188 INVESTIGATIONS IN MORAY FRITH, 1884. 



161 per haul, were unsaleable, a comparatively poor result 

 when contrasted with the work either in St Andrews Bay or in 

 the Forth during the same month. Further, the contrast with 

 the three hauls of the converted tug " Royal Saxon " (a paddle 

 steamer) in April 1884 is still more marked, for the average 

 per haul was no less than 903, and all saleable, and it must be 

 remembered that August is the most prolific month of the year. 

 Much of the divergence is probably due to the inefficient work 

 of the " Garland," and the position of the stations. 



Plaice held the first position with a total of 559, or 93 per 

 haul, a comparatively high average, though much under that 

 obtained in St Andrews Bay during the warmer months, and 

 even during the entire year, as in 1890, when the average per 

 haul was 169 : comparatively few were large plaice. 



Dabs followed, with a total of 370, or 61 per haul, an 

 average requiring no comment, further than that it was 

 moderate, though larger by far than the captures at Smith 

 Bank in 1884, or beyond the Frith in 1898. The total for 

 haddocks was 318, or 53 per haul, a small number, and in 

 marked contrast with the captures in April 1884 in the Frith, 

 and in 1898 beyond it; the former showing an average of 604 

 per haul, and the latter of 695, in both cases the numbers being 

 more than ten times higher. Gurnards were fairly numerous, 

 the total being 182, or 30 per haul. Lemon-dabs averaged 

 about 7 per haul, and thus were more numerous than in St An- 

 drews Bay. It is doubtful, however, how much reliance should 

 be placed on the " Garland's " work, since in the commercial 

 trawlers the average in 1884 was 50, and in 1898 (outside the 

 Frith), 21. Long-rough dabs were very few, about 2 per haul, 

 "witches" (pole-dabs) about 3 per haul, flounders and grey 

 skate about 2 per haul, turbot and brill about 1 in three 

 hauls, cod 5 in 6 hauls, and whiting about 3 per haul. The 

 captures on this occasion showed that fishes in all probability 

 were fairly numerous, and only required efficient apparatus and 

 persistent energy to make their pursuit highly profitable. 



The most productive stations were II., V., and VI. Station 

 III. in Cromarty Frith seemed to have slender capabilities. 



In 1888, the month during which the six stations in the 



