23 
special spots for spawning, it is difficult to say what— 
besides distance from land, a fair depth of water, and 
abundance of food both on bottom and surface—these factors 
are in the present case. In co-operation with Mr. Dawson, 
it is proposed during the coming spawning season to 
make some expeditions to this ground, when no doubt 
further information both as to the kinds, numbers, and 
sizes of the spawning fish, and also as to their surrounding 
conditions, will be obtained. 
We have also while dredging from Port Erin come upon 
a spawning ground on the other side of the Isle of Man. 
It is 5 miles west of Dalby, the depth is 30 fathoms and 
the bottom is what the trawlers call ‘“‘reamy,” 7.¢., a 
mixture of sand and mud. Here in the latter half of June 
we found Sole, Turbot and Brill all spawning. 
VITALITY EXPERIMENTS. 
In connection with the enormous destruction of imma- 
ture food fishes by shrimp nets discussed in the last report, 
and the disputed question as to whether it is much use 
returning the more or less exhausted fish to the sea, 1t was 
suggested (p. 27) that investigations should be carried on 
from the ‘“‘ John Fell” on the same lines as those started 
by the Scottish Fishery Board on their steamer “Garland.” 
This has been done during the past year, and we have 
now statistics showing the results of a number of experi- 
ments made on fish taken both with the shrimp trawl and 
and also with the fish trawl. 
The mode of procedure has been as follows :—The fish 
are taken from the net, measured, and the species noted, 
and are then put into a fixed tub (about 3 x 2 feet) through 
which is kept running by means of the hose a constant 
stream of sea-water. They are left in the tub from half- 
an-hour to an hour, or even two hours, and then the 
