28 Part ITI.—Twenty-fourth Annual Report 
numerous, the total number being 3908, of which 1430 were marketable 
and 2478 unmarketable ; the former included 2 large, 100 medium, and 
1328 small. The number of haddocks taken was 1888, of which 122 
were marketable and 1766 unmarketable, Five codling, 2 lemon dabs, 
and a number of common dabs and gurnards were comprised in the catch. 
The succeeding two drags were also exceedingly productive as far as 
the number of fishes was concerned. In one, made in from 8 to 15 
fathoms, and lasting for four hours and twenty-five minutes, the total 
catch amounted to 5991, of which 916 were marketable and 5075 
unmarketable. The latter filled nearly twenty baskets. The number of 
plaice caught was 1623, 754 being marketable and 869 unmarketable— 
the great proportion of the former being small, as in the previous drags. 
Of 4091 haddocks, only 141 were of marketable size, 100 of them being 
large and 41 medium. The other 3950 were thrown away. Eleven 
codling were taken in this haul, as well as a turbot, 6 lemon dabs, and a 
number of unmarketable common dabs. The next haul, in the same 
locality for four hours and fifteen minutes, yielded 3939 fishes, of which 
1378 were marketable and 2561 unmarketable. The plaice numbered 
2552, the marketable aggregating 1273 and the unmarketable 1279. The 
other flat-fishes were 11 lemon dabs and 67 common dabs. The haddocks 
numbered 1118, of which 71 were marketable and 1047 unmarketable. 
Three mackerel were taken in this drag. 
Altogether, in the six recorded hauls in the Dornoch Firth, the duration 
of actual trawling being 23 hours and 45 minutes, the aggregate number 
of fishes taken was 25,563, of which 6754 were marketable and 18,809 
unmarketable, the percentage of the former being 26°5 and of the latter 
73°5. The proportion of the unmarketable fishes was thus very large 
and far above what is usual. In the February hauls the proportion was 
almost exactly reversed, there being then 73 per cent. of the total catch 
marketable and 27 per cent. unmarketable. The particulars of the 
marketable and unmarketable of each kind of fish are as follows :— 
| 
Cod. | Codling. Haas Whiting.| Gurnard. | Plaice. Turbot. 
deat tnd. B 1 lil @ Fo bal ull ww 1 
I: 19 77 394 1 - 6,160 1 
Il, : 12, |, Bs867 fy a2 458 7,450 
Total | 19 89 | 10,361 | 58 458 13,610 1 
Common Lemon : | Long | | Thorn- © 
falas. aD Witch. | Rough Mackerel. ; Angler. batle 
: Pad Dab. | : 
OP ae bare | atte aiir | gee ips. Bahay 
I. 7 50 1 - | 23 | - 21 
I 828 esr e | 16 3 
eee —|—--——|- | ae el ne aes | ene 
Total 835 50 | ] 23 23 16 24 
From this it will be seen that the total number of haddocks caught in 
the six hauls was 10,361, and of these 9967, or 96 per cent., were 
unmarketable, while the total number of plaice taken was 13,610, of 
which 7450, or 54 per cent., were unmarketable. The difference between 
