﻿OTTER-TRAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  77 
  

  

  The 
  statistical 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  

   following 
  table: 
  

  

  Catches 
  of 
  Demersal 
  Fishes 
  and 
  the 
  Several 
  Classes 
  on 
  the 
  East 
  Coast 
  of 
  

   Scotland 
  During 
  the 
  First 
  and 
  Last 
  Years 
  of 
  Certain 
  Periods. 
  

  

  a 
  Excluding 
  fishes 
  classified 
  after 
  iro3. 
  

  

  6 
  Including 
  fishes 
  classified 
  after 
  1903. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  foregoing 
  table 
  it 
  is 
  seen 
  that 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  constant 
  

   and 
  fairly 
  uniform 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  demersal 
  fishes, 
  amount- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  the 
  aggregate 
  to 
  about 
  90 
  per 
  cent 
  from 
  1891 
  to 
  1912, 
  and 
  

   that 
  both 
  relatively 
  and 
  quantitatively 
  this 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  major 
  part 
  

   ])roduced 
  by 
  the 
  constant 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  round 
  fishes, 
  which 
  

   in 
  the 
  same 
  period 
  increased 
  93 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  quantity. 
  

  

  Flat 
  fishes 
  registered 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  42 
  per 
  cent 
  for 
  the 
  period, 
  

   due 
  mainly 
  to 
  a 
  heavy 
  increase 
  from 
  1898 
  to 
  1901, 
  after 
  which 
  there 
  

   was 
  a 
  decrease 
  to 
  and 
  including 
  1912. 
  Unclassified 
  fishes, 
  including 
  

   those 
  classified 
  after 
  1903, 
  fluctuated 
  until 
  1903, 
  but 
  increased 
  after- 
  

   wards 
  until 
  the 
  total 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  period 
  was 
  42 
  per 
  cent 
  greater 
  

   than 
  in 
  1891. 
  The 
  catch 
  of 
  skates 
  increased 
  heavily 
  and 
  continu- 
  

   ously 
  throughout 
  the 
  period. 
  

  

  Cod, 
  haddock, 
  flounder, 
  plaice 
  and 
  brill, 
  and 
  halibut 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  

   important 
  species 
  of 
  demersal 
  fishes 
  landed 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Scot- 
  

   land, 
  and 
  these 
  kinds 
  combined 
  constituted 
  55.8 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  land- 
  

  

  