CHAPTER V. 



Scientific Investigations in the Moray Frith. 

 Tables XIIL to XXVL 1887—1897. 



In 1884 the Moray Frith was worked only by some of the 

 comparatively few trawlers then in Scottish waters, but it was 

 not searched with that avidity which marked the pursuit of 

 fishes within its area a few years later. Few opportunities 

 occurred in 1884 for its investigation, and, besides, it did not 

 form so prominent a subject in the fishery affairs of the day as 

 it does now. Fortunately, however, in April 1884 three hauls 

 of the trawl were made, in the ordinary course of work, off the 

 coast of Caithness and on Smith Bank, and these afford an im- 

 portant comparison with the subsequent work of the " Garland," 

 and with the region just outside the limit as observed in 1898. 



The remarks made on this area in 1884 were as follow : — 

 " The three hauls on Smith Bank (8th and 9th April) afford an 

 interesting comparison with the Bay of Aberdeen. Thus they 

 gave more cod than the 15 hauls in the latter (87 against 38), 

 and also an excess of young cod (codling), viz. 21 against 16 at 

 Aberdeen. It cannot be said, therefore, that the adult cod 

 came to Smith Bank for the purpose of spawning. In their 

 stomachs were young haddocks, young whiting, and sand-eels, 

 so that the latter occasionally go to the deep water at a distance 

 from land. The large size of the haddocks is noteworthy, for 

 none of the kind termed small were procured. The average 

 number per haul was 604, or next to the Forth in rank in this 



