REMARKS ON TRAWLING. 329 
Aberdeen and Montrose, only a few vessels are now seen at work 
here and there in good weather. Fishes are by no means absent 
from this area, and at certain times occur in considerable abun- 
dance, but the individual catches at other times are limited ; and 
on the rough ground LO or 11 miles off, in 33 fathoms, it some- 
times happens that, after three hours’ trawling, about the same 
time has to be spent in mending the net. Yet lemon-dabs and 
sail-flukes or “megrims” (Arnoglossus megastoma) in the deeper 
and softer parts, with the larger haddocks and other forms, render 
the work there still worthy of attention. If small haddocks brought 
fair prices, the work would, indeed, be tolerably remunerative, as 
they are at present in very great numbers. The liners work on 
the same ground and catch chiefly the latter fishes. There is no 
indication that fish-food has been seriously interfered with on this 
ground, but, on the contrary, invertebrate life of all kinds is in 
great abundance. Moreover, the enormous numbers of pelagic 
sand-eels, from 15 to 83 mm. in length, intermingled with swarms 
of young flat-fishes, on these grounds, and on which many of the 
fishes were feeding in May, is a feature of moment. In 1884 the 
captures on the northern part of this area during the summer months 
were comparatively lmited, and. it was only the advent of the 
herring in autumn that caused a notable increase of white fishes. 
To-day, at the distance from land just mentioned, each haul in 
daylight produces from a basket to a basket and a half of lemon- 
dabs, about three-fourths of a basket of large haddocks, and 4 to 
5 boxes of small haddocks. At night, a few ling, cat-fishes, and 
cod are added to the catch. Few whiting are procured, and the 
same feature was occasionally seen in 1884, for the whiting are often 
in the upper parts of the water. Very few cuttle-fishes occurred in 
May. The “catch ”’ just mentioned is not a heavy one, and is pro- 
bably surpassed by other ships, but it at any rate shows that fishes 
are still present in considerable numbers. This is further demon- 
strated by examining the “ catch’”’ of a liner with six men on board, 
and which had been at sea about 32 hours, fishing on the 28th and 
29th of May, probably from 28 to 30 miles off Aberdeen, viz. 9 
boxes of large haddocks, the largest fish reaching the length of 20 
inches, the rest smaller (at 24s. per box), 3} boxes of small haddocks, 
a few cod, dabs, one lemon-dab, and a few whiting—making a total 
of about £12 forthe six men. In the same market lately the large 
haddocks brought 29s, per box, so that the above is probably not an 
unusual price. 
At the southern end of the ground just mentioned, viz. off 
Montrose, a trawler working, three years ago, about 25 miles off, in 
August, landed the very high catch of 500 boxes of haddocks in a 
