of the Fishery Bourd for Scotland. 163 
boats, &c.; a few are tradesmen (masons, &c.); while the rest are 
general labourers. 
Tay Sprat-Fishing Grounds. 
The Tay sprat-fishing grounds are included in that part of the estuary 
extending from Invergowrie and Balmerino, some 3 miles above or 
west of the Tay Bridge, down to, or a little beyond, Tayport and 
Broughty-Ferry, between 4 or 5 miles east of the Tay Bridge. 
From Broughty-Ferry, the estuary increases uniformly in width as far 
as 3 miles above the Tay Bridge, where it is 2? nautical miles wide. 
At Dundee it is 1} nautical mile in width, and at Broughty-Ferry, 
some 47 miles below the Tay Bridge, the estuary is only ? mile across. 
Many sandbanks extend over this particular part of the estuary, 
which are dry 4 to 7 feet at low water, the width of the navigable 
channel being about 3 mile. 
Sandbanks also exist in the main channel itself, composed of cleaner 
and coarser sand than most of the surrounding siandbanks. Contrary to 
expectation, the sandbanks of the Tay are found to vary very little in 
form from one year’s end to another. Extensive flats and sandbanks are 
present on either side of the main channel above or west of the Tay 
Bridge. 
Abreast of Invergowrie and Ninewells, the main channel is marked off 
by two red and two black buoys, and forms here a very important sprat 
and herring fishing ground. 
About opposite the west end of Dundee an important sandbank exists, 
some 150 yards in width at low water. The deep channel on the south 
side of it formed the principal ground for this and last year’s sprat and 
herring fishing. This particular sandbank is known as the Middle Bank, 
and its narrow east end is marked off by the Chequer buoy. 
A somewhat variable and extensive shoal projects from the southern 
shore of the estuary, about half-way between Newport and Tayport ; it 
is called the Newcome Spit, and consists of a mass of clean sand and 
shells six times as coarse as the Middle Bank. The neighbourhood of 
the Newcome Spit is also a favourite sprat and herring fishing ground. 
At Broughty-Ferry there are no sandbanks, and the river here is fully 
10 fathoms deep at low water. 
Seaward of broughty-Ferry the estuary widens rapidly, and the 
bottom consists largely of coarse sand full of rounded water-worn stones. 
At Monifieth Bay this material is said to form a suitable spawning 
ground for winter herring. 
Tides. 
Spring tides flow up the river Tay as far as two miles above the city 
of Perth, and sprats and herring are got by the sparling fishermen as far 
up as Newburgh, but only in very small quantities. 
Low water of ordinary spring tides at Dundee Harbour is 7:5 feet 
below ordnance datum, and high water of ordinary spring tides is 
163 feet above that level. The extreme range of high water at Dundee 
varies between 19 feet 6 inches and 3 feet 7 inches, and extreme low 
tides sometimes fall 1 foot 5 inches below low water of ordinary spring 
tides. 
The tides have an important bearing upon the quantity of fish caught 
in the river, and also restrict the fishing to those parts of the river 
where the currents are strong enough to open the bag-nets. 
During the flood of neap tides the currents are too weak to open the 
nets, and fishing can only take place then during ebb-tide, while during 
