88 Part III. — Tiventieth Annual Bsport 



may happen that when fishing move towards the north and west land may 

 be sighted or the Hght of a lighthouse observed and recognised, and this 

 iorms an additional guide, e.g., " twenty miles south-east of Fair Isle." 

 In other cases nearer the coast a well-known ground may be stated, as 

 " Buchan Deeps," " Aberdeen Bank," etc., or it may be stated that the 

 fish were caught 30 to 40 miles off a given part of the coast, say, Aber- 

 deen. It is, however, best to obtain the course steered and the distance 

 run, for sometimes the name of a bank may be used in a very wide 

 sense, including not merely the bank proper, but the neighbouring parts 

 of the sea. Tlius, " Fisher Bank " may mean a very large stretcli of sea 

 in the neighbourhood of the place where that name more strictly applies. 



In some cases it may happen that the whole of the catch is not obtained 

 at the same place, and an additional question to elicit this fact is neces- 

 sary. As a rule, however, it is, and when it is not, each place where the 

 catch is got is ascertained — for a course is steered and a distance run to 

 the new place, where the depth is again determined. On subsequently 

 charting this information it may be found that the distance separating 

 one place from the other is inconsiderable, and that they both fall within 

 the same area selected as a unit. Should this not happen the record is 

 entirely rejected, for it is not desirable to endeavour to ascertain the 

 quantity of fish got at each place, which would probably lead to error. 

 It may be here said that the suggestion sometimes made that the trawling 

 skipper might himself record the quantities caught is scarcely feasible and 

 is inadvisable. That information can be obtained much better and more 

 accurately when the fish are landed — and when a uniform standard can be 

 applied to transform numbers or boxes into cwts. — either by observation 

 on the market or from the salesman's books. 



There remains the further question, whether or not the information 

 given by the skipper or fishermen as to the place of fishing can be trusted, 

 a question concerning which very different opinions have been expressed. 

 There is no doubt that in certain cases the fisherman does not wish that 

 the exact spot where he is getting specially good shots should become 

 known to other fishermen. There is no objection to give the information 

 except on this score. Such cases in deep-sea trawling are not, however, 

 so numerous as is sometimes imagined. As a rule, when the fishing is 

 steady, there is no secret as to where the boats are fishing ; but at some 

 periods of the year, when the fish shift a good deal, a consideration of the 

 kind mentioned may prevail, and it will depend upon the probity of the 

 skipper whether the information as to the place of fishing is altogether 

 withheld or is made wilfully misleading. In the work at Aberdeen only 

 a proportion of the skippers have been asked for the information, those 

 regarded as the most trustworthy being selected, and the promise being 

 given that the information would not be divulged to others. Cases in 

 which there was doubt, from the nature of the catch, that a mistake had 

 been made as to the real place where the fish were caught, were rejected. 

 Notwithstanding this there may be a percentage of erroi', but there is 

 every reason to believe it is small, and that the Tables (p. 214) show sub- 

 stantially the areas in which the fish were taken, the facts agreeing with 

 the observations made on board trawlers as to the distribution of the 

 fish. 



The information in regard to the place of fishing is, however, so 

 important from the point of view of determining change in the produc- 

 tiveness of the grounds, that I think further measures ought to be taken 

 to extend its scope and to ensure as great accuracy as possible. It ought 

 to be made compulsory, under due precautions to preserve the fishermen 

 from detriment, to disclose the place of fishing. At present (in Scotland) 

 it is compulsory by statute to furnish returns of the fish caught ; and the 



