50 Dab, Migration and Brood Catches. 



caught during- the spring, but commence to be got about mid- 

 summer, or thereabouts. This is not the case, though, with 

 plaice. 



Fisheries authorities are tolerably unanimous as to the dabs 

 not making regular migrations to special grounds, deep or 

 shallow, for spawning. Cunningham, however, qualifies this in 

 its application to brackish estuaries "where full-grown dabs 

 are only abundant in summer and autumn, when they are not 

 spawning." This may apply to some areas, but assuredly the 

 opposite is the case up the Thames Estuary, as we have already 

 mentioned. 



As to the Leigh witness's statement {supra} of paucity of 

 diminutive dabs in spring, our own observations are not quite in 

 harmony. We are inclined to account for this by the young 

 fish then taking to the shallow creeks where the tow-net secures 

 them, whilst in the deeper waters the ordinary wide-meshed 

 fishing net fails to capture them. 



However this may be, it is unquestionable that young dabs 

 of very small size are found scattered over a wade estuarine 

 area most months of the year, and not alone confined to the 

 early summer months. 



We have examined quite a series of these brood catches in 

 the autumn, midsummer and beginning of the year, where the 

 specimens ranged from \\ to 3 inches and over. A similar 

 prevalence of diminutive forms has been recorded elsewhere, 

 and hence some authorities maintain this as proof of the 

 inherent slow growth of this fish supposing that it takes four 

 or five years to attain sexual maturity. 



Our view rather accords with Williamson's* reasoning of 

 the spawning season being lengthened till autumn ; though 

 inasmuch as the Thames estuarine area is concerned, verifica- 

 tion of such a thing being a fact is still wanting. 



* Eleventh Ann. Rop. for 1892, F.B.S.; also Kyle, 16th Ann. Rep. for 1897; and 

 Cunningham, Jour. Mar. Biol. Assoc., N. Ser., Vol. II. 



