INVESTIGATIONS IN MORAY FRITH, 1895 AND 1896. 197 



fishes usually having the higher numbers, such as plaice, dabs, 

 haddocks, long-rough and lemon-dabs, and gurnards. Every 

 station gave evidence of this feature. 



Ten hauls on the outer stations (VII. to XVI.) v^ere some- 

 what more productive, resulting in the capture of 2,001 fishes, 

 or 200 per haul. This was composed of 1,144, or 114 per 

 haul of saleable, and 857, or 85 per haul, of unsaleable fishes. 

 Dabs were most numerous, viz. 57 per haul, haddocks next at 

 52 per haul, followed by long-rough dabs and gurnards. At 

 every station except XI. (across Smith Bank) a reduction 

 took place. 



The inefficiency of the ship probably had a close connection 

 with the foregoing result. 



The year 1896 was characterised by an increase both in the 

 number of months and of hauls of the trawl, for work was 

 carried on in August, October, and November, yet the number 

 of hauls was not great seeing that the ship was free from duties 

 both in the St Andrews Bay and the Forth. It is true the 

 number of hauls was a secondary consideration, for if they had 

 been effective (like those of the commercial trawler) their 

 number would have sufficed. 



Eighteen hauls in the three months on the inner stations 

 (I. to VI.) above-mentioned gave a total of 1,553 fishes, or 86 

 per haul, a result even more depressing than the previous year, 

 for it was 33 per haul less. It has to be remembered, however, 

 that November is one of the unproductive months in the 

 shallower water, and actually furnished only about half the 

 number procured in October. If any reliance was placed by 

 the Board on the work of the " Garland," here certainly the 

 efifect of the closure of this great area carried only disappoint- 

 ment. Nor was much comfort to be derived from the statistics 

 of the fishes caught by line in the enclosed waters. 



The comparatively cheap dab headed the list with an 

 average of 31 per haul, followed by the plaice at 30 per haul, 

 the important haddock being represented by only 2 per haul, 

 and the gurnard by 5 per haul. The saleable "witch" occurred 

 at an average of a little over 1 per haul, and the thornback at 

 2 per haul. The four years of the closure of the " extensive 



