78 Part III. — Twentieth Annual Report 



of dabs, witches, and megrims is almost as great as the total quantity of 

 flounder, plaice, and brill (44,428 cwts., and 47,619 cwts.). The pro- 

 portion of certain kinds, moreover, varies greatly in different districts. In 

 Leith district, for example — which contains the second most important 

 trawling centre in Scotland — 3400 cwts. of flounders, 5200 cwts. of plaice, 

 10 cwts. of megrims, and no witches are returned as landed ; while at 

 Aberdeen there were 20,964 cwts. of plaice, 24,343 cwts. of witches, 

 12,040 cwts. of megrims, and no flounders. The trawling grounds differ 

 to some extent, and from the deeper water in the northern areas, one 

 would expect the proportion of megrims to be greater at Aberdeen, 

 although to nothing like the degree indicated. Witches are abundant 

 in the deeper parts of the more southerly grounds, as off the Firth of Forth, 

 and their absence from the records cannot be taken as showing their 

 absence from the catches ; and it is, I think, probable that the witches, as 

 well as other flat-fishes, are returned as "flounders" in the case in question. 

 The quantity of flounders (Plewonectes flesus) actually landed anywhere 

 is very small. Trawlers rarely take them in ordinary circumstances ; they 

 never get them in the deeper water, and only occasionally when fishing 

 (for scientific purposes) in the territorial waters (see Tables, p. 143), and 

 such as are brought to Aberdeen market are sold with the dabs or the line- 

 caught plaice. 



A similar return of " flounder, plaice, and brill " landed in the West 

 Coast districts comprises in reality only flounders, plaice, and dabs, without 

 any brill. The quantities are small, viz., 2583 cwts. of flounders, 5521 

 cwts. of plaice, and 69 cwts. of dabs. In some cases they are all returned 

 as " flounders," and in other cases all as " plaice " ; in two of the districts 

 it is stated they cannot be specifled since the distinction between the 

 different kinds of flat-fishes is unknown. 



It is evident from the facts stated that it w^ould be hazardous to make 

 use of statistics of the nature described in dealing with such questions as 

 the depletion or productiveness of fishing grounds. The proportion of 

 error introduced would probably far outweigh the advantage of having 

 larger totals from which to draw conclusions. And, indeed, with the 

 exception of one district — Leith — the returns, for the purpose in view, 

 might be discarded. From the position of the Leith district, midway 

 between Aberdeen and the English ports, and the quantity of white fish 

 landed (232,824 cwts. in 1891, about the same as at North Shields), it 

 would undoubtedly be of value if the returns referring to it could be made 

 use of. But there are special difficulties from the employment of carriers 

 and from the direct dispatch of fish to the Glasgow market, and it is 

 stated that the trawl-owners in many cases decline to give the particulars 

 of the different kinds of flat-fishes owing to the extra trouble involved.* 



It is undoubtedly much bettei' in the meantime, even with regard 

 merely to the accuracy of the returns of the fish landed, that the statistical 

 information for practical scientific investigations concerning the impoverish- 

 ment of fishing grounds should be confined to the chief ports where a 

 large quantity of fish is landed, and where the returns can be obtained 

 with substantial accuracy, and in great detail. 



*The collection of the statistics generally in Scotland, it may be sairl, is facilitated by 

 the provision in the sixth clause of the Sea Fisheries (Scotland) Amendment Act, 188.5, 

 as follows: — "The Fishery Board shall have povcer to require all fishermen and other 

 persons belonging to British sea-fishing boats, and all fish-curers catching or curing any 

 kind of sea fish in Scotland, or in any part of the sea adjoining Scotland, to make returns, 

 in such form and at such periods as may be prescribed b}- the Fishery Board with the 

 sanction of the Secretary for Scotland, of all sea fish which are caught or cured by them 

 respectively." The penalty for "failing to make a full and correct return" is not to 

 exceed £20. 



