INVESTIGATIONS IN FRITH OF CLYDE, 1897. 217 



a total of 11,757 fishes, of which 8248 were saleable, and 3509 

 unsaleable, the average in the first being 121, in the second 85, 

 and the third 36. Ninety-three hauls of a commercial trawler 

 on the east coast in 1884 produced no less than 81,854 fishes, of 

 which 69,880 were saleable, and 11,974 unsaleable (with the 

 exception of 361, all being immature), the average in the first 

 being 879, more than 7 times as many as in the Clyde, in the 

 second 751, and in the third 128. 



During 1896 and 1897 comparative trials were made of 

 trawling by night and trawling by day on three stations in the 

 Clyde, viz. on YII, VIII. and IX. In 1896 the total of the 

 day-hauls in April on these stations was 320, whereas the total 

 of the night-hauls was 550. In November the 3 hauls on the 

 same stations gave 404 by day and 543 by night. The total 

 was then 724 fishes for the day-hauls and 1093 for the night- 

 hauls. In 1897, however, similar hauls in April on the same 

 stations gave 622 fishes by day and only 485 at night. In May 

 the result was 571 by day and 443 at night; in September 

 537 by day and 548 at night. For the season the totals were 

 by day 1730 and by night 1476, a different result from the 

 previous year. The totals for the two seasons are for the day 

 2454, for the night 2569, a slight preponderance in favour of 

 the latter. The experience of fishermen is in favour of the 

 night, and certainly the work on board the beam-trawling ships 

 corroborates this view. The essential point seems to be the 

 presence of darkness, and there may have been circumstances 

 in connection with the ship (" Garland ") or the locality, which 

 tended to make the distinctions less pronounced. 



