of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



2.07 



In last year's Report it was stated that an experiment had been begun 

 in Loch Fyne in order to find out what practical results may be obtained 

 in a confined area by the planting of a limited number of artiiiciaiiy- 

 hatched fry of plaice. During 1898 the experiment was continued, and 

 all the fry produced in the hatchery were placed in the loch, on this 

 occasion in the upper part, to the north-east of Strachur. While it may 

 be considered to some extent an open question what particular locality 

 of a tidal loch, such as Loch Fyne, is the most suitable for the distribu- 

 tion of fry at the different stages of the tide, some cases are less difficult 

 to decide than others. When the tide is full there seems little doubt 

 that the fry should be planted as far up in the loch as possible, in order 

 that they may not tend to be carried out by the ebb. But there appear 

 to be strong reasons why the fry should always be planted near the 

 head of the loch. The tidal currents are of course strongest at the 

 entrance, through which all the water passes and repasses which causes 

 the rise and fall of the level of the whole loch ; and from the same 

 reason these horizontal currents are of least strength at the head of the 

 loch, where the tidal movement of the water is more a simple rise and 

 fall. It was principally for this reason that the fry in 1898 were 

 distributed near the head of Loch Fyne, which was also the most con- 

 venient locality, as the transport was effected by means of the ordinary 

 mail service to Inveraray. The salinity of the water in that part of the 

 loch is often much reduced, especially during heavy rainfalls ; but this 

 fresh water, which accumulates in a layer on the surface, is drifted to 

 and fro by the wind in the loch, and it does not as a rule remain 

 stationary for any long time in the upper loch. The depth of this fresh- 

 water layer is usually not very great, so that in 1898 water of sufficient 

 salinity always existed some feet below the surface. The fry were 

 sometimes distributed through an indiarubber tube at various depths, 

 once or twice at as much as twenty feet down, where a sufficient salinity 

 was found, while the surface water was quite brackish. 



Table II.— Showtng the Locality and the Physical Conditions 

 where the Fry were Distributed. 



Date. 



Locality. 



Temperature 

 of the Water 

 into which 

 the Fry 

 were planted. 



Sp. gravity 

 of the Water 



into which 

 the Fry were 

 planted. 



State 

 of 



the Tide. 



Number 

 of Fry. 

 Planted. 



April 1st, 



Off Inveraray, in 

 the middle of 

 the loch, 



c. 

 7-8 



F. 



46 



1026 -8 



4h. ebb 



800,000 



„ 12th, 





5-6 



42 



1022-0 



lh. ebo 



1,400,000 



„ 15th, 



55 55 



9-5 



49 



1024-5 



3b. Hood 



2,900,000 



„ 22nd, 



5 5 5 5 









5h. ebb 



2,700,000 



„ 26th, 



5) 55 









lh. flood 



2,200,000 



„ 29th, 



Two miles above 

 St. Catherine's, 



9-5 



49 



1025-8 



5h. flood 



3,400,000 



May 4 th, 



Off Inveraray, in 

 the middle of 

 the loch, 



99 



49-8 



1023-8 



lh. flood 



2,200,000 



,, 10th, 



5 5 5 5 



10-3 



50-5 



1023-0 



2h. ebb 



1,300,000 



„ 13th, 



5 5 5 5 



9-8 



49-6 



1025-0 



H.W. 



700,000 



„ 17th, 



5 5 5 5 



107 



51-2 



1024-6 



5h. ebb 



900,000 



„ 20th, 



)> 55 



11-5 



52-7 



1023-0 



l 



lh. flood 



700,000 



