REMARKS ON TRAWLING. 309 
haddock, 8—9 inches,—when so small their price is insignificant, 
about 1s. per box ; whiting, 8—9 inches; poor-cod, 7 inches ; bib, 
6—7 inches; coal-fish, 1 foot ; hake, 1 foot, though seldom seen 
below 15 inches; ling, 15—20 inches; halibut, 13 inches; sail- 
fluke, 8 inches; craig-fluke (witch), 7 inches; long rough dab, 7 
inches ; turbot, 6—7 inches; brill, 7—8 inches; plaice, 7 inches ; 
dab, 7 inches; lemon-dab, 7 inches; sole, 7 inches; flounder, 7 
inches, rarely sold; grey gurnard, 9 inches ; bream, 9—10 inches ; 
cat-fish or wolf-fish, 15 inches, though all those obtained were 
large. By the term “saleable,” of course, saleable in the food 
market is meant, since much smaller examples of every species 
might be utilised for manure, either as landed or after preparation 
in a factory. 
In regard to the unsaleable round fishes, the remarks of the 
Commissioners of 1866 were—“ It has never been alleged that ling, 
cod, and conger, in which the line fishermen are so largely inter- 
ested, or mackerel, pilchards, or herrings, upon which the seine and 
drift fishermen depend, are caught by the trawl in an immature and 
uneatable condition.” ‘* Whiting and haddocks of small size, thought 
marketable, are taken by the trawl; but fish of similar dimensions 
are also captured by the liners, against whom, indeed, the charge of 
taking immature cod has especially been brought.” 
In the Report of 1884 it was stated that ‘‘a considerable number 
of young cod were present in most of the good hauls, but all were 
saleable fishes. Quite as many immature cod (codling) were caught 
by the liners in the same waters; and off the Bell Rock perhaps 
the proportion is even greater.’ The same state of matters exists 
at this moment. On the other hand, the number of very small 
haddocks caught by the liners, e.g. last year off the east coast of 
Scotland, far exceeded anything of the kind captured by trawlers. 
The one mode of fishing was as destructive to these immature forms 
as the other. The small fishes swarmed on the ground, and were 
caught in every haul of the liners just as they were swept into the 
trawl, but many of the smaller forms escaped from the latter 
through the meshes, while they were held fast by the hooks and so 
injured that, although they had been returned to the water, it is 
doubtful if they would have survived. 
The remarks made then (1884) on the capture of very young cod 
and very young haddocks, therefore, remain suitable for to-day ; 
and the same may be said of those on whiting, ling, hake, gurnards, 
coal-fishes, pollack, bib, and poor-cod. In the Trawling Report it 
was stated that large cod and other adult fishes were now seldom 
caught within the limits of the Bay of St. Andrews, and this was in 
accordance with the evidence then obtainable. The use of anemones 
