— 223 — .TOHS. SCHMIDT 



this species proved to be the gaiioiil of most frequent occurrence (see Chart III). Ail our 

 hauls there contained large quantities of eggs and of fry e.g. 211, 166 and 113 specimens 

 per Va hour. By using the 50 feet otter-trawl for 2 hours at station 15 we obtained 409 

 haddocks of a length varying from IG to 51 cm. Altogether, our investigations show that 

 large quantities of haddock fry are produced on llockall Bank. 



Among the fry of the gadoids that spawn in more shallow water those of the haddock 

 as previously mentioned are found in the largest quantity pelagically over great depths. 

 This fact was also confirmed by these last investigations, where no less than 88 specimens 

 of pelagic fry were obtained in the centre of the ßockall Channel in a haul of '/a hour 

 (Stat. 12, 1908). 



Ü. Whiting (Gad. merlangus). 

 At the stations lying in shallowest water W. of Scotland some tiny pelagic fry of 

 this tish were taken but not in specially large quantities. In Eockall Channel and on 

 Rockall Bank we did not find the faintest trace of it, not even in our hauls with the 

 otter-trawl at the latter place. The fact that a comparatively small quantity of fry was 

 found this time W. of Scotland (36 specimens per ^h hour at the most), which is much 

 less than in 1905 and 1906, is probably due to the investigations having been made rather 

 early in 1908, considering that this species spawns late in the year. 



7. Norway Pout [Gad. Esmarki). 



N. and W. of Scotland the pelagic fry of this species were obtained in such quan- 

 tities inside the 200 m. curve that it appeared to be the commonest of all gadoids (e. g. 

 1997 and 2220 specimens per V-a hour). This is in full agreement with a haul of the 

 otter-trawl made on the 27th of June 1906 in the Minch (St. 95, 1906) at a depth of 

 120 m., on which occasion we got no less than 225 specimens of Gad. Esmarki from 10 

 to 19 cm. long. 



On the other hand, the pelagic fry of this species were not found on Rockall Bank, 

 nor did the otter-trawl procure older specimens (but of Gad. minutus), making it almost 

 look as if the salinities and perhaps also the temperatures out there were too high for 

 the spawning, which on the contrary takes place on a very large scale in the water of a 

 salinity a little below 35 "/oo in the coastal belt near West Scotland and the Hebrides. 

 Should later investigations confirm that Gad. Esmarki is not to be found and does not 

 spawn on Rockall Bank, I would be inclined to conclude that the maximum temperature 

 for the spawning previously given (p. 143) has been estimated a little too high and that 

 it scarcely exceeds ca. 9°. 



9. Poor cod {Gad. minutus). 



When the investigations in May were made the fry of this fish, which spawns later 

 than Gad. Esmarki, were generally quite young and smaller than 1 cm. At the stations 

 N. of Scotland and in the Minch no fry of this species were as yet found (it may be 

 however that some few of the very smallest specimens from the stations 8 — 10 determined 

 as Gad. Esmarki actually are Gad. minutus, for when the length is below 8 — 10 mm. it 

 is difficult to make a reliable enumeration of the vertebrae). 



On the Rockall Bank the young pelagic fry of Gad. minutus (determined by counting 

 the vertebrae) were found m considerable quantities, up to 69 specimens per Va hour. In 

 a haul with the 50 feet otter-trawl for 2 hours, 31 Gad. minutus of a length varying 



