of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



7 



iu 1887 ; hence line fishermen landed during 1888 over 6000 tons 

 more than in 1887. This great increase in the amounts of fish 

 landed by line fishermen last year was not due to any increase in 

 the number of men or boats employed. On the contrary, there 

 were 156 fewer boats and nearly 1000 fewer men and boys than 

 in 1887. The decreased takes of beam-trawlers on the East Coast 

 in 1888 have been apparently chiefly due to the fact that, during 

 considerable portions of the year, many of the boats which fished 

 on the East Coast in 1887 were fishing in the Clyde and other 

 parts of the West Coast. The increased amount landed by line 

 fishermen is made up chiefly of round-fish, but in the southern area, 

 where protection has been longest established, there is also a con- 

 siderable increase of flat-fish. 



The Board has not hitherto supplied information in the Annual 

 Keporfc as to the number of English trawlers that habitually work 

 off the coast of Scotland and land their flsh at Scotch ports. 

 Such information would be of very great value. For instance, 

 during 1888 it would appear that no less than 60 steam beam- 

 trawlers were landing fish at Aberdeen ; in the Boards' Report 

 only 9 steam trawlers are described as belonging to Aberdeen. 



The statistics referring to the amounts landed by line fishermen 

 and beam-trawlers are graphically represented on Plate II. 



The special detailed statistics which have now for two successive 

 years been collected in the southern part of the East Coast, namely, 

 the districts of Leith, Anstruther, Montrose, and Stonehaven, and 

 which refer to the amounts of fish obtained by line fishermen from 

 the closed and open portions of the territorial waters, also show 

 that there occurred in 1888 a decided increase in the catches. These 

 results are discussed at page 22. 



In those portions of the territorial waters in which the practice 

 of beauutrawling is prohibited, there was an increased catch of cod, 

 haddock, and especially of flat-fish (lemon soles, dabs, and flounders ). 

 The average of all the fish per shot for the closed area was 1*83 

 cwts. in 1887, and 2*17 owts. in 1888, In the open area where beam 

 trawling is permitted the averages were 1*98 cwts. in 1887, and 3*55 

 cwts. in 1888. The open area in these districts is, however, of com- 

 paratively small extent, and iu a considerable part of it the nature 

 of the ground prevents beam-trawling being carried on. 



Another group of statistics (p. 26) refers to the comparative 

 amounts of fish taken at different distances from shore, both in the 

 territorial and extra-territorial waters. As a general result, it 

 appears that, while the proportions for different districts and for 

 different kinds of fish varies, about 25 per cent, (above 13,000 tons) 

 of the fish captured by line fishermen are obtained from the terri- 

 torial waters. 



In regard to the comparative size or quality of the fish obtained 

 in 1887 and 1888, the statistics of the Buckhaven cod and haddock 

 fishery (p. 19) are of much interest. From these it appears that in 

 the neighbourhood of the Firth of Forth, at all events, while there 

 has been a gross increase in the amount of haddocks captured, this 

 increase was proportionately far greater in the case of the large 

 haddocks than of the small haddocks and whiting. 



