32 Part [1]. —Twenty-fourth Annual Report 
| 
| Brill. Plaice. Common Dab. Long Rouge Thornback. | 
Pet 19) ae pas see | EenEEee ee he 
I 7 980 | 107 9 
Tl. - 470 330 7 
a | ae ae E : | 4 De 
Total 7 1,450 437 7 | 9 
The steamer then went to the Dornoch Firth, where some hauls were 
taken on the usual ground. The catches here contrasted with those at 
Burghead Bay in that round-fishes of marketable sizes were present, 
though not in great numbers, but the small haddocks were still abundant. 
The first drag, in 8 to 13 fathoms, which lasted for three hours and ten 
minutes, yielded 2557 fishes, of which 188 were marketable and 2369 
were unmarketable. There were 7 cod and 12 codling, all marketable, 
and the haddocks numbered 2358, consisting of 88 which were market- 
able and 2270 which were unmarketable. There were also 14 marketable 
whiting, | coalfish, and 27 gurnards. The plaice numbered only 69, 51 
of which were marketable, and the other flat-fishes comprised 14 lemon 
dabs and 55 common dabs. 
The next haul, in from 6 to 10 fathoms, which lasted for three hours 
and twenty minutes, yielded 1013 fishes, consisting of 227 marketable 
and 786 unmarketable. The catch included 2 cod, 29 codling, 11 of 
them marketable, 118 whiting, mostly small, and 14 gurnards. The 
haddocks numbered 641, of which 59 were marketable and 582 unmarket- 
able. The plaice comprised 143 marketable specimens and 39 unmarket- 
abide, and there were a few common dabs. 
In the two drags made in the Dornoch Firth and completely recorded, 
the actual time of trawling being six hours and a half, the aggregate catch 
was 3570 fishes, of which 415 were marketable and 3155 unmarketable. 
The particulars as to the marketable and unmarketable of the different 
species are as follows :— 
Cod. Codling: | Haddock. Whiting. |. Coal-fish. 
Be al Pleo 23 | 147 26 1 
Il. : 18 2,852 106 
Total ja: alowed 2,999 132 Vea 
\ 
Gurnard Plaice Lemon Common Angler 
see ge a ey Dab. Dab. gt 
i: al, aenge 6 9 : 
Il. 41 57 8 72 1 
Total 41 51 Tal od 3 81 1 
On leaving the Dornoch Firth the vessel steamed up the coast and 
took some hauls off Lybster and Noss Head; the weather was bad and 
the catches poor, though a number of cod were obtained. In a haul for 
three hours and twenty minutes off Lybster, in from about 18 to 30 
fathoms, the total number of fishes caught was 356, of which 110 
were marketable. There were 40 cod and 63 codling, all, except one, of 
marketable size, but haddocks were scarce, only 28 being taken, and all of 
