AND DECENNIAL SUMMARY. 169 



second five years in the Forth was due to the small size of the 

 species, enabling it to escape through the meshes of the trawl. 

 The captures throughout, indeed, are characterised by the usual 

 variations, and it would tend to insecurity to interpret them 

 otherwise. There is a further feature in connection with the 

 long-rough dab which is worthy of note, viz., that though the 

 maximum monthly captures occur in September, as in the case 

 of the dab, yet this month and August are less prominent than 

 in the dab and plaice, and the decrease on the one hand to 

 January and on the other to December is less pronounced. 



Whitings had a total of 1,526 or an average of 20 per haul, 

 a diminution of 4 on the previous year, though, with the usual 

 irregularities, it was double that of 1893. Of this number all 

 except 13 wei^e saleable. The variations in the captures of this 

 predaceous pelagic fish during the ten years are characteristic. 

 In 1886 there were 9 per haul, in 1887 only 15 per haul as 

 contrasted with 129 of the haddock, showing how difficult it is 

 to get uniformity in regard to abundance and scarcity, even 

 under favourable circumstances. The captures were nearly 

 doubled next year, then fell to the same figure (15) in 1889. 

 A sudden rise to 70 per haul characterised 1890, the most 

 productive months being September and October. Next year 

 the average was 21, decreasing the two following to 19 and 10, 

 then rising to 24 in 1894, and falling to 20 in 1895. It would 

 be difficult to draw definite conclusions from such statistics 

 other than that the abundance of the species was little affected 

 by the closure. The whiting is an uncertain capture at all times, 

 it being generally supposed that it often swims higher in the 

 water than the haddock, and thus escapes the trawl. Upwards 

 of 1,500, besides other saleable fishes, have been captured in a 

 single haul, and again near the same ground only a few would 

 reward the labours of the fishermen. The appearance of the 

 whiting in the summary of the months of the decade differs 

 from that of the haddock since its maximum is in October 

 (3,633). Both August and September, however, are high 

 (2,721 and 2,298). Like the haddock the low^est numbers occur 

 in March, while they keep proportionally high in November 

 and December. 



