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Part III. — Twentieth Annual Report 



small fishes, chiefly whitings and dabs, only part of which were 

 enumerated, and 31 haddocks, four codling, two lesser v/eevers, seven 

 gemmeous dragonets, two herrings, and one sprat. Some unrecoi'ded 

 hauls were also taken, and on the morning of the 5th September 78 

 cwts. of fish were landed, which realised =£63 3s. 3d. The particulars 

 are as follow : — 



In the Moray Firth a haul was made for one hour in Spey Bay, in 

 seven to nine fathoms, on the 6th September. The net was torn and 

 the catch was poor, consisting of 352 fishes, of which only 54 were 

 marketable, the bulk of the unmarketable consisting of gurnards. Six 

 lythe were among the marketable fishes. A haiil in Burghead Bay, 

 also for one hour, with the small-meshed net ai-ound a cod-end with 

 1| meshes, yielded only 214 fishes, of which 93 were marketable 

 (including 44 plaice and 38 dabs) and 121 unmarketable. The fish in 

 the small-meshed net were also few, numbering only sixty-thi'ee. 



The catches on the south coast of the Firth at this time being so 

 unsatisfactory, the vessel steamed to the Domioch Firth, where better 

 results were anticipated. Here, however, the hauls were still less pro- 

 ductive. The first drag was made for three hours around a "dan," 

 anchored in ten fathoms, and only 61 fishes were caught, namely, four 

 haddocks, and 57 plaice. Another drag was made in from six to ten 

 fathoms for four hours and fifteen minutes, and 132 fishes were taken, 

 viz., two haddocks, 128 plaice, and two brill. The contrast with the 

 catches a month before was thus remarkable. The jelly-fish trouble 

 was absent ; but, on the other hand, the wind on this occasion was 

 blowing — and had been for a day or two — pretty strongly from the 

 south-east, that is, right into the Firth, and not from the west, off the 

 land, as it was at the beginning of August. 



Returning to Burghead Bay on the morning of the 7th, six hauls 

 were made in from 5| to 8 fathoms, the time occupied in actual 

 trawling being twenty-five hours and twenty minutes. The number of 

 fishes caught amounted to 4694, of which 2374 were marketable and 

 2320 unmarketable. The particulars are as follow : — 



Eight marketable thornbacks and two grey skates were also taken, as 

 well as one solenette and twelve anglers. 



On returning two drags were made ofi" Newburgh in Aberdeen Bay 

 on the 10th, in from six to nine fathoms, the time of trawling 

 occupying five hours eight minutes, and 2971 fishes were taken, of 

 which 2673 were marketable, as follows : — 



