of the Pishery Board for Scotland. 



29 



in summer for that purpose ;* but there is no satisfactory evidence 

 that the closure has increased the number of round fishes generally 

 within the closed ai-ea. 



Experience shows that the satisfactory determination of the question 

 in regard to round fishes would require more ample means of 

 investigation than were available, because the separation of the 

 fluctuations due to natural causes from any variation that might arise 

 from the closure of the watei's to trawling, is, for the reasons above 

 stated, much more difticult than in the case of flat-fishes. Not only did 

 the small size of the " Garland," and its comparative unseaworthiness, 

 interfere with the completeness of the observations, but the small trawl 

 used has proved a most inefiicieut instrument for the work, compared 

 with the trawls used by ordinary trawlers.f This inefficiency of the 

 " Garland " in these respects for the work assigned to it has been jjointed 

 out in each of the Annual Reports since 1889. 



Firth of Clyde. 



The stations in the Fiith of Clyde were examined in October, 

 November, and December, but the work was considerably interrupted 

 owing to stormy weather and other causes. The number of hauls made 

 at the stations in the Fii'th of Clyde proper (Nos. I.-XII.) was twelve, 

 Stations I,-IY, and Station VI. being trawled over in October, and 

 Stations Y, and VTI.-XII, in November. The stations in Loch Fyne — 

 XIII. -XYII. — were examined in October, November, and December, 

 The catches were, as a rule, very small, ranging at the outer stations 

 (I,-XII,) from 13 to 405 fishes, the average being 95'8 per haul, and at 

 the stations in Loch Fyne from 4 to 241, the average being 82'5 

 per haul. 



The five hauls in October at Stations I,-IY, and YI, yielded a total of 

 323 fishes, the average per haul being 64:'6, The number of flat-fishes 

 in the five hauls was 89, with an average of 17'8 per haul, the diflferent 

 kinds in these and in the corresponding hauls in the previous years 

 being as follows : — 



* The Migratory Movements and Rate of Growth of the Grey or Common Gurnard- 

 SeveHteent/i Annua/, licport, Part iii., p. 222. 



t Vide Nineteenth Annual Report, Part iii., p. 19. 



X Including four scald-fish (Arnocjlossus laterna). 



