﻿OTTEK-TRAWL 
  FISHERY. 
  83 
  

  

  27 
  per 
  cent, 
  but 
  even 
  so 
  its 
  importance 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  cod 
  

   showed 
  a 
  marked 
  recession. 
  

  

  The 
  category 
  of 
  flounder, 
  plaice, 
  and 
  brill 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  

   element 
  in 
  the 
  decrease 
  of 
  flat 
  flshes, 
  falling 
  off 
  almost 
  continuously 
  

   until 
  in 
  1912 
  the 
  average 
  quantity 
  taken 
  by 
  trawler 
  was 
  but 
  14 
  per 
  

   cent 
  of 
  that 
  of 
  1891. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  trawlers 
  are 
  concerned, 
  this 
  category 
  

   may 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  practically 
  composed 
  of 
  plaice, 
  as 
  the 
  quantity 
  

   of 
  the 
  other 
  two 
  species 
  comprised 
  hardly 
  more 
  than 
  10 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  

   1906 
  and 
  probably 
  less 
  than 
  that 
  in 
  earlier 
  years. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  evident, 
  then, 
  that, 
  certainly 
  with 
  the 
  plaice 
  and 
  probably 
  

   with 
  the 
  haddock, 
  the 
  two 
  essentially 
  trawl-caught 
  fish, 
  the 
  catch 
  

   per 
  trawler 
  shows 
  significant 
  reduction, 
  notwithstanding 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   sumably 
  increased 
  efficiency 
  of 
  the 
  vessels 
  as 
  measured 
  by 
  their 
  in- 
  

   creased 
  size. 
  As 
  has 
  been 
  previously 
  suggested 
  in 
  the 
  discussion 
  of 
  

   the 
  total 
  catch 
  by 
  trawlers, 
  this 
  appears 
  to 
  mean 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  de- 
  

   pletion 
  of 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  these 
  fishes 
  on 
  the 
  grounds 
  frequented 
  by 
  

   these 
  vessels, 
  or 
  that 
  the 
  vessels 
  are 
  fishing 
  to 
  an 
  increasing 
  extent 
  

   on 
  grounds 
  little 
  resorted 
  to 
  in 
  the 
  earlier 
  years 
  of 
  the 
  period 
  dis- 
  

   cussed. 
  The 
  possible 
  change 
  in 
  grounds 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  the 
  cod 
  and 
  to 
  

   the 
  detriment 
  of 
  the 
  haddock 
  and 
  plaice 
  catch 
  can 
  hardly, 
  if 
  it 
  

   occurred, 
  have 
  any 
  other 
  reason 
  than 
  the 
  depletion 
  of 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  

   the 
  latter 
  two 
  species 
  on 
  the 
  grounds 
  previously 
  resorted 
  to, 
  for 
  the 
  

   plaice 
  has 
  always 
  been 
  a 
  more 
  valuable 
  species 
  than 
  the 
  cod, 
  and 
  the 
  

   haddock, 
  w^hile 
  of 
  approximately 
  equal 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  cod 
  in 
  1908 
  and 
  

   previously, 
  is 
  now 
  more 
  valuable. 
  

  

  The 
  halibut 
  is 
  more 
  valuable 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  fishes 
  men- 
  

   tioned, 
  but 
  the 
  quantitative 
  increase 
  is 
  not 
  sufficient 
  to 
  offer 
  an 
  ex- 
  

   planation 
  of 
  a 
  change 
  of 
  fishing 
  grounds, 
  although 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  

   increase 
  probably 
  indicates 
  that 
  such 
  change 
  has 
  occurred. 
  There 
  are 
  

   no 
  specific 
  data 
  to 
  show 
  where 
  the 
  fleet 
  fished 
  in 
  the 
  several 
  years. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  other 
  basis 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  foregoing 
  comparisons 
  could 
  

   be 
  made 
  while 
  eliminating 
  the 
  statistical 
  effects 
  of 
  changes 
  in 
  the 
  in- 
  

   tensity 
  of 
  fishing 
  activity 
  would 
  be 
  through 
  the 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  

   catch 
  per 
  landing. 
  The 
  data 
  necessary 
  are 
  not 
  available 
  for 
  the 
  east 
  

   coast 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  recorded 
  for 
  the 
  trawlers 
  fishing 
  

   out 
  of 
  the 
  ports 
  of 
  Montrose, 
  Fraserburgh, 
  and 
  Aberdeen 
  after 
  1905, 
  

   which 
  comprised 
  nearly 
  80 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  Scottish 
  steam 
  trawl 
  fleet. 
  

   This 
  period 
  is 
  too 
  short 
  for 
  a 
  comparison 
  of 
  much 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  pur- 
  

   poses 
  of 
  this 
  report, 
  but 
  the 
  data 
  may 
  be 
  used 
  to 
  test 
  in 
  a 
  measure 
  

   the 
  validity 
  of 
  the 
  presumptions 
  and 
  discussions. 
  The 
  following 
  

   table 
  compares 
  the 
  percentile 
  increases 
  and 
  decreases 
  in 
  the 
  average 
  

   catches 
  of 
  the 
  trawlers 
  from 
  those 
  ports 
  per 
  vessel 
  and 
  per 
  landing: 
  

  

  9497°— 
  15 
  25 
  

  

  