INVESTIGATIONS IN FOKTH, 1890. 



145 









1890. 















FORTH. 















Plaice, total 2437. 







No. of 















Hauls 



19-26 in. 



12-18 in. 



7-11 in. 



Under 7 in. 



Total 



9 



February 



1 



140 



46 



2 



189 



9 



March 



— 



76 



57 



2 



135 



9 



April 



2 



84 



40 



1 



127 



9 



May 



5 



129 



110 



3 



247 



7 



July 



2 



156 



181 



1 



340 



6 



August 



11 



283 



162 



5 



461 



5 



September 



— 



111 



10 



— 



121 



9 



October 



5 



248 



199 



1 



453 



7 



November 



2 



235 



38 



— 



275 



9 



December 



2 



76 



11 



— 



89 



79 





30 

 ST 



1538 

 ANDREWS 



854 

 BAY. 



15 











Plaice, total 5070. 







No. of 















Hauls 



l{ 



)-26 in. 



12-18 in. 



7-11 in. 



5-6| in. 



Total 



10 



March 



1 



329 



464 



6 



800 



5 



May 



1 



208 



427 



3 



639 



5 



August 



— 



197 



2464 



725 



3386 



5 



October 



— 



114 



116 



3 



233 



5 



December 



— 



11 



1 





12 



30 





~2 



859 



3472 



737 





"W^'hile 79 hauls of the trawl produce but 2,437 plaice of all 

 kinds ill the extensive area of the Forth, 80 hauls in St 

 Andrews Bay give more than double, viz., 5,070. The appor- 

 tionment of the various sizes of plaice is equally divergent. 

 Thus of large plaice 19 — 26 inches in length, the breeding 

 plaice of the areas, one occurs in every two or three hauls in the 

 Forth with its deeper waters, and only one in fifteen hauls in 

 St Andrews Bay. Of plaice from 12 — 18 inches, a very 

 valuable marketable size, the Forth produces no less than 

 1,538, considerably more than half its total or 19 per haul, 

 St Andrews Bay giving 859 or 28 per haul. The maximum 

 occurred in August in the Forth, and in St Andrews Bay in 

 March ; the minimum in March and December (76) in the 

 Forth, and in December in St Andrews Bay (11). Of plaice 

 from 7 — 11 inches the enormous numbers in St Andrews Bay 

 are clearly brought out, for whereas 79 hauls in the Forth 



10 



M. R. 



