INVESTIGATIONS IN FRITH OF CLYDE, 1888. 218 



year in the Forth. The dab in the Forth, therefore, had not 

 been benefited by the closure if we entertain the opinion that 

 this fish in the Clyde had suffered from over-fishing. The 

 gurnard is next with 20 per haul, or 7 more than the average in 

 the Forth, while it is 4 less than in St Andrews Bay, and 

 8 less than in the Moray Frith. The fish next in order is the 

 witch or pole-dab, which has an average of 13 per haul, a 

 number far greater than in the Moray Frith. In the Forth 

 only one or two occur in a haul, while in St Andrews Bay it is 

 absent. This form therefore is, in quantity, characteristic of the 

 area, just as the succeeding one, the hake, is. In the Clyde 

 the average for the hake is 9 per haul, whereas only 1 or 1*5 

 occur per haul in the Moray Frith, while it is rare in the Forth, 

 at most 1 in 13 hauls, and it is altogether absent from the 

 returns in St Andrews Bay. The lemon-dab was less frequent 

 than in the Forth, only 7 per haul having been obtained, 

 whereas 17 were procured in the Forth the same year, 

 where they were, indeed, 2 above the average of the first 

 quinquennial period, and much more numerous than in St 

 Andrews Bay. The uext in order is the whiting with an 

 average of 6 per haul, the smallest of the series, since that 

 for St Andrews Bay was 10, the Moray Frith 22, and the 

 Frith of Forth 27. Plaice come next with an average of 

 5 per haul, whereas in the Moray Frith it was 14, in the 

 Forth 40, and St Andrews Bay 106. Long-rough dabs were 

 more numerous than in St Andrews Bay, considerably fewer 

 than in the Forth and the Moray Frith. Grey skate were 

 more frequent than in any of the other areas, the next being 

 the Moray Frith. Amongst other fishes sail-flukes occurred 

 more numerously, on the whole, than in the other areas. 



The next year in which work was carried on in the Clyde 

 was 1890, and the whole of the hauls (12) were made in July. 

 1201 fishes, 854, or an average of 71, of which were saleable, 

 and 347, or an average of 29, were unsaleable, the total average 

 being 100, or five less than in 1888. The most abundant form 

 was the witch, the average being 19 per haul, or 6 more than 

 in 1888. The long-rough dab follows with 17 per haul — 12 

 more than in 1888; then the dab with 13, or 11 less than 



