SCIENTIFIC 



REPORTS. 



I. — TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS. By Dr. T. Wemyss Fulton, 

 F.R.S.E., Superintendent of Scientific Investigations. 



Introductory. 



Last year the investigations into the conditions of the fishing grounds 

 in the Moray Firth and Aberdeen Bay, by means of steam trawlers, 

 whose services were obtained for the purpose without expense, were 

 continued as in previous years as far as circumstances permitted. In the 

 Moray Firth the more important areas were visited in February, 

 September, October, and November, and the grounds in Aberdeen Bay 

 were also examined in March. The grounds at Burghead Bay and in 

 the neighbourhood on the south coast were most fully examined, but a 

 number of hauls were also taken in the Dornoch Firth, off the Suters of 

 Cromarty, and a few off the Caithness coast. 



On most occasions fish were found to be scarce, and the results of the 

 voyages were not regarded as financially profitable by the owners, 

 especially in the Moray Firth in September, October, and November, 

 when the vessels working on the usual grounds in the North Sea were 

 much more successful. Haddocks, in particular, were unusually scarce, 

 only 19 \ cwts. being taken in the whole of the voyages together, and of 

 these 12| cwts. were got in the February trip. In September the total 

 quantity of haddocks amounted to only 5 cwts., and in November to 1| 

 cwts., while none at all were caught in Aberdeen Bay in March. The 

 haddocks that were taken were mostly small, and in autumn large 

 numbers of these small unmarketable haddocks were brought up in the 

 trawl in the Moray Firth and thrown overboard. On one occasion close 

 upon 4000 were taken in a single haul. Particulars in regard to these 

 are given below, and in the Tables appended. The total quantity of fish 

 of ail kinds brought to market in the course of the various trips 

 amounted to 388J cwts., mostly consisting of plaice. 



With regard to the number of fishes taken, the aggregate for the 

 completely recorded hauls was 71,982, of which 30,538 were marketable 

 and 41,444 unmarketable, either because of their small size, or because 

 they were not of edible kinds. The total number of plaice taken in these 

 hauls was 29,958 ; the number of haddocks was 26,348, the greater 

 proportion being too small to be marketable, and the number of cod was 

 302. As showing the quantity of unmarketable fish in autumn as com- 

 pared with spring (February) it may be said that while at the latter 

 period 12,882 marketable fish were taken as against 3088 unmarketable, 

 in autumn the number of unmarketable was 26,133, while the number of 

 marketable was almost the same as in spring, viz., 12,756. 



One of the objects of these trawling investigations is to ascertain as 

 far as possible the changes which occur in the abundance of the food and 

 other fishes on the grounds in different seasons and years ; but observa- 

 tions are also made on the reproduction of the fishes, their spawning, 



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