of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



77 



be difficult to procure it. lu the most important group of fishes so far 

 as concerns the question of depletion of the grounds, viz., the flat-fishes, 

 the published returns separately distinguish only halibut, turbot, and 

 lemon sole ; flounders, plaice, and brill being slumped together into a 

 common group, which, moreover, contains also witches, megrims, and 

 dabs — so that in this case six species of flat-fishes are mixed up together, 

 and it is impossible to ascertain the quantity of any of them. 



Since the question is of so much importance from the point of view of 

 the investigations on the impoverishment of fishing grounds, the Secretary 

 of the Board kindly procured for me a statement showing as nearly as 

 possible the kinds of fish included among " flounder, plaice, and brill," in 

 the various districts of the east coast of Scotland in 1900. It is as 

 foUow^s : — 



Statement showing the kinds of Fish included under the heading 

 " Flounder, Plaice, and Brill " in the Board's Annual Report, and 

 the cjuantity of each kind landed in East Coast Districts during the 

 year 1900. 



Xote. — In Findhorn district there were also landed 76 cwts. of "greybacks." 

 * In the Shetland officer's report this quantity was stated to be " flounders or common 

 dnbs." 



It will be observed that the flat-fishes in the order of quantities are plaice, 

 witches, megrims, flounders, dabs, and brill, and that the total quantity 



