FISHES 



43. Bib or Pout. Gadus lutcus, Linn. 



Occurs at Lowestoft according to Mr. Gur- 

 ney in Dr. Lowe's list. I did not notice it on 

 the Brown Ridges in September 1895, but it is 

 recorded from the deep water off Lowestoft 

 and from other grounds in the neighbourhood, 

 in the International Investigations. 



44. Whiting. Gadus merlangus, Linn. 



Abundant both inshore and on the trawling 

 grounds. They are caught with hook and line 

 from the piers of Lowestoft Harbour in autumn 

 and large numbers are landed by the trawlers. 

 Many small specimens are taken by the shrimpers 

 and also by the large trawlers ; in fact I did not see 

 any over 13 in. long. The trawlers often throw 

 overboard all the whiting caught at the beginning 

 of a voyage and save only those taken in the last 

 hauls, as they are of little value after being in 

 ice for several days 



45. Coal-fish. Gadus virens, Linn. 



Plentiful at Yarmouth according to Paget, 

 but this probably refers only to fish landed by the 

 trawlers, for the coal-fish belongs to more 

 northern waters ; in the records of the Interna- 

 tional Investigations it is only occasionally 

 recorded from grounds about the Dogger. 



46. Ling. Molva vulgaris, Flem. 



At Yarmouth according to Paget ; is recorded 

 once or twice from the Lowestoft deep water 

 {Intern. Invest.). 



*47. Burbot. Lota vulgaris, Cuv. 

 Occurs in the Waveney. 



48. Five-bearded Rockling. Motella mustela, 

 Linn. 



At Yarmouth according to Paget. 



PLEURONECTOIDEI 



49. Halibut. Hippoglossus vulgaris, Flem. 



The halibut being a northern deep-water fish 

 is not commonly taken off the Suffolk coast, but 

 a specimen 5 ft. 4 in. long was mentioned in 

 the Norwich papers of 15 February 1873 as 

 taken ofiF Yarmouth ; Buckland records another, 

 6 ft. long weighing 161 lb., from the same place 

 in 1867 ; a third, above 7 ft. in length and 

 weighing over 300 lb., is recorded in the Norfolk 

 Chronicle of 29 April 1876 as taken from the 

 ■deep sea ofiF the eastern counties. 



50. Turbot. Rhombus maximus, Linn. 



Mr. Gurney obtained a large specimen at 

 Lowestoft which was caught in the deep chan- 

 nel opposite the esplanade, and he heard that two 



had been taken at the head of the inner harbour 

 just below Mutford Lock. Turbot are fairly 

 plentiful on the Lowestoft trawling grounds and 

 of considerable size. 



5 1 . Brill. Rhombus laevis, Linn. 



Taken with the turbot in about equal numbers 

 on trawling grounds. 



52. Scald-fish or Scald-back. Arnoglossus laterna, 



Walb. 



I saw several specimens of this fish taken in the 

 trawl on the Brown Ridges in September. I 

 have shown that the male of this fish when 

 mature has the anterior rays of the dorsal fin 

 elongated. This was formerly considered to 

 be a distinct species and named A. lophotes ; I 

 have not seen this form in the North Sea, it is 

 known to live in deeper water than the young 

 specimens. 



53. Plaice. Pleuronectes platessa, Linn. 



Abundant on the trawling grounds and forms 

 one of the most valuable parts of the catch of the 

 trawlers. I found that the plaice on the Brown 

 Ridges were mature at a smaller size than those 

 from more northern grounds such as the Dogger 

 Bank, all over 13 in. being mature, while of the 

 more northern plaice the limit is about 17 in. 

 The smallest mature on the Brown Ridges are 

 9 in. long, while on the northern grounds none 

 are mature under 13 in. : these figures refer to 

 females, the males being mature at a somewhat 

 smaller size. In this respect the Lowestoft 

 plaice are similar to the Channel plaice studied at 

 Plymouth. The naturalists of the International 

 Investigations have studied by means of the rings of 

 the otoliths the relation between age and size on 

 different grounds, but have not yet published a full 

 account of the relation between age and maturity. 

 They find that on shallow grounds like those off 

 Lowestoft, as well as on both sides of the North 

 Sea farther to the north, plaice are much smaller 

 at the same age than those from deep water or 

 from the Dogger Bank. According to Dr. 

 Garstang the lower rate of growth on shallow 

 grounds is due to overcrowding and consequent 

 scarcity of food, but other conditions, such as 

 temperature, probably have an influence on the 

 growth. The marking experiments of the Inter- 

 national Investigations show a marked general 

 tendency in plaice in this part of the North Sea 

 to migrate southwards in winter and northwards 

 in summer. 



54. Lemon Dab. 

 Donovan. 



Pleuronectes microcephalus, 



This fish, called usually lemon sole by fisher- 

 men and dealers, is very scarce on the Brown 

 Ridges where the water is shallow, but more 

 plentiful in the deeper water off the Suffolk 

 coast. 



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