APPENDIX II 367 



On the Great Fisher Bank few turbot or brill are taken, and soles are 

 scarce. The fish belonging to the north and to deeper water are here 

 most abundant, namely witches {Pleuronectes cynogiossus), haddock, cod, 

 ling, halibut, and cat-fish. Large plaice are also taken in moderate 

 numbers, but lemon dabs are scarce or absent. Megrims appear to 

 occur in small numbers. 



Along the English coast north of the Humber cod are extremely 

 abundant in the spawning season, February and March, one steam- 

 trawler often landing seventy or eighty score from a week's fishing. 

 Plaice, lemon dabs, cat-fishes, ling, coal-fish, and haddock are also 

 taken. Soles, turbot, and brill occur in the shallower water, long rough 

 dabs and witches in the deeper. The grounds along the east coast ot 

 Scotland have a similar character. 



In the last few years, since 1891, some steam-trawlers from (irimsby 

 and Hull have trawled in the summer months off the south coast of 

 Iceland, at depths from 6 or 7 fathoms up to 40 fathoms. Plaice and 

 haddock are obtained in abundance, and of very large size, much larger 

 than those caught in the North Sea ; the majority of the plaice are from 

 27 to 33 inches in length, the haddock from 19 to 33 inches. Common 

 dabs, whiting, witches, megrims, halibut, cod, ling, cat-fish, and skate 

 are all plentiful. The so-called " Norway haddock,"' mentioned in 

 Appendix I. as viviparous, is also taken in numbers, and landed for sale 

 at Grimsby, where however it does not fetch a very high price. 



In consequence of the great demand for fish, and the profit to be 

 made by supplying this demand, the number of steam-trawlers belong- 

 ing to Hull and Grimsby has become very large. It has been difificult 

 for all these vessels to obtain constantly sufificient supplies of fish in the 

 North Sea, and consequently they have gone long distances in various 

 directions in search of unexhausted grounds. While some were dis- 

 covering new trawling grounds on the coast of Iceland, others were 

 shooting their trawls on the shores of the Bay of Biscay, landing their 

 catches at Plymouth. In 1892 a number fished in Vigo Bay, on the 

 north-west coast of the Spanish Peninsula. On these southern coasts 

 hake often form the most important constituent of the catch. 



Other Humber steam trawlers have fished for some months in the 

 year in the Irish Sea and off the west coast of Scotland, landing their 

 catches principally at Fleetwood. The extent of trawling ground along 

 the west coast of Ireland is not very great, and I have not heard of any 

 English trawlers making trial of it ; but local boats of small size trawl 

 in (ralway Bay. 



Long-line fishing is carried on over most of the trawling grounds 

 mentioned in the neighbourhood of the British and Irish coasts. On 

 the east coast the two principal ports for long-lining are Harwich and 



