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Part III. — Twenty-seventh Annual Report 



quantity was 43,011 cwts., and in the last 60,582 cwts., the respective 

 averages being 4301 cwts. and 6058 cwts. per annum. There was thus an 

 increase of atnut 41 per cent. The quantity taken by line in the first 

 period, 1892-1899, was 1102 cwts., the average being 138 cwts. per annum ; 

 in the years 1901-1908 the quantity was only 196 cwts. and the average 

 24 cwts., a decrease of about 82 per cent. The quantity of trawled turbot 

 landed in the two periods was 33,226 cwts. and 49,228 cwts., the averages 

 being 4153 cwts. and 6153 cwts., the increase amounting to about 48 per 

 cent. Thus about 99 per cent, of the turbot were landed by trawlers. 



The aggregate quantity of halibut landed in the twenty years was 

 485,125 cwts., showing an annual average of 24,256 cwts. The increase 

 in the ten years, 1899-1908, over the previous ten years amounted to 

 145,261 cwts., or about 85 per cent. The quantity taken by line in the 

 years 1892-1899 was 153,064 cwts., the average being 19,133 cwts.; in the 

 period 1901-1908 the quantity was 198,657 cwts. and the average per annum 

 24,832 cwts., an increase of 45,593 cwts., or nearly 30 per cent. The 

 quantities taken by trawl in the two periods were 8539 cwts., with an 

 average of 1067 cwts., and 77,417 cwts., with an average of 9677 cwts., 

 an increase of about 807 per cent. The figures show that in the period 

 1901-1908 about 72 per cent, of the halibut landed were caught by line. 



The quantity of lemon soles landed in the twenty years aggregated 

 448,317 cwts., or an average of 22,416 cwts. per annum. In the first ten 

 years the quantity was 173,481 cwts., and the average 17,348 cwts. ; in 

 the second period the quantity was 274,836 cwts., the average per annum 

 being 27,484 cwts., an increase of about 58 per cent. The quantity taken 

 by line in the years 1892-1899 was only 703 cwts., the average being 

 88 cwts.; in the second period the quantity was 1109 cwts., and the 

 average 139 cwts. There was thus an increase of about 58 per cent. The 

 trawled lemon soles in the first period amounted to 148,695 cwts., with an 

 average of 18,587 cwts. ; in the second period the quantity was 229,905 

 cwts. and the average 28,738 cwts., showing an increase of 55 per cent. 

 About 99 per cent, of the total in the last period were taken by trawl. 



The other fiat-fishes included in the tables are " flounders, plaice, and 

 brill," which were not separately distinguished until 1904, and comparison 

 cannot be made as to the quantities of any of these fishes before the year 

 named. In the five years, 1904-1908, the quantity of plaice landed 

 diminished considerably and almost steadily from 62,565 cwts. in 1904 to 

 44,596 cwts. in 1908. The quantity of brill also decreased from 1408 cwts. 

 to 701 cwts. Dabs increased from 6290 cwts. to 10,274 cwts. Witches 

 decreased from 23.891 cwts. to 19,679 cwts.. and megrims increased from 

 10,331 cwts. to 12,311 cwts. 



The quantity of skates and rays, of which several species are tabulated 

 together, landed in the period 1889-1908 amounted to 1,064,302 cwts., the 

 average per annum being 53,215 cwts. In the first ten years the quantity 

 was 379,146 cwts. and the average 37,915 cwts.; in the second ten years 

 the quantity was 685,156 cwts. and the average 68,516 cwts., showing an 

 increase of about 81 per cent. In the eight years, 1892-1899, the 

 quantity taken by line was 273,035 cwts., the average being 34,129 cwts. ; 

 in the years 1901-1908 the total amounted to 294,505 cwts., and the 

 average was 36,813 cwts. There was thus an increase in the line-caught 

 fish to the extent of about 8 per cent. The quantity taken by trawl in the 

 first of the two periods was 63,427 cwts., the average being 7928 cwts. ; in 

 the second period the quantity was 283,602 cwts. and the average 35,450 

 cwts., showing an increase of 347 per cent. While the proportion of the 

 skates and rays in the first period which were taken by trawl amounted to 

 barely 19 per cent., in the second period it was about 49 per cent. 



