Distribution of Plaice Eggs — Moray Firth. 



17 



in the mid-water and bottom nets are quite small, although these nets 

 were hauled through the surface layers in which the eggs were very 

 numerous. On the other hand, it would appear that the eggs were most 

 abundant in the lower water layers in February 1907, 1908, and 1911. 



Plaice Eggs — Doknoch Firth, 

 vertical distribution. 



(b) Stations East of Tarhet Ness. 



Stations 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34 are fifteen miles apart, and 

 lie in a straight line stretching east from Tarbet Ness. {See Table I.). 

 Station 32 (58° 08' N. ; 2° 00' W.) is the fiu-thest east within the Moray 

 Firth area, and is about 57 miles from Tarbet Ness. For the sake of 

 continuity the two stations 33 and 34, which lie beyond the area, have 

 been included. Station 34 (58° 17' N. ; 1° 03' W.) is the most easterly 

 point from Tarbet Ness at which plaice eggs have been taken within 

 the period. The " Goldseeker " trawling stations, Moray Firth, 

 VII. and XVI., also lie close to this line. Station VII. being between 

 28 and 29, Station XVI. between 31 and 32, and slightly to the north 

 of the line. This line of stations therefore stretches from the area of 

 greatest frequency in the Dornoch Firth to the outer limit of the 

 distribution of plaice eggs. 



Station VII., Moraij Firth. 



Although few collections were made at Station VII. there is sufficient 

 evidence to show that plaice spawn in the neighbom-hood. The 

 average frequency of plaice eggs in surface hauls in February was 34 

 and in March 144. The numbers of newly spawned eggs in the surface 

 collections in February and March are, however, 26 and 102. In other 

 words the percentage (over 30) of eggs in the later stages of development 

 was as high in February as in March. Thus there must have been an 

 accession of newly spawned eggs to the locality in the later month. 

 From the present evidence it seems probable that the time of maximum 

 spawning activity in this locality is slightly later than in the Dornoch 

 Firth. 



In March 1906 the eggs were very uniformly distributed throughout 

 the different water layers, so that the actual density is much greater 

 than is represented by the surface haul alone. 



