of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



33 



The fishing in the. Moray Firth was begun on the 19th, Burghead Bay 

 being first visited ; the weather was calm, and very large quantities of 

 fish were taken. The first haul was in from twelve to twenty fathoms, 

 but mostly in and about ten, and lasted for four hours. The bag of fish 

 "was an exceptionally large one, comprising thirty-one and a half baskets 

 of haddocks, mostly small, and six baskets of plaice, as well as other 

 fishes. The total number of the fishes caught was 8382. of which 7286 

 were marketable and 1096 unmarketable. Among the former were 6439 

 haddocks and 622 plaice, sixty whitings, a halibut, two brill, thirty 

 witches, twenty common dabs, and ninety-six gurnards. The unmarket- 

 able consisted chiefly of common dabs, whitings, and plaice. 



The other four hauls at Burghead Bay were made in water from eight 

 to twelve and thirteen fathoms, and they were also good in regard to the 

 result. In the first, lasting for four hours, 3446 fishes were taken, 2581 

 marketable and 865 unmarketable. The former included 1463 haddocks, 

 646 plaice, and 255 whitings, and also a turbot, three brill, two witches, 

 and some common dabs and gurnards. The next, also for four hours, 

 produced 2556 fishes, 1596 marketable and 960 unmarketable, haddocks 

 and plaice predominating. In the next haul, also for four hours, 4037 

 fishes were caught, 3005 of them being marketable and 1032 unmarket- 

 able. The catch included 2119 haddocks and 491 plaice. 



In the last haul, for one hour, the catch amounted to 912 fishes, 515 

 being marketable and 397 unmarketable ; most consisted of plaice, had- 

 docks, and common dabs. 



The aggregate quantity of fish taken in these five drags, the time of 

 fishing being seventeen hours, was the large one of 19,333 fishes, 14,983 

 being marketable and 4350 unmarketable. The averages per hour's fishing 

 were 1137'2 for the whole, 881*3 for the marketable, and 255-9 for the 

 unmarketable. The total number of haddocks was 10,910, with an 

 average of 64i"8j the number of plaice was 2730, the average being 

 160"6, and the number of common dabs 3618, giving an average per hour 

 of 21 2 "S. There were very few cod or codlings, viz. three of the former 

 and fifty-two of the latter, and 523 gurnards, of which 379 were taken to 

 market. The productiveness of the grounds in Burghead Bay on this 

 occasion very strikingly contrasted with the condition in spring and in 

 June. 



The following Table gives the numbers of the marketable and 

 unmarketable fishes taken in the five hauls, the former being dis- 

 tinguished by the figure I., and the latter by II. : — 



