of the Fishery Board Jor Scotland. 



19 



coiTespondino- quantity was 76,491 cwts. In Buckie district the total 

 fell from 22,855 cwts. in 1900 to 16,252 cwts. in 1901 ; in 1899 it was 

 34,915 cwts. and in 1896 57,450 cwts. In Findhorn district the 

 quantity in 1891 was 14,286 cwts., as against 21,724 cwts. in the 

 l)revious year, and 68,761 cwts. in 1895. The average catch per "shot" 

 increased sliglitly in Lybster and Banfi' districts, and diminished in the 

 other districts. 



In connection with this rapid decline in the quantity of fish caught 

 by line in the closed waters of the Moray Firth — amounting to 164,463 

 cwts. in the course of six years — it would be of intere.st to determine 

 the quantity caught by foreign trawlers frequenting the Firth. On 

 this point, however, infoi'mation is defective. In the course of the year 

 twenty-six different foreign ti'awlers were observed by the cruisers 

 fishing at one time or another within the Moray Firth — viz., 13 under 

 the Norwegian flag, 3 Danish, 3 Icelandic, 2 Dutch, 3 Belgian, and 

 2 German. Many of these, as, for example, the German vessels, were 

 there for a few days only, but most of the Norwegian trawlers appear 

 to fish in the Moray Fii'th with regularity. According to the returns, 

 the quantity of fish landed by the foreign trawlers at Grimsby and 

 Hull, after they had been observed fishing in the Moray Firth, amounted 

 to a little over 7,000 cwts. No doubt fish caught there were also 

 landed sometimes at foreign ports, but, on the other hand, a proportion 

 of the fish landed at Grimsby and Hull may have been taken elsewhere 

 than in the Moray Firth. The quantity, it will be observed, bears a 

 veiy small proportion to the shortage in line-caught fish. 



With respect to the various kinds of fish taken by line within the 

 closed area, the quantities and averages for last year and the preceding 

 four years are as follow : — 



The decline in the quantity of haddocks is very great, the decrease 

 amounting last year to 15,614 cwts. ; and each year has shown a corres- 

 ponding fall compared with the preceding year. In 1895, the quantity 

 caught by line in the closed area was 178,370 cwts., in 1894 it was 

 156,703 cwts., and in 1897 126,031 cwts. The decrease of the annual 

 catch in the seven years is thus equal to 139,097 cwts. The catch of 

 cod was much more steady, the decline being small, viz. 713 CAvts., but 

 in previous years the quantity was very much greater, e.g. 79,731 cwts, 

 in 1897. Ling showed an increase from 2392 to 3247 cwts., and the 

 quantity of whiting was also somewhat greater than in the preceding 

 yeai-, and there was also an increase in halibut and skate. The quantity 

 of " flounder, plaice, and brill " was rather less, viz. 3639 cwts., as 

 against 4242 cwts., but the average catch per shot was somewhat highei-, 

 viz., 0-1, compared with 09. The average per shot was also rather 



