of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



39 



The next haul in the same locality, in five and a half to twelve fathoms, 

 lasting for tvFO hours, yielded only seventy-one fishes, and there was 

 nothing apparent to account for the very small catch. The marketable 

 fish consisted of thirteen haddocks — viz., one large, six medium, and 

 six fourths — twenty-four whitings, one plaice, and one dab. Other two 

 hauls were mide in from four and a half to twelve fathoms, bat the 

 catches were small, the marketable fishes consisting chiefiy of haddocks, 

 plaice, and whitings. Altogether in the four hauls made in Aber- 

 dren Bay — the actual time of fishing being twelve hours and five minutes 

 —the total number of fishes captured Avas 2630, the average per hour 

 being 217'7 ; the number of marketable was 2394, with an average of 

 198'2, and the unmarketable 236, with an average of 19-5. The 

 haddocks numbered 1485, the average per hour's fishing being 122-9 ; the 

 whitings 573, with an average of 47*4, and the plaice 379, with an 

 average of 31 '3. 



The numbers of the marketable (I.) and the unmarketable (II.) of each 

 kind are shown in the following Table : — 



The vessel then landed the fish which had been caught in Aberdeen 

 Bay before proceeding to the Moray Firth, and the quantities as recorded 

 in the market, by the Fishery Officer, in cwts. were as follows : — 



In the Moray Firth the first place visited was Burghead Bay, where 

 five hauls were made, four of which were recorded. In the first, which 

 lasted for three hours and ten minutes, 1682 fishes were caught, of which 

 1365 were marketable and 317 unmarketable. Among the former were 

 eleven cod, 506 haddocks, ten whitings, nine brill, 790 plaice, and thirty- 

 four common dabs. The unmarketable were composed mostly of small 

 haddocks and gurnards. In the second drag, lasting for four hours and 

 fifteen minutes, 2421 fishes were taken, 1930 marketable and 491 

 unmarketable. The greater part of the catch again consisted of plaice and 

 haddocks. It also included a turbot, ten brill, and a black or common 

 sole. The number of fishes taken in the third haul, which lasted four 

 hours, was 1779, the number marketable being 1273. They consisted 



