148 



INVESTIGATIONS IN FORTH, 1891. 



pelagic flat flshes have increased in the protected area aud its 

 vicinity. It is unsafe, however, to theorise under the circum- 

 stances. The total number of plaice was 3,723 or 35 per haul, 

 and only 18 were unsaleable. In grouping the plaice as 

 in the previous year according to the months, similar features 



1891. 









Plaice. 









No. of 









Under 





Average 



Hauls 





19-26 in. 



12-18 in. 7-11 in. 



6 in. 



Total 



per Haul 



9 



Jan. 



2 



101 17 



— 



120 



13 



9 



Feb. 



— 



142 76 



3 



221 



24 



7 



Mar. 



3 



243 54 







300 



42 



4 



Apl. 



— 



22 7 



1 



30 



7 



14 



May 



4 



264 375 



10 



653 



46 



9 



June 



4 



234 331 



2 



571 



63 



9 



July 



2 



188 276 



1 



467 



51 



9 



Aug. 



2 



177 124 



1 



304 



33 



7 



Sept. 



2 



118 168 



— 



288 



41 



11 



Oct. 



9 



259 57 



— 



325 



29 



9 



Nov. 



15 



207 101 







323 



35 



9 



Dec. 



— 



112 6 



— 



118 



13 



106 





43 



2067 1582 



18 







are brought out as to sizes. Thus of large plaice one occurs 

 in every 2 or 3 hauls. Of plaice from 12 — 18 inches, the 

 common size in the market, precisely the same proportion 

 was present, viz. 19 per haul — a noteworthy feature. The 

 maximum this year was in June, whereas last year it was 

 in August, the minimum in April. Of the next size 7 — 11 

 inches, an increase appears, viz., 14 per haul instead of 10 

 in 1890. The maximum was in the same month (June), 

 whereas both were in August in 1890, a fact which shows how 

 futile it is to attempt to draw deductions of importance from 

 these details. It may be that the weather enabled the trawl to 

 work with special success on these occasions, or that a par- 

 ticular series of commotions or currents affected the habit or 

 food of the species. 



Those under 7 inches were even rarer than last year (18 in 

 106 hauls). So many factors come into play in making 

 comparisons between years that it is extremely difficult to 

 attain reliable results, though occasionally an interesting 

 deduction is made, e.g. that of the medium plaice (12 — 18 



