206 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



occurred ; that the small or immature fishes (in the deeper 

 water) consisted chiefly of Dabs and long rough Dabs. It gave 

 the distribution of the food-fishes on the various grounds, and 

 the relative position of the districts ; lists of unsaleable fishes 

 (chiefly Frog-fishes) ; the fauna of the trawling-grounds, surface 

 and bottom ; food of fishes ; temperature of the air, tempera- 

 ture of the surface- and bottom-water, besides other points, such 

 as the satisfactory condition of the fishes themselves : and the 

 effects of frequent hauls of the trawl on the same ground. 



It demonstrated that the inshore was dependent on the off- 

 shore for the supplies of eggs and young of various fishes, e.g. 

 Plaice and Turbot, and that a gradual passage of the eggs and 

 young shorewards, and of the growing fishes at a later stage 

 seawards, took place. Thus legislation confined to one area 

 might not be followed by much benefit. It showed that in a 

 small bay like St. Andrews, constant and long-continued trawling 

 did not exhaust the fishes, and that the local men almost in- 

 variably kept to the same line in their operations — a state of 

 matters which the history of the Brixham trawlers substantiated. 

 Finally, that there was no proof of such serious diminution of 

 food-fishes as to lead to extinction, or that the actual facts, when 

 carefully considered, should conduce to anything else than vigil- 

 ance. The condition, indeed, was such that hesitation was felt 

 in interfering with moderate freedom in well-conducted modes of 

 fishing. The Keporfc also recommended the establishment of 

 experimental hatcheries of sea-fishes, the closure of certain areas 

 for experiments, and the keeping of records by all fishermen, 

 showing the ground, weather, depth of water, and the nature of 

 the fishes caught. 



From the earliest stage of the inquiry Lord Dalhousie was 

 struck by the absence of reliable statistics, and he immediately 

 took steps to remedy this condition in Scotland. His personal 

 influence and initiative, indeed, have placed Scotland in advance 

 of England in this respect. 



After presenting his Report to Parliament, Lord Dalhousie 

 requested the scientific reporter to draw up a scheme for the 

 experiments in the three areas selected for closure, viz. the Forth, 

 St. Andrews Bay, and Aberdeen Bay ; and the Chairman of the 

 Scotch Fishery Board and its scientific member also visited 



