202 INVESTIGATIONS IN MORAY FRITH, 1897. 



stations (I. to VL), a decided increase is apparent on every one 

 in 1897, its amount being in the order of the stations as 

 follows:— 19, 120, 2, 6, 98, 121. Judged by the averages for 

 the first five years, the most productive stations were V. II. and 

 IV., whereas in the second period the order was TV. V. and VI., 

 the highest average of the whole series occurring at IV. 



The average for all the stations during the first five years 

 was 170, or 108 saleable and 61 unsaleable, while during the 

 second period (1892 — 1897) the average was 192, an increase 

 of 22, composed of 122 saleable and 69 unsaleable. The 

 question as to whether this increase was due to the closure or 

 to the nature of the working-periods is best answered by a 

 reference to Table XIX., where it appears that all the hauls in 

 the productive month of October are confined to the second 

 period. It is true one haul in April, with an average of 

 only 35 handicaps this period, but there were 11 hauls in 

 July against 6 in the first period, 7 against 6 in August. 

 Moreover, though 12 hauls occurred in November in the second 

 period, their average was equal to that in May. The advantage 

 of 12 hauls in September in the first period against 6 in the 

 second period could not obliterate the foregoing advantages. 

 The closure, therefore, here as elsewhere, had no evident 

 influence on the area. 



During the same months of 1897, 19 hauls of the trawl 

 took place on the outer stations (VII. to XVI.), giving a total 

 of 4,126 fishes, or 217 per haul, an increase of 5 on the previous 

 year. Of this number 2,006, or 105 per haul, were saleable, and 

 2,120, or 111 per haul, were unsaleable, a smaller number of the 

 former and a larger number of the latter than in 1896. The 

 apportionment of the hauls in the respective years was different. 

 Thus in 1896, only 4 hauls took place in the colder months, 

 while 14 occurred in the warmer, whereas in 1897, 9 were in 

 the former and 10 in the latter. It has to be borne in mind, 

 however, that November sometimes presents in the Moray Frith 

 a considerable average from dabs, gurnards and haddocks. 



In the light of the five years' work, 1897 stands third, the 

 highest average, viz. 357, being in 1894. The next is the first 

 year of the experiments on these stations, viz. 1893, with an 



