of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



21 



and brill" — which consisted chiefly of plaice and dabs — were taken. The 

 quantities of flat-fishes landed in each of the years and the percentages of 

 the total are as follows : — 





1894. 



1895. 



1896. 



1897. 



1898. 



Cwts. 



5736 



6170 



4127 



4715 



4169 



Percentage of Total 













Catch, 



2-6 



2-3 



1-6 



1-9 



2-5 



It will be noticed that although the total quantity slightly diminished 

 in 1898, the percentage was increased ; in other words, the diminution 

 of flat-fishes was less marked than the diminution of round-fishes. The 

 quantity of turbot, lemon soles, and "flounders, plaice, and brill," decreased 

 as compared with the previous year, while there was a slight increase in 

 the take of halibut. 



Turning to the figures referring to the round-fishes, it will be seen 

 that, with the exception of saithe, all kinds were caught last year in 

 diminished numbers. The decrease in cod and in haddocks is especially 

 noteworthy. The quantity of cod — which had been increasing each 

 year from 1894 to 1897— fell in 1898 to 56,208 cwts., as compared with 

 79,731 cwts. in the previous year — a decrease of 23,523 cwts. The 

 falling-off, which was common to all the districts except Cromarty, where 

 a slight increase took place, was most marked in the Wick district, the 

 total there declining from 29,871 cwts. to 15,633 cwts., or little more 

 than half. The average weight of cod taken per " shot " of the lines 

 also diminished in most districts, but not in all. The averages for each 

 district in each of the years are as follows : — 



District. 



1894. 



1895. 



1896. 







1897. 



1898. 



Wick, - 



0-99 



1-83 



3-22 



4-16 



3-23 



Lybster, - 



1-92 



1-79 



1-71 



2-47 



1-89 



Helmsdale, 



0-75 



1-31 



2-01 



2-39 



1-90 



Cromarty, 



0-59 



0-617 



074 



0-61 



0-63 



Findhorn, 



0-48 



0-75 



0'85 



0-52 



0-55 



Buckie, - 



0-55 



1-0 



1-3 



1-68 



1-34 



Banff, - 



0-13 



0-2 



0-22 



0-41 



0-53 



The diminution in the quantity of haddocks landed from the Moray 

 Firth is still more striking ; the figures indeed show how great are the 

 fluctuations in the abundance of this fish from year to year. In 1894 

 the quantity of haddocks caught by line in the closed waters was 

 153,529 cwts.; in 1895 it rose to 178,370 cwts., and since then it has 

 progressively declined to 156,703 cwts. in 1896, to 126,031 cwts. in 

 1897, and to 81,098 cwts. last year, or to less than half the quantity 

 landed in 1895. The decrease last year as compared with the previous 

 year amounted to nearly 45,000 cwts., and it was common to all the 



