12 Fishery Board for Scotland. 
in the Norwegian Deep. ‘The western border of this area is formed 
by the Shetland plateau, and it is only in this neighbourhood that 
the larval sand-eels are found in any appreciable numbers. The 
frequency is distinctly greater on the southern part of the slope 
towards the area of greatest density, as is seen in the averaged 
results :— 
Locality. Vertical Horizontal Hauls, one half-hour. 
Reale Haul. 1 metre cheese cloth net. 
; 1m. ch. el. Surface. Mid-water. Bottom. 
E. of Outskerry Light, 9 15 72 33 
E. of Mousa Island, . 6 78 128 176 
Again, larval sand-eels are absent from the deeper central area of 
the North Sea, but they appear in the plankton in gradually 
increasing numbers towards the coastal regions. As has already 
been seen, there is in the early months of the year an entire absence 
of sand-eels where the muddy bottom conditions culminate in the 
depth of the Fladen grounds. The figures :— 
Vertical Horizontal Hauls, one half-hour. 
Foswien: Haul. Surface. Mid-water. Bottom. 
Station 2 (Lat. 58° 36’ N., 
ong 1° 46) Wale 4 23 50 150 
Station 22 (Lat. 59° 36’ N., 
Leng..0°, 40 Wid). 1 62 214 640 
show how the numbers increase as we pass 1n a north-west direction 
towards the area of high frequency. 
In general it may be said that there is almost complete absence of 
sand-eels from the plankton of the deeper waters up till the end of 
March, and these negative observations are important as helping to 
define the limits of distribution of the young forms at that period of 
the year. It may be argued that their non-appearance is due to 
lateness of spawning rather than to unsuitability of locality. The 
determination of the limits of distribution of the larve at a time 
when none of them exceeds 10 mm. affords real information ; and if 
at a later period of the year any of these stations yield positive 
results, the size of the larvee will be a sure index as to whether they 
were spawned there or were carried thither. 
Such, then, is a general survey of the distribution of the larvee of 
the lesser sand-eel in the northern part of the North Sea for the first 
quarter of the year, as deduced from the records of the 
“ Goldseeker.” |The way is now clear for a study of the wider 
problems of the ultimate distribution of the growing forms. 
SUMMARY. 
1. This communication deals with the spawning areas and the distribution of 
sand-eels in the northern North Sea during the first quarter of the year. 
2. It is shown that, with the exception of a comparatively few examples in 
the neighbourhood of the Firth of Forth, no larval sand-eels are found in the 
plankton in the northern portion of the North Sea in the first two months of 
the year. 
3. They suddenly appear in countless numbers in the month of March. 
