48 



Part III. — Twenty-second Annual Report 



IX. 



In August a record was kept of the hauls made by the steam-trawler 

 " Glenogil " on the fishing grounds lying off the mouth of the Firth of 

 Forth, The vessel left Aberdeen on the 17th August, and ran for about 

 sixty miles on a course S. g E. from Girdleness, and continued fishing 

 southwards for several days, landing the catches at Granton, to about 

 thirty -four miles S.E. of the Isle of May. The weather was good and the 

 sea calm. The grounds visited on this trip, as may be seen from a chart, lie 

 oflf St. Abb's Head and the coast of Berwickshire and Northumberland, 

 and are much fished by the trawlers belonging to Granton. 



The first drag was made in thirty-four and thirty-five fathoms, about 

 thirty miles E. h S. of the Isle of May, and it lasted for three hours. 

 The catch was a moderate one, the number of fishes taken being 608, of 

 which only 381 were marketable. They consisted almost entirely of 

 haddocks, which numbered 519, the marketable numbering 360; the 

 other marketable fishes were seven codlings, nine whitings, and five lemon 

 dabs. The unmarketable were made up of haddocks, whitings, and 

 gurnards. The next three shots were much the same both in regard to 

 species and amount, the bulk of the catches being composed of haddocks, 

 but there were in addition a few cod, coal-fish, plaice, and ling. After- 

 wards the catches improved. In the sixth haul, which was for three 

 hours and five minutes, 2145 fishes were captured, 1713 being market- 

 able. The haddocks numbered 1755, of which 1535 were marketable; 

 there were also 130 marketable whitings, one cod, nineteen codlings, 

 twelve plaice, and sixteen lemon dabs. The unmarketable consisted 

 entirely of haddocks, whitings, and gurnards. 



Succeeding hauls were nearly as productive, the totals varying from 

 1243 to 2991, the duration of the drags being generally a little over 

 three hours. In all of them haddocks formed the great bulk of the 

 catch, the rest of the marketable fishes being made up of whitings, cod- 

 lings, a few cod, ling, and coal-fishes ; the flat-fishes were represented by 

 small numbers of lemon dabs, plaice, and common dabs. 



Altogether, in twelve hauls, up to the afternoon of the 19th August, 

 the time of actual fishing being thirty-nine hours and twenty minutes, 

 the number of fishes caught was 17,569, of which 13,874 were market- 

 able and 3695 unmarketable. The average number taken per hour's 

 fishing was 353*0 for the marketable, 94*0 for the unmarketable, and 

 447'1 for both combined. 



The totals of each kind are given in the following Table, the market- 

 able (I.) being distinguished from the unmarketable (II.) : — 



