of the Fishery Board jor Scotland. 



Ixiii 



Sea HniDy and Fishekies. 



An investit^ation lias been in progress, and is being continued, with 

 the view of ascertaining to what extent the guillemots prey upon the 

 young of the herring in Lochfyne. Collections of the stomachs, 

 suitably preserved, are sent to the Laboratory, and the contents 

 examined and tabulated. It was found that the fish contained in 

 their stomachs, often in large numbers, consisted almost entirely of 

 small herrings, sometimes well over a score being present, and only 

 occasionally of other fish. On the other hand, a very large proportion 

 contained only Crustacea, chiefly the large shrimp-like schizopod 

 JSfyctipkanes, forming often a conspicuous red ball composed of 

 hundreds of individuals. As this crustacean, as ascertained by the 

 tow-net collections made during the day, exists only in abundance in 

 the deeper waters of the loch, the birds must either go to considerable 

 depths in order to get them, or the crustaceans must come closer to 

 the surface at other times, as at night. The specimens were, however, 

 chiefly obtained in the afternoon. In view of the frequent complaints 

 as to the destruction of fish by the sea birds protected by the Wild 

 Birds' Protection Acts, it would be a useful thing to have an exact 

 investigation made on other species of birds to determine how far 

 these complaints are well founded. 



The Eeproduction of Fishes. 



In continuation of former researches, Dr. Williamson has been 

 engaged on an investigation on the reproduction of the Norway 

 haddock (Sehastes mariims), the common sea bream, and the Black Sea 

 bream, which are landed, the former frequently, the others occasionally, 

 by the trawlers at Aberdeen. It is shown that both the species of 

 bream are hermaphrodite. In the common sea bream the reproductive 

 organ when it first ripens is hermaphrodite, but at the next spawning 

 it may be unisexual, and it seems probable that when in the herma- 

 phrodite condition one sex specially predominates, that will be the sole 

 functioning sex at the next spawning. A hitherto unidentified 

 pelagic fish egg, taken in the tow-nets in May, June, and especially in 

 August, in the Moray Firth and off the Shetlands, is assigned with 

 probability to this fish. The Norway haddock is viviparous, and 

 hence of much interest. Dr. Williamson examined a large number of 

 specimens taken in each month of the year, and has described the 

 condition of the reproductive organs in each sex, and especially the 

 ovary, as well as the eggs and larvae, the latter remaining in the 

 ovarian cavity till after the yolk is absorbed. A paper will shortly be 

 published giving the results of this research and illustrated with 

 numerous figures. 



Fishery Investigations in the North Sea. 



Since the 1st April last, when the international investigations in 

 the North Sea were placed under the direct control of the Board, the 

 fishery investigations of the research steamer, the " Goldseeker," have 

 been under Dr. Fulton's charge, and have been carried out according 

 to a monthly scheme submitted to and approved by the Board. The 

 following is a sunnnary of the work accomplished in the period : — 



