40 



Part III. — Twenty -second Annual Report 



for the most part of plaice, of which 1158 were obtained. There 

 were only seventy-five small haddocks, twenty-five marketable and fifty 

 too small to be marketable. In this drag no less than thirty-one brill 

 were taken, a number that is scarcely ever reached in these trawling 

 operations, and there were also five turbot. The fourth drag lasted for 

 two hours and thirty-five minutes, and 1131 fishes were captured, of 

 which 733 were marketable and 398 unmarketable. Only twenty-five 

 small and unmarketable haddocks were caught in this drag ; the market- 

 able plaice numbered 678, and there were seven brill. 



During the time of fishing in the Bay the weather was favourable, 

 though somewhat squally, with rain, the wind blowing from the west. 



The aggregate number of fishes taken in the four hauls in the fourteen 

 hours of actual fishing was 7013, of which 5301 were marketable and 

 1712 unmarketable. The average catch per hour's fishing was for the 

 marketable 378*6, and for the unmarketable 1 22 3 ; the average for both 

 combined was 500 9. The number of plaice caught was 3588, the 

 average per hour being 256-3, and the number of haddocks 1823, with an 

 average of 130 2. 



The numbers of the marketable and unmarketable of each species are 

 given in the following Table : — 





Plaice. 



Common 

 Dab. 



Witch. 



Lemon 

 Dab. 



Sole 



Turbot. 



Brill. 



T. 

 II. 



3,476 

 112 



238 

 584 



6 



9 



1 



6 



57 



Total 



3,588 



822 



6 



9 



1 



6 



57 





Cod. 



Codling. 



Haddock. 



Whiting. 



Gurnard. 



Thorn- 

 back. 



Angler. 



I. 

 II. 



19 



66 

 35 



1,358 

 465 



36 

 99 



396 



23 



9 



6 

 12 



Total 



19 



101 



1,823 



135 



396 



32 



18 



With regard to the general size of the plaice and haddocks captured, 

 the great majority were small. Especially was this the case with the 

 haddocks, only six of the large and forty-five of the medium being taken. 

 The numbers of each class and the average per hour's fishing are given 

 in the following Table : — 



Firsts, 



Seconds. 



Thirds. 



Fourths. 



45 



77 



1,230 



3'2 



5-5 



88-0 



575 



2,824 





41-1 



201-7 





Offal or 

 Unmarketable. 



f 6 45 77 1,230 465 



\0-4 3-2 5-5 88-0 33-2 



Haddock, 



w„^ Q 5 ?5 



flaice, | 5 . 5 ^ 201 . 7 . g . 0 



On leaving Burghead Bay the vessel steamed to the Dornoch Firth, 

 where a number of hauls were made, the weather being calm and the sea 

 smooth, a light wind coming from the north-west. 



