of the, Fishery Board for Scotland. 



109 



IX. 



On 28th and 29th November seveiul hauls were made by the " Star 

 of Hope." The first was in 68 fathom«, nine miles S.E. by E. from 

 Girdleness, and lasted for one hour and a quarter, in a heavy sea from 

 the northward. Only 141 fishes were taken, of which 09 were market- 

 able, viz., four cod, five lemon soles, three witches, fifty-two haddocks, 

 and five whitings. The unmarketable consisted mostly of haddocks and 

 long rough dabs. The small-meshed net, which was placed around the 

 cod-end, contained 103 haddocks, 889 whitings, five codling, fourteen 

 sprats, three four-bearded rocklings, one pogge, 22 Norway pouts, and 

 three anchovies. 



Some hauls were then taken in Aberdeen Bay, also with unsatisfactory 

 results, the catches being very small. For a day or two before the wind 

 had been blowing pretty strong from the north, and on the 27th and 

 28th there was almost a gale from the north-v/est. Two hauls, occupying 

 five hours, in eleven to eighteen fathoms, gave only 633 fishes, of which 

 269 were marketable, viz., nine cod, sixty-two codling, 122 haddocks, 

 eleven plaice, six common dabs, eleven lemon dabs, one grey skate, and 

 forty-seven starry rays. The marketable fishes were chiefly whitings 

 and starry rays. One of these hauls, with the small-meshed net around 

 the cod-end, lasted one hour and twenty minutes, and in the latter were 

 3256 young whitings, seven haddocks, 33 codlings, one saithe, one sprat, 

 one plaice, one long rough dab, 172 common dabs, and one armed- 

 bullhead [Agonus). A few other hauls were made with the otter with 

 no more success, and the quantity of fish landed on the 30th November 

 amounted to 18J cwts., which realised £13 5s., as follows : — 



X. 



On 16th December, in a smooth sea, after a N.E. storm, the first 

 haul made by the " Star of Peace " was in 57 fathoms, nine miles S.E. 

 from Aberdeen, and it lasted for one hour. The fish caught numbered 

 1238, of which 583 were marketable, as follows : — 



There were also taken in the otter net one red gurnard (no grey 

 gurnards), four Norway pouts, one grey skate, and three spotted 

 dragonets (C. nutcnlata). 



The small-meshed net, which had been around the cod-end, contained 

 about nine basketful of small fishes, all of which had passed through the 

 meshes of the cod-end in the hour's drag. They were enumerated as 

 follows : — 



