xxxii 



Thirty-second Annual Report 



being, after dabs, the least valuable of flat fish. It flourishes best in 

 the brackish waters of estuaries, and is in consequence taken principally 

 by small boats worldng small and hand lines close inshore, and these 

 were credited with about 70 per cent, of the total catch. Other 

 methods of capture in vogue are set-net fishing and seine-net trawling, 

 by which means, in the ratio of 7:5, the remainder of the catch was 

 taken. 



Dahs, Whitches, and Megrims. 



The quantity of whitches and megrims landed, all but 20 cwts. of 

 which was taken by trawlers, was 48,940 cwts., valued at £51,612, or 

 12,276 cwts. and £13,900 more than in 1912. These increases were due 

 principally to whitches, which, improved upon the previous year's 

 returns to the extent of 11,400 cwts., or 60 per cent., in quantity, 

 and £10,039, or 52 per cent, in value. 



Of dabs some 700 cwts. less were marketed than in 1912, the figures 

 being respectively 9907 cwts. and 10,601 cwts. These fish, although 

 the least valuable of all flat-fish, advanced in price during the year, the 

 values recorded for 1913 and 1912 being respectively £4039 and £3849. 



Turbot and Brill. 



A further decline falls to be recorded in the catch of turbot, the 

 catch of 3791 cwts. falling short of that of 1912 by 247 cwts., and the 

 value, which was £12,625, by £1220. This decline, which has been in 

 progress since 1909, although comparatively slight from year to 

 year, goes on steadily, as the following table shows : — 



Year. Annual Catch. 



1909 ..... 6346 cwts. 



1910 4987 „ 



1911 4529 „ 



1912 4038 „ 



1913 3791 „ 



From these figures it will be seen that in the course of the last 

 five years the annual delivery has decreased by 40 per cent. 



All but 78 cwts. of the catch was landed by trawlers, Leith in this 

 particular instance taking precedence of Aberdeen. 



Notwithstanding the curtailed supply, prices were lower than in 

 1912, the average price per cwt. being £3 6s. 7d., or 2s. less than in the 

 preceding year. 



Of Brill 208 cwts., valued at £422, were landed, as against 258 cwts. 

 and £560 in 1912. 



(c) SKATE, SQUIDS, AND UNCLASSIFIED FISH. 



The total quantity of skate marketed in 1913 was 135,498 cwts., 

 valued at £35,817, as compared with 144,010 cwts. and £37,085 in 1912, 

 trawlers and steam liners together accounting for 92 per cent, of the 

 catch, in roughly equal proportions. 



Only 28 cwts. of squid, which realised £3, were landed, as against 

 157 cwts. and £57 in 1912. 



The supplies of unclassified fish, which comprise bream, pollack, 

 mullet, etc., totalled 23,582 cwts., valued at £3777, as compared with 

 10,693 cwts. and £2135 in 1912. This large increase was due principally 

 to the exceptionally large quantity of bream landed at Aberdeen in 

 the course of the year. 



