152 INVESTIGATIONS IN FORTH, 1892. 



made of it in the Report of the year (Eleventh). It has been 

 deemed unnecessary to refer to this station, since it would only 

 confuse and complicate the statistics dealt with from the 

 beginning and afford no further information. 



Ninety-nine hauls of the trawl gave a total of 16,736 fishes 

 of all kinds or 16*7 per haul, a result very near (two less) that 

 of last year, yet the month of August was omitted, so that to 

 balance the six winter months of January, February, March, 

 April, November, and December there were only five productive 

 ones, and of these October had an unusually small total, viz. 

 673, as against, for instance, 1,571 last year. Of the total 

 number for the year, 9,394 or 93 per haul were saleable, and 

 7,342 or 74 per haul unsaleable, a different arrangement from 

 that of 1891, in which the saleable forms were nearly three 

 times that of the unsaleable. 



The plaice and the dab, as last year, hold the foremost 

 positions in regard to numbers, though the haddock, by exactly 

 doubling its average per haul on last year, follows closely, and 

 once again illustrates the uncertainty in all fishing operations. 



The total number of plaice in 1892 was 2,806 or 28 per 

 haul, a reduction of 7 per haul on the previous year. Of this 

 number only 44 were unsaleable, a satisfactory condition of 

 things in inshore water. The large plaice, as usual, were few 

 in number (32), the medium most numerous (1,485), and the 

 saleable small (7 — llj in.) 1,245. If, in ordinary trawling, 

 the latter, as in the case of the " Garland," were returned to 

 the water their value would soon have greatly increased. 



Of the 2,717 dabs (27 per haul), 1,095 or 11 per haul were 

 saleable, and 1,622 or 16 per haul unsaleable. 



Of haddocks there were 2,637 or 26 per haul, 1,115 or 

 11 per haul being saleable, and 1,522 or 15 per haul unsaleable. 

 The latter were chiefly procured from September to December, 

 the maximum being in October, and probably represent the 

 young haddocks of the season making for inshore waters from 

 their earlier haunts in the deep water. The uncertainties con- 

 nected with fishing operations are shown in the disproportions 

 between the saleable and unsaleable of this year and the pre- 

 ceding, where only 134 out of 1,435 were unsaleable. 



