﻿OTTEE-TEAWL 
  FISHEEY. 
  89 
  

  

  SUMMARY, 
  EAST 
  COAST 
  OF 
  SCOTLAND. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Scotland 
  demersal 
  fishes 
  and 
  round 
  fishes 
  both 
  

   showed 
  a 
  continuous 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  quantities 
  landed 
  from 
  1891 
  to 
  

   1912, 
  and 
  flat 
  fishes 
  increased 
  until 
  1901, 
  after 
  which 
  they 
  decreased. 
  

   These 
  increases 
  are 
  due 
  largely, 
  if 
  not 
  wholly, 
  to 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  

   steam 
  trawling, 
  which 
  was 
  responsible 
  for 
  about 
  25 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  

   catch 
  in 
  1891, 
  75 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  1901, 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  in 
  1912. 
  The 
  

   total 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  trawlers, 
  therefore, 
  follows 
  the 
  same 
  course, 
  

   although 
  the 
  increases 
  are 
  heaviest 
  between 
  1891 
  and 
  1901, 
  when 
  the 
  

   fleet 
  was 
  developing 
  most 
  rapidly. 
  

  

  Neither 
  the 
  average 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  voyages 
  nor 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  days' 
  

   absence 
  in 
  the 
  several 
  years 
  are 
  Imown, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  basis 
  for 
  the 
  

   determination 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  per 
  unit 
  of 
  effort 
  is 
  the 
  catch 
  per 
  annum 
  

   per 
  trawler. 
  With 
  some 
  fluctuations 
  this 
  has 
  shown 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  

   respect 
  to 
  both 
  demersal 
  fishes 
  as 
  a 
  whole 
  and 
  round 
  fishes, 
  and 
  an 
  

   almost 
  continuous 
  and 
  material 
  decrease 
  in 
  flat 
  fishes. 
  As 
  has 
  been 
  

   shown 
  elsewhere, 
  this 
  does 
  not 
  furnish 
  a 
  very 
  satisfactory 
  basis 
  for 
  

   comparison, 
  as 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  vessels 
  lying 
  idle 
  for 
  indeterminate 
  and 
  

   possibly 
  important 
  periods 
  are 
  not 
  eliminated. 
  

  

  As 
  in 
  England, 
  cod, 
  haddock, 
  and 
  plaice 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  

   species, 
  and 
  of 
  these 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  recorded 
  in 
  combination 
  with 
  two 
  

   other 
  species, 
  neither 
  of 
  which, 
  however, 
  is 
  quantitatively 
  of 
  much 
  

   relative 
  importance. 
  Of 
  these 
  the 
  cod 
  has 
  almost 
  continuously 
  in- 
  

   creased 
  in 
  the 
  average 
  catch 
  per 
  vessel, 
  and 
  the 
  net 
  gain 
  from 
  1891 
  

   to 
  1912 
  was 
  large. 
  The 
  haddock 
  has 
  fluctuated, 
  but 
  in 
  most 
  years 
  

   the 
  average 
  catch 
  per 
  vessel 
  was 
  higher 
  than 
  in 
  1891, 
  although 
  a 
  

   heavy 
  fall 
  in 
  1912 
  caused 
  a 
  net 
  decrease 
  of 
  41 
  per 
  cent 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  

   period. 
  The 
  plaice, 
  including 
  the 
  flounder 
  and 
  the 
  brill, 
  has 
  de- 
  

   creased 
  almost 
  continuously, 
  and 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  1912 
  was 
  but 
  14 
  per 
  

   cent 
  of 
  that 
  of 
  1891. 
  At 
  a 
  few 
  ports 
  where 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  landings 
  

   has 
  been 
  given 
  in 
  later 
  years, 
  the 
  average 
  catches 
  per 
  voyage 
  in 
  1912, 
  

   as 
  compared 
  with 
  1906, 
  showed 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  10 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  cod, 
  a 
  

   decrease 
  of 
  nearly 
  22 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  haddock, 
  and 
  a 
  decrease 
  of 
  17 
  per 
  

   cent 
  in 
  plaice. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  proportions 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  sizes 
  of 
  these 
  

   fishes, 
  data 
  are 
  available 
  for 
  the 
  landings 
  at 
  Aberdeen, 
  whence 
  hail 
  

   the 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  trawlers, 
  but 
  for 
  recent 
  years 
  only. 
  The 
  catch 
  

   on 
  the 
  " 
  east 
  coast 
  grounds 
  " 
  in 
  near-by 
  portions 
  ot 
  the 
  North 
  Sea 
  

   exhibited 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  proportionate 
  quantity 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  sizes 
  

   of 
  all 
  three 
  species. 
  From 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  Orkney 
  and 
  Shetland, 
  on 
  

   the 
  northwest 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Sea, 
  large 
  cod 
  and 
  plaice 
  de- 
  

   creased 
  proportionately 
  to 
  the 
  whole, 
  while 
  large 
  and 
  medium 
  had- 
  

   dock 
  increased 
  somewhat. 
  While 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  foregoing 
  applies 
  to 
  fish 
  

   landed 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Scotland 
  from 
  all 
  regions, 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  

   came 
  from 
  the 
  North 
  Sea, 
  concerning 
  which, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  said, 
  there- 
  

  

  