SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY. 277 



Kibble, during the first 16 weeks. This shows, on the 

 whole, a general migration inshore and in a Northerly 

 direction during the winter. But again it will be seen that 

 11 fishes were found in Red Wharf Bay and Liverpool 

 Bay generally at periods of from four to 13 months after 

 liberation, and that two fishes actually crossed the Irish 

 Channel and were found oif the Irish coast. It is only 

 reasonable to suppose that many more fish entered 

 Morecambe Bay (and the Kibble) from Blackpool Closed 

 Ground than were recaught, and that in the Spring 

 following the experiment these fishes began to migrate 

 out from the Bay (and the Kibble) and to proceed offshore 

 and in a Southerly direction. If the times of recapture 

 be noted, this course can be traced with some degree of 

 probability. I have represented it on Chart I. by lines 

 and arrows. The thick lines indicate the winter 

 migration, generally inshore and to the North, and th e 

 thin lines the spring and summer migration, generally 

 offshore and to the South. 



The chart shows exceptional migrations. But we are 

 dealing with creatures possessed of volition, and to some 

 extent capricious in their movements. When one 

 remembers this, and reflects on the multitude of influences 

 acting on a marine fish so as to determine its movements 

 and habits, it would be too much to expect that simple 

 undeviating migration paths should be followed without 

 exception. 



Station VII. — Luce Bay. 



For some reason or other the second Luce Bay 

 experiment was more successful than the first. But few 

 fishes were returned, and the only conclusion to be drawn 

 is that the fish population of the Bay is an indigenous 

 one, for most of those returned were caught in the area 



