115 - 



APPENDIX J: SCOTLAND 



The probability is, that this increase has been made up entirely of the deep-sea species, 

 witches and megrims, and that the quantities of plaice actually landed by the trawlers 

 and therefore in all Scotland, have remained constant or slightly decreased. 



This can be shown from the data given by Fulton for Aberdeen (1. c. p. 85). 



Table LXÎ.IT. The quantities of plaice etc. landed In Aberdeen 



Plaice 



Dab 



Witch a. Megrim 



1890 

 1891 

 1892 

 1893 

 1894 

 1895 

 1896 

 1897 

 1898 

 1899 

 1900 

 1901 

 1902 



27,964 

 31,359 

 26,297 

 82,089 

 35,006 

 35,304 

 38,001 



25,868 

 23,484 

 22,741 

 20,964 

 21,522 

 26,243 



1,182 

 1,383 

 2,171 

 2,678 

 1,996 

 2,035 



cwt. 



5,620 



4,158 



3,647 



4,633 



4,118 



3,774 



5,186 



6,436 



9,593 



21,746 



36,383 



52,741 



36,369 



The quantities for 1902 have been added from the XXP' Keport, p. XLIV. The quan- 

 tities of dab are clearly of little account, being on the whole, less than 10 % of the plaice. 

 The brill has been disregarded altogether, as the landings of this species amount to barely 

 2% of those of the plaice alone. 



It thus appears, that the quantities of plaice increased from 1890 to 1896 and then 

 decreased until 1902, when they suddenly increased. During this period, the quantities of 

 megrims and witches remained practically constant, forming less than 20 % of the plaice 

 landed, until 1896 when they began to increase pari passu with the decrease of plaice, 

 and rapidly exceeded the quantities of the latter. As pointed out by Fulton, the increase 

 in' the witches and megrims occurred with the introduction of the otter-trawl and the 

 extension of the fishing grounds beyond the 50 fathom line. The increase of plaice in 

 1902 was due, again, to the partial return of the trawlers to the older fishing grounds 

 under the 50 fathom line. 



The other ports on the east coast, from which trawling is carried on to any extent, 

 are Leith, Montrose (Dundee), Peterhead and Fraserburgh. The total quantities of plaice 

 etc. landed at these ports taken together, amount to ca. 20 "/o (in recent years) of ail the 

 trawled plaice etc. lauded on the east coast. If we could assume, that the course of the 

 trawling from these ports had been the same as from Aberdeen, we might deduct from 

 their returns proportionate amounts for the witches and megrims landed, but it does not 

 seem possible to make this assumption. 



Again, the quantities of plaice brought from Iceland and the Faeroes are included in 

 these returns and the witch etc. are also obtained there, but from information given in 

 the XXII ""^ Keport, it appears, that these quantities are almost negligible. The Aberdeen 



15* 



Change of 



ftshing- ground 



affects statistics 



