of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 137 



fore decided to divide the North Sea into areas, and to tabiUate tlie 

 particulais in a condensed, but distinct and separate, form for each 

 month and each area. The areas selected coincide with the lines of 

 latitude and longitude on the chart, each equalling one degree of 

 latitude and two of longitude, the superficial extent thus varying 

 slightly in different parts of the North Sea, but averaging about 

 3600 square (geogi'aphical) miles or a little more. The limits of 

 the North Sea as defined in the International Convention of 1882 

 have not been strictly adhered to, since on the north and north- 

 west the boundary line is arbitrai-y. The real boundary, so far as trawl 

 fishing is concerned, may be placed at the hundred-fathom line, and 

 this, between 2° W. and 2° 40' E., extends further north than 61° N., 

 which is the northern limit under the Convention. The area within the 

 hundred fathom line to the west of the Shetlands and Orkneys is also 

 included as far as 3'' 30' W. {see charts). Beyond the hundred-fathom 

 line the water rapidly deepens and a physical barrier to trawling is thus 

 introduced. These areas have been found convenient, and on the whole 

 they correspond fairly well with the variations in depth ; but inasmuch 

 as the original records contain the place of fishing, apart from its 

 relation to any area, it will be possible to exhibit the results compai-a- 

 tively for any larger or smaller area, or for any bank, should experience 

 show that that would be desirable. 



Within the areas assigned it must not be supposed that the fishing- 

 was evenly distributed, because in some parts the ground may not be 

 favovirable for trawling, and in certain places, as on the slopes of banks, 

 fish may be more abundant and fishing operations more extensive. It 

 may sometimes happen, moreover, that the place of fishing is near the 

 boundary of an area and in such cases part of the fish may have been 

 caught in the adjoining area, although this irregularity tends to equalise 

 itself. Further, a trawler when fishing for a number of days in one 

 locality and getting good shots may, unless when a dan is anchored for 

 guidance, drift fifteen or twenty miles from the place where the first 

 drag was made. But these variations are not of importance. The 

 object is to show the area or district of the sea where the fish were 

 obtained, and all that is claimed is that this method shows it sub- 

 stantially. 



In the chart on Plate I. I have represented the various areas in the 

 North Sea in which the vessels in question caught fish in 1901 and 

 landed them at Aberdeen. They number thirty ovit of about forty-foui' 

 in which trawling can be carried on. Some of the ai-eas are however of 

 very little importance in the returns and may have been visited only on 

 a single occasion in the course of the year, as in the case of areas 

 XXXIII., XXXVI., XXXVIIL, XLI., and XLV. These lie in the 

 southern and eastern parts of the North Sea. In the part of the North 

 Sea south of 56°, i.e., south of a line between the Firth of Forth and 

 Ringkjobing, in Denmark, the Aberdeen trawlers in question made only 

 seven voyages in 1901, and the total quantity of fish landed from these 

 areas was 671 cvvts. It is evident from this that information regarding 

 the southern and eastern parts of the North Sea must be sought at other 

 ports. From the six areas lying between 56° and 57*^ the nvmiber of 

 landings in the coiu-se of the year was 309, the great majority of which 

 (257) were in the two areas near the Scottish coast, most of the others 

 being from the Fisher Bank and neighbourhood. In order to show the 

 position of the gi'ounds from which the great bulk of the supply was 

 drawn, I give particulars in the following Table of the areas from which 

 more than thirty landings were made : — 



