90 



not be laid on the above figures. Shrimps do not seem 

 to be so much affected. Captain Eccles informs us, 

 however, that in his experience more shrimps are gener- 

 ally caught at springs than at neaps, on account of the 

 greater muddiness of the water during the higher tides. 



As regards the influence of the state of the tide as to 

 ebb and flow on the numbers of fish caught, much remains 

 to be made out. We have collected the hauls made during 

 every hour of the tide for the months July, August, Sep- 

 tember, and calculated the average catches. The data 

 are rather incomplete, too few hauls having been made 

 just before high water to give satisfactory averages. The 

 results are set out in the table and on the accompanying 

 chart where the abscissse represent part of one daily tidal 

 cycle and the ordinates the average numbers of fishes 

 caught. 



Average catches of fish and shrimps made with a 

 shrimp trawl on the Mersey grounds during 

 July, August, September of the years 1893- 

 1902. Arranged for each hour of the tide. 



