20 



Part III. — Twentieth Annual Report 



higher for cod, ling, and whiting, and less for haddock and saithe. The 

 quantity of turbot i-eturned as caught by line in the Moray Fiith last 

 year was 9 cwts., as against 4 cwts. in the preceding year, and 60 cwts. 

 in 1899; and there were 11 cwts. of lemon soles as compared with 4 

 cwts. 



The statistics dealing with the number of " shots " of the line-fishing 

 boats in the Moray Fii'th, or the number of tiips to the fishing grounds, 

 show that the deci'ease noted last year has continued. The number of 

 shots both of the large and the small boats diminished in 1901 compared 

 with 1900, the decrease being marked in the large or great-line boats. 

 The figures for the past eight years are as follows : — 



In both cases the numbers are much less than in any previous year. 

 As already indicated, the cause of this decay in line-fishing is to be 

 sought in the general conditions of the fishing industry, raiher than in 

 any special conditions in the Moiay Firth, since the same change is 

 manifested on other parts of the coast. 



The detailed statistics for each of the districts are as follows : — 



In all the districts, except Helmsdale, Cromarty, and Buckie, the 

 number of shots of the large boats deci'eased, the decrease being greatest 

 in Findhorn district. The number of shots of the small boats declined 

 in the districts of Helmsdale, Cromarty, Findhorn, Buckie, and Banff, 

 especially in the three latter, and increased in the districts of Wick and 

 Lybster. 



Firth of Forth. 



The stations within the closed waters of the Firth of Forth were 

 examined in September 1900, and in the following March, April, and 

 July. The results ai^e of interest owing to the interval which has 

 elapsed since this area was closed to trawlers, and since the stations 

 were last examined. It is desirable therefore to compare the hauls 

 recently made with those made in corresponding periods of previous 

 years, and which were specially dealt with in the Fourteenth Annual 

 Report.* In that Report the catches taken in the ten yeai's 1886- 

 1895 were described, the ten years being grouped into two periods of 

 five years each for comparison, viz. 1886-1890 and 1891-1895. 



* Part III,, 1-, 128. 



