Haddock and Whiting. 65 



up in the net. Some eight or nine years ago he himself caught 

 a very fine haddock in Leigh Creek, quite close to the pier. 

 They are brought into Harwich, the product of line fishing off- 

 shore. Dr. Laver has occasionally taken numbers in the Crouch 

 (pp. cit.}. Numerous haddocks were captured at Pur fleet in 

 March, 1879 ; and at the end of the same month a Mr. Hood 

 reported that some years previously haddocks were known to 

 have been found in Dagenham Breach ("Land and Water," 

 1879). Boys mentions haddock among " Fishes of Sandgate," 

 1792 ; one caught near B/ochester Bridge, March, 1883 ; but of 

 other Kent instances we have no information. 



(3) The COMMON WHITING (Gadus merlangus), although 

 amply represented in the North Sea, especially its more south- 

 ern half, yet for size those of the S.W. of England surpass 

 them. They abound from Dungeness to Harwich during the 

 fall and winter season around E. and S. Kent, affording famous 

 sport to the pleasure-seeker, as well as gain to the boatmen and 

 fisher- folks. At intervals they come as thick as hops. As an 

 instance, in January, 1898, at the Dover pier the sea literally 

 surged with them, and soon some 2,000 were landed, mostly by 

 amateur fishers.* 



There is no special fishing for whiting carried on from Leigh 

 at any season. Fish from 6 to 8 or 9 inches long, occasionally 

 larger ones, are caught by the shrimpers and stowboaters in 

 their ordinary routine. Some seasons they are much more pre- 

 valent than in others. In the spring-time and summer they 

 are comparatively scarce, but more numerous other months. 

 The noted place for whitings in our estuary exceptionally 

 that red-letter year for them, 1898 was the South channel of 

 the Leighmen, the Knob channel of pilots. Here the fishermen 

 were singularly successful ; one fish-trawler (F. Band), in Sep- 

 tember, got 30 bushels in a single haul. These were good 



* The "Daily News" of 7th November, 1000, mentions that immense numbers 

 of Silver Whiting are now to be met with off Deal. Two rods accounted for 440 

 Whiting, a rod and hand line took 380, and it is estimated 1,000 were caught from Deal 

 Pier in one night. 



