20 Part I17.—Twenty-jirst Annual Report 
There were also taken in these hauls seven anglers, one dog-fish, and 
one Norway haddock (Sebastes). Another trawler was working in the 
vicinity. 
Although the gross number of haddocks in these hauls was fairly 
good for the season, they consisted mostly of the small or third selec- 
tion, the large haddocks and those of medium size, which bring much 
better prices, being rather scantily represented ; there were 929 large, 
697 medium, and 2876 small. At this season of the year, as previously 
remarked, the large haddocks after spawning are difficult to locate in 
numbers, and are believed to disperse and leave the bottom. None of 
the haddocks observed were spawning. It was therefore decided to 
shift ground, and the vessel steamed about 45 miles N. 7 E. from 
where the last of the four hauls was taken, to a position approximately 
about fifty miles E. by 8. of Sumburgh Head, in Square XV. (Plate I.). 
A haul was made here on the morning of the 24th May, in seventy-one 
fathoms—also for five hours,—but the catch was small, comprising 
1611 fishes, of which 1375 were marketable and 236 unmarketable. 
Whitings were more numerous, and twelve cat-fish, six hake, 
five coal-fish, a halibut, and ninety-one gurnards were included ;. but 
haddocks, and also witches, were scarcer than before. Numbers of 
whitings were ripe, and the stomach of a coal-fish was found to 
contain two argentines, a haddock, and two specimens of Gadus 
Esmarku. 
The trawl was again dropped, in seventy-six fathoms, and the vessel 
steered N.E. by E. for the five hours, the distance run being reckoned 
to be a little over ten miles. Another trawler was working alongside ; 
there was a fresh breeze from the westward and a heavy swell on the 
sea. The catch amounted to 3101 fishes, of which 2684 were market- 
able and 417 unmarketable. It included a comparatively large 
number of megrims, viz. 167, two saithe or coal-fish, six hake, four 
ling, eight cat-fish, and a tusk, and haddocks were more numerous 
than in the previous haul, but the large ones were poorly represented, 
and only twenty marketable witches were obtained. ‘Twenty-nine 
starry rays were taken. 
The next haul was made in seventy-one fathoms, and much the same 
course was steered during the five hours’ drag, viz. N.E. The catch 
in this instance was only partly enumerated ; it included seven hake, 
two ling, one coal-fish, twenty-three starry rays, five common dabs, 
and eight-and-a-quarter baskets of haddocks. 
The eighth haul was made early in the morning of the 25th May, 
in seventy-eight fathoms, and during the first half of the five hours the 
course steered was N.E. by E. ‘The catch included six cod, eleven 
hake, three ling, two tusk, a cat-fish, a halibut, three common dabs, 
122 witches, and twenty-one marketable megrims; but only 606 haddocks 
were secured. A few of the haddocks were observed to be still spawning. 
The total number of fishes obtained was 1394. 
When the net was brought up the vessel was run for about fifteen 
miles to the south-west, and then hove to until the morning of the 
26th owing to the heavy sea and south-west gale. The wind previously 
had been blowing a moderate breeze from the 8.W., W., and W.S.W., 
and the sea was choppy; and the above drag was made in a moderate 
gale from north-west to south-west. On the morning of the 26th, the 
gale having moderated, the wind hauling to north-west, the trawl was 
shot in sixty fathoms on a shelly bottom, and the course steered during 
the drag was north-east. On taking the latitude at the end of the 
haul it was found to be 60° 2' N., and the vessel was therefore in the 
southern part of Square XI. (Plate I.). Another trawler was observed 
fishing in the E.S.E. 
