INVESTIGATIONS IN MORAY FRITH, 1897. 201 



nution of the gurnard from any method of fishing. The irregu- 

 larities of the pursuit are further illustrated by the witch, which 

 in the first period was three times as numerous as in the second. 



The condition of the lemon-dab in 1897 is interesting, for 

 the number (42) obtained in 12 hauls is exactly what w^as caught 

 in 6 hauls in 1887. Here then is a case for the oft-repeated 

 assertion that the sea is being depleted, since with double the 

 work only the same number were caught as in 1887. If the 

 months and days had been the same iu both periods greater 

 colour might have been lent to this notion, but they are not. 

 A survey of the years shows the ordinary variations. Thus in 

 the first five the hiofhest average is in 1887, and the lowest in 

 1890, the average for the whole period being 3. In the second 

 period of six years, the highest average was in 1894 and the 

 lowest in 1896, the usual variations also being present through- 

 out the period, which had the same total average, for all 

 practical purposes, as the first period. The long-rough dab 

 stands even in a worse position, for the average per haul for the 

 first period was 6, while in the second it was a little over 3. 

 Would any one of experience maintain that the long-rough dab 

 was yearly becoming scarcer in the Moray Frith ? On the other 

 hand, the cod has an average a little under 2 for the first 

 period, whereas for the second it is fully 3. The whiting, again, 

 is the reverse, since it was about 6 times as plentiful in the 

 first five as in the second six years. The hake and the turbot 

 were likewise more numerous in the first period, while the 

 brill was more frequent in the second period. 



The witch, a characteristic form of the region, was fully 

 three times as numerous in the first period, and the flounder 

 and the grey skate were more plentiful in the same period. To 

 balance these irregularities, the thornbacks were about twice as 

 numerous in the second period. 



It is unnecessary to proceed into the details of these forms 

 as regards months, for the number of hauls was comparatively 

 small. It is sufficient to draw attention to the ceaseless 

 variations, and the danger of drawing conclusions from data 

 that are not thoroughly sifted. 



Viewing the captures in connection with the various 



