xiv Thirty-fifth Annual Eeport 



PART III. 



SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS. 



During the year 1916, the scientific fishery investigations of the 

 Board were carried on as far as possible on the same general lines as 

 in previous years. The research work, with a somewhat reduced 

 staff, has been done at the Marine Laboratory at the Bay of Nigg, 

 and in the Laboratory at the Old Post Office, Aberdeen, and the 

 inquiries relating to the herring fishery in Loch Fyne have also been 

 carried on as circumstances allowed. The special statistics of the 

 catches of line boats in the Moray Firth were collected monthly, 

 as before, but, owing to the withdrawal of the research steamer 

 " Goldseeker," the trawling stations were not examined. 



The Hatching Operations. 



Owing to the fact that the " Goldseeker " was engaged in other 

 duties, the stock of adult plaice has not been renewed since 1913. 

 The hatching operations were, therefore, considerably restricted. 

 The fertilised eggs were first obtained from the spawning pond in the 

 middle of March, and from then until the early part of May eggs 

 were obtained at intervals. The total number collected was estimated 

 to be under half a million, and the fry, when hatched, were liberated 

 in the sea off Aberdeen. 



Since the hatching of the plaice was begun at the Bay of Nigg, 

 the eggs which have been dealt with are estimated to amount to 

 nearly 439,000,000, and over 344,000,000 fry of the plaice have been 

 put into the sea. 



The electric pumps, which were fitted up for the supply of water, 

 as described in the Eeport for last year, have proved most satisfactory. 



The Investigations on the Herring Fishery in Lochfyne. 



The investigations in connection with the Lochfyne Herring 

 Fishery, which have been described in previous Reports, were 

 continued in 1916 so far as means allowed. The statistics show that 

 the yield from this once important fishing still continues at a low 

 level. The quantity of herrings landed amounted to 2,576 cwts., as 

 compared with 13,399 cwts. in 1915, and 3,214 cwts. in 1914. 



The following shows the monthly catch, in cwts., last year : — 



January ... — J^dy . . . 561 



February . . — August . . . 144 



March ... — September . . 259 



April ... 28 October . . 73 



May ... 356 November . . 586 



June . . . 569 December 



It may be stated that the herring fishing at Ballantrae Bank, 

 which is commonly supposed to be one of the spawning grounds of 

 the Lochfyne herrings, has been much more successful in the spring 



