted, however, and 

 justified his advice by realising 12 barrels as against 730 barrels 

 of the previous year. 



Even more convincing, because more complete, are the observa- 

 tions made in the Zuyder Zee on the same point, which are tabu- 

 lated in the Verslag van den Staat der Nederlandsche Zeevisscherijen 

 for 1885 by Prof. Hoffmann, and extend over twenty-eight years, 

 from 1857 to 1885; they entirely bear out the same conclusions as 

 those made in the Schelde district.— G. H. FOWLER. 



