— 43 — .JOHS. ,s(;iii\Jii)'r 



5. The Channel 



The Chiinnol wus iiivestigai.eil lowiiids tlie end of April 1906 (as also at the end of June 

 1Ü05), tlius at a time, to judge from the conditions elsewhere, when the pelagic fry of the 

 coallisii should be found. In spite of numerous successful hauls, however, not a single 

 specimen was taken, nor is tiiere any to be found in some samples of pelagic young gadoids 

 sent me by Dr. E. J. Allen, Plymouth. Nor is there any mention of the coalfish fry or 

 eggs in the lists published by Holt and Scott (1. c.) of the pelagic fish young from the 

 neighbourhood of Plymouth, and Holt (in "Notes on the reproduction of Teleostean Fishes 

 in the South- Western District, p. 138-142, Journ. Mar. Biol. Assoc, Vol. V. (N. S.), 1897 

 —99) does not give the coalfish amongst the fishes reproducing there; on the contrary, he 

 states that this fish is "decidedly exceptionaF'^ 



We ourselves have no investigations on the occurrence of the bottom stages on the 

 coasts of the Channel, but a large number of samples of young gadoids taken round 

 Plymouth in shallow water have been sent me by Dr. E. J. Allen. No Gadus virens occur 

 in any of these samples, although many of them contain a large number of specimens 

 (especially of Gadus polluchius). 



From these observations one can only draw the conclusion, that the coalfish does 

 not spawn or only to a small extent in the Channel, where in any case the 

 depths, at least over the greater part of the region, are so slight that we should not have 

 expected this to be the case. 



6. Bay of Biscay 



Our stations in the Bay of Biscay (with exception of those over great depths) were 

 investigated in the beginning and middle of May. On none of these was the fry of Gadus 

 virens taken (though specimens of its nearest ally Gadus poUachius). The investigations 

 are certainly not sufficient to settle the question, whether any coalfish eggs at all are 

 spawned in the Bay of Biscay, but the spawning in any case cannot be on any large 

 scale, as if so, we should have found at least some pelagic fry early in May. That older 

 stages of the coalfish occur, though sparingly, in the Bay of Biscay is naturally no proof 

 that they are spawned there. Moeeau^ states p. 244: "Océan, assez commun sur la côte 

 de Bretagne, baie d'Audierne; beaucoup plus rare au dessous de la Loire; quelquefois pris 

 dans le golfe de Gascogne, Arcachon." 



' It is said here on the Gadus species; "The most ahundant Gadus in the inshore waters of this 

 district is the pollack, G. pollacMus. The bib or blind and the pout, G. luscus and G. minutus, are 

 commonest outside the Sound — the former about outlying rocks, the latter on the Eddystone trawling 

 grounds. The whiting, G. merlangus, is at times abundant, but erratic in its distribution. The cod, 

 G. morrhua, is not very plentiful, while the haddock, Gr. œglefinus, and the coalfish or "roam er", G. virens, 

 are decidedly exceptional". 



Dr. A. Clignt of Boulogne-sur-BIer kindly tells me : "Le Gadus virens est assez abondant dans 

 l'Ouest de la Manche, de Star-Point aux Sorlingues, pendant la saison des maquereaux, de .Tanvier à 

 Avril, et plus rare, dans le reste de l'année. On en a fait parfois de belles pêches (2000 et plus par 

 bateau en Février à Star-Point). Il est peu abondant dans l'est de la manche; mais on en prend un peu 

 devant Beachy Head en hiver. Je n'ai jamais trouvé le jeune à la côte quoique j'ai trouvé souvent le 

 G. pollachiiis à la fin de Mai et en Juin (taille 35 à 5.5 mm, au 22 Mai)." 



^ MoREAu, Poissons de la France, III, 1881. 



6* 



