THE COD FAMILY 



289 



and from four to ten miles from the coast. Nearly all these were 

 captured in September, and were doubtless the young of the 

 year ; they occurred off the entrance of the Firth of Forth. In 

 February, March, and April, specimens 6 to 10 inches in length 

 were taken, but not in large numbers. These are the year-old 

 fish. Dr. Fulton thought that probably the young haddock 

 frequented rocky ground and so did not come much in the way 

 of the trawl. 



Mr. Holt's observations in the North Sea tend to confirm the 

 result of Dr. Fulton's, that the young of the haddock frequent 

 grounds at some distance from the coast. In 1892 he obtained 

 specimens a few months old on three occasions, once in July, 



FIG. 131. Larva of Haddock, just after hatching. 



twice in August. On the first occasion two specimens were 

 taken, 2\ to 3^ inches long, at 30 fathoms on the inner shoal of 

 the Great Fisher Bank amongst the sea-mat (Flustra foliacea), 

 which was brought up by the trawl. As this was a deep-sea 

 fishing trawl of large mesh there may have been a very large 

 shoal of these young haddocks on that ground, the two taken 

 having been only accidentally entangled in the " weed." In 

 August thirty-nine specimens altogether were obtained, 3 T 3 F to 

 5 inches long, captured fifty-four to sixty-one miles east of Spurn 

 Light Vessel at 16 to 20 fathoms. No specimens were taken by 

 the inshore fishermen in the Humber. 



The investigation of the limit in size between maturity and 

 immaturity has not been so thorough in the case of the haddock 



u 



