100 



Part III. — Tirentieth Annual Report 



was calm, and as the jellyfish are drifted in masses into certain places 

 according to the tides and currents, we steamed further north, watching 

 for the comparative absence of jellyfish, and the net was shot off the 

 mouth of the Ythan, and dragged for a little over four hours in from 

 six to ten fathoms. The catch was extremely good, comprising 6924 

 fishes, of which 1704 were marketable. 



Three drags made here, occupying nine hours and six minutes of 

 actual trawling, yielded 15,061 fishes, of which 3753 were marketable 

 and 11,308 (chiefly dabs) unmarketable, as follows : — 



I. 

 II. 



Turbot. 



Brill. 



Plaice. 



1,213 

 65 



Lemons. 



22 

 20 



Common 

 Dab. 



652 

 9,928 



Flounder. 



1,278 



42 10,580 



Long 



Rough 



Dab. 



47 



There were also taken in these hauls five thornback rays, of which 

 four were marketable, three sand-eels, one herring, and thirty-three 

 anglers. The number of anglers is lai'ge, but it has been observed as a 

 rule that when the other fishes are abundant the anglers are numerous ; 

 they seem to follow them. They were all opened, and in twelve the 

 stomach was empty, five contained fish pulp, one contained six small 

 plaice and three flovinders, one a dab, one a flounder, other two the 

 remains of flat-fishes, one a weever, one a whiting, and eleven contained 

 sand-eels alone or with other fish, the number of sand-eels varying from 

 two to twenty-three. The small-meshed net which was used in one of 

 the drags (for 45 minutes) contained 1005 fishes — viz., 382 whitings, 28 

 haddocks, 15 codling, 35 gurnards, 451 common dabs, five lemon soles 

 (smallest 5 inches), three herrings, four dragonets (C hjra), and 82 

 specimens of the lesser weever (Trachinus vipera). The latter, consist- 

 ing of 15 females and 67 males, wei'e all ripe and spawning, the former 

 measuring from 110 to 147 mm., and the latter from 91 to 138 mm. 



Besides the recorded hauls two others were made dviring night, of 

 which no record Avas taken. 



On the 1st August the vessel landed the fish caught, amounting to 

 91-8 cwts., which realised £101 4s. 9d. The quantities in cwts. were 

 as follows : — 



