38 Part ITI.— Twenty-first Annual Report 
of ascertaining in a definite way the productiveness of the fishing 
grounds in successive years. The principal points emphasised were the 
necessity of dealing with the catches of the individual vessels, those 
using different methods of fishing being kept separate and distinct, and 
the obtaining of particulars as to the precise locality where the fish were 
caught. I also furnished tables, illustrated by charts, giving these 
particulars for a large number of trawlers fishing throughout the year 
1902, and during part of the year 1891. This system, which I described 
before the Committee on Ichthyological Research in October 1901,* and 
was commended by them, was also approved by Continental experts, and 
has been continued since. 
It has, however, been deemed desirable that the detailed information 
thus acquired, which also throws much light on the distribution and 
migration of the food fishes on the different grounds, as indicated in the 
following pages, should be reserved for the use of the International 
Committee now engaged in fishery research in the North Sea, and I 
propose here only to indicate a few of the points of contrast between 
the returns for 1901 and those for 1902. 
The great variation in the relative abundance or distribution of the 
various food fishes on the grounds in the different parts of the North 
Sea is again revealed, more particularly when the deep-water areas to 
the south, south-east, and east of the Shetlands are contrasted with the 
more southern and eastern areas, where the water is not so deep. As I 
pointed out last year, this fact may exercise a very considerable influence 
on the statistics of the fish landed according to the areas which are 
chiefly frequented by the fishing vessels in any particular year. The 
circumstance adverted tof that trawlers last year had resumed opera- 
tions in greater force on the Fisher Bank than for some time past, and 
that this change in the locality of fishing would particularly affect the 
catches of flat-fishes, especially plaice, witches, and megrims, has been 
borne out by the facts. The accompanying Table, which shows the 
number of landings from the various square-areas (as numbered in the 
charts referred to) in each month of the year, so far as the particulars 
were ascertained, indicates how greatly the area of fishing was shifted. 
Squares XXV. and XXXI. represent the grounds known locally as the 
Fisher Bank, and it will be seen that while only 34 landings from these 
two areas were registered in 1901, there were no less than 173 in 1902. 
On the other hand, the proportion in most of the areas to the south, 
east, and south-east of the Shetlands was less, viz., XI., XIV., XVIIL., 
and XIX. Thus, in the cases recorded, the quantity of plaice landed 
from the two areas in question on the Fisher Bank was 1281 ewts. in 
1901, while last year the quantity was 764} ewts. ; the aggregate from 
all the trawlers fishing there (only part of whose catches are included) 
was of course much greater. The effect on the statistics of fish landed 
of this change will be readily understood from the Tables showing the 
percentage proportions of flat-fishes in different areas. 
* Report of the Committee on Ichthyological Research, pp. viii., 1-8 ; 1901 [Cd. 1812], 
+ Twentieth Ann. Rep., Part I11., p. 86. 
[ TABLE. 
