of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



5 



and the constant use of the tow-net revealed the presence of 

 myriads of eggs floating at or near the surface, which were derived 

 from the ripe fish congregated on the bottom. A large number of 

 eggs were also artificially fertilised and their development studied. 



(3) The Capture and Destruction of Immature Fish. 



The question of the capture and destruction of immature fish 

 by the various modes of fishing practised round our coasts is one 

 of great importance in regard to the future productiveness of the 

 fisheries. Special inquiries have been made by the aid of a small 

 meshed trawl-net into the relative abundance of immature fish, and 

 especially flat-fish, in the inshore waters. In some cases about 

 seventy per cent, of the flat-fish obtained were under inches 

 in length ; these observations, which are still in progress, serve to 

 show to what degree the inshore waters act as nursing grounds for 

 flat-fish, and thus aid in the stocking both of the territorial and 

 extra-territorial waters. Professor Ewart recently submitted a 

 short Report on this subject which was published in Nature, 

 pointing out the great abundance of small flat-fish in inshore 

 waters. This question continues to engage the attention of Pro- 

 fessor Ewart, who will submit a Special Report dealing with it as 

 soon as the necessary data have been obtained. 



(4) The Fishing Grounds on the West Coast. 



As was mentioned above, the steam beam trawler ' Southesk ' has 

 been recently employed under the direction of the Committee in 

 examining the condition of some of the fishing grounds on the 

 West Coast. Trawling operations were carried on to the west of 

 Skye, between Skye and the Shiant Banks, to the west of the 

 Lews, in the vicinity of the Elannan Islands, in Broad Bay, off 

 Loch Ewe, and on the Stor Banks. At all these places, with the 

 exception of Broad Bay, the ground was found to be too rough and 

 rocky for ordinary trawling to be carried on. The trawl frequently 

 caught on rocks and had to be hauled. In the Minch the net was 

 torn almost from end to end, and in Broad Bay the bridles parted 

 from the trawl catching on what was supposed to be a sunken 

 wreck. It is not possible, in the meantime at least, to work safely 

 on these grounds with a large beam-trawl ; bub when the grounds 

 have been carefully examined by means of a naturalists' trawl and 

 dredge, a number of banks may be discovered where even a large 

 trawl could work. 



From the information already obtained there seems little prob- 

 ability that beam-trawling can ever be extensively prosecuted on 

 the West Coast beyond the area of the Eirth of Clyde. It is worth 

 mentioning, however, that in the only place where the trawl was 

 able to work for about an hour, a good catch of both flat-fish and 

 round-fish was obtained, there being 156 large plaice and 58 

 haddocks, in addition to skate, gurnard, lemon soles, and dabs. In 

 all probability further investigations will show that many of the 

 fishing grounds around.the Lews are capable of yielding consider- 

 able supplies of halibut, plaice, and other valuable food-fishes. 



