20 



Part III. — Twenty-fourth Annual Report 



The next haul in the same place, for four hours and fifteen minutes, 

 yielded 1013 fishes, 822 being marketable and 191 unmarketable. Plaice 

 were the most numerous in the catch, the total being 563, and all but 11 

 marketable. Witches were much less abundant, the total being 74, 4 of 

 them unmarketable. Among the other flat -fishes were 1 halibut, 4 

 turbot, and 18 brill, as well as a black or common sole — a fish which is 

 exceedingly scarce in the Moray Firth. Haddocks were scarce, only 64 

 being taken, nearly all small, and 18 unmaiketable. The number of cod 

 was 5, and there were 2 cat-fish, 1 starry ray, and 4 cuckoo rays. In the 

 next haul, which lasted for four hours and fifteen minutes, the range of 

 depth was rather greater, from 12 to 25 fathoms. The aggregate number 

 of fishes was 707, of which 599 were marketable and 108 unmarketable. 

 Plaice formed the bulk of the catch, numbering 385, and all but 4 were 

 marketable. There were 60 witches, 3 of which were unmarketable, 3 

 turbot, 14 brill, and 1 megrim. Haddocks were poorly represented, the 

 number being 67, and 7 were unmarketable and nearly all the others 

 small. Three cod and 27 codling were taken, 7 of these being unmarket- 

 able, as well as 2 coal-fish and a cat-fish. A fifth haul, lasting for four 

 hours and ten minutes, in somewhat shallower water, from 13 to 17 

 fathoms, yielded a total of 816 fishes, 673 being marketable and 143 

 unmarketable. The result was much the same as in the previous four 

 drags, the bulk of the catch consisting of plaice, which numbered 456, all 

 but 6 being marketable. There were 65 witches, all marketable, 1 

 turbot, 14 brill, 5 cod, and a cat-fish. 



Altogether, in the five hauls off Burghead, the aggregate time of actual 

 fishing being twenty hours and fifty-five minutes, the total number of 

 fishes taken was 5291, of which 4186 were marketable and 1105 

 unmarketable. The particulars for each kind of fish are given in the 

 following Table, the marketable being shown on the first line (I.) and the 

 unmarketable on the second line (IT.). 





Cod. 



Codling. 



Haddock. 



Whiting. 



Coal-fish. 



I. 



35 



52 



425 



105 



4 



II. 





15 



158 



37 





Total 



35 



67 



583 



142 



4 



Cat-fish 



Halibut. 



Turbot. 



12 



12 





Brill. 



Plaice. 



Witch. 



Lemon 

 Dab. 



Common 

 Dab. 



Megrim. 



Flounder. 



I. 

 II. 



61 



2,040 

 21 



1,029 

 69 



15 



258 

 678 



1 



10 

 1 



Total 



61 



2,061 



1.098 



15 



936 



1 



11 





Long 

 Rough 

 Dab. 



Sole. 



Herring. 



Thorn- 

 back. 



Starry 

 Ray. 



Cuckoo 

 Ray. 



Angler. 



t 

 II. 



72 



1 



14 



77 

 14 



1 



1 

 3 



36 

 37 



Total 



72 



1 



14 



91 



1 



4 



73 



