xxviii 



Thirty-first Annual Report 



Lemon Soles. 



This species is taken almost exclusively by trawlers, and during the 

 year under review these vessels landed all but 504 cwts. of the total 

 catch of 40,818 cwts., which fell short of the preceding year's returns 

 by 3638 cwts. The value, though also showing a falling off, did not 

 decline to the same extent, the figures for 1912 and 1911 being re- 

 spectively £83,413 and £84,011. 



Flo2tnde7'S. 



The flounder is not a deep-sea fish, and is therefore taken princi- 

 pally by the small boats, working lines and set nets, which ply their 

 calling in the coastal waters. The catch in 1912 amounted to 9729 

 cwts., valued at £5742, as against 10,994 cwts., valued at £7306, in 

 1911. Of this quantity, 6763 cwts. were taken by lines and 2090 

 cwts. by nets, the residue, amounting to 876 cwts., being secured by 

 the small boats which, under bye -laws made by the Board, are per- 

 mitted to carry on a modified form of trawling known as flounder 

 net fishing in the Firths of Forth and Clyde. 



Dabs, Megrims, and Witches. 



With the exception of brill, which is a negligible quantity in 

 Scottish waters, witches and megrims were the only species of flat 

 fish to yield better results than in 1911. The combined catch amounted 

 to 36,664 cwts., valued at £37,712, (of which all but 2 cwts. was 

 taken by trawlers), these figures representing increases of 3832 cwts. 

 in quantity and £6299 in value upon the returns of the preceding 

 year. 



The supplies of dabs fell off considerably during 1912, only 10,601 

 cwts., valued at £3649, being landed, as compared with 13,760 cwts., 

 valued at £4927, in 1911. As the figures indicate, dabs are the least 

 valuable of all flat fish. 



Turbot and Brill. 



The decline which has for some years been observable in the yield 

 of the comparatively rare and highly-prized turbot was continued during 

 the year under review, the total catch of 4038 cwts. falling short of 

 that of 1911 by 491 cwts., and the value, which was £13,845, by 

 £1515. This decline, which has been in progress since 1909, although 

 comparatively slight from year to year, goes on steadily, and in the 

 aggregate is a considerable one, as the following table shows : — 



Year. Annual Catch. 



1909 6,346 cwts. 



1910 4,987 „ 



1911 4,529 „ 



1912 4,038 „ 



From these figures it will be seen that in the course of the last four 

 years the annual delivery has decreased by 36 per cent. 



