FURTHER CLOSURES, 1887 — 1889. 57 



freedom should not have been given, so that the ship might, at 

 uniform intervals, search the area in its most productive parts. 



Shortly after the commencement of the operations the 

 Fishery Board, as just mentioned, released Aberdeen Bay, and 

 after a brief inquiry by aid of the ' Garland ' in August, 1886, 

 resolved to close the three-mile limit in the Moray Firth from 

 the Ord of Caithness to Brora, Tarbat Ness, Balintore, then a 

 point opposite the mouth of the Findhorn river, and thence to 

 Kinnaird Head. This was done, it was alleged, in order " that 

 valuable scientific results might be obtained were beam-trawling 

 restricted in that district." In addition, the areas of the Forth 

 and St Andrews Bay were increased seawards. The Board 

 considered that the closure of the Forth and St Andrews Bay 

 had already made signs of improvement both in the number 

 and size of the less migratory flat fishes, a conclusion, on their 

 own showing, subsequently abandoned. 



The high average of fishes caught by the * Garland ' in the 

 closed waters in 1887 still further seems to have influenced the 

 Fishery Board in closing additional areas. Thus the territorial 

 waters between Red Head and Kinnaird Head were closed in 

 February, 1889, and thereafter the area of the Clyde. The 

 ' Herring Fishery' Act of the same year, again, brought about the 

 closure of the whole of the Scottish waters within the three- 

 mile limit; and soon (1891) the entire Moray Firth from 

 Duncansbay Head to Battray Head was closed " to protect the 

 fishes on their spawning-grounds {e.g. Smith Bank) and to 

 ascertain the extent to which such measures are likely bo be 

 beneficial to the fish-supply." 



The scientific grounds on which such action was taken have 

 in the first place to be dealt with. The political or social 

 reasons which may have had influence in effecting the closure 

 do not at present concern us. 



Now it will, in the first place, be apparent that before any 

 reliable results could have been obtained from the experiments 

 Lord Dalhousie's Commission mapped out, fresh areas were 

 closed. The principle on which the closure was originally 

 applied was that systematic and careful examination of these 

 areas should be carried out for a considerable time. But such 



