of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



0 



main results as bo the food, spawning, and maturity are given in 



The Food of Fishes is dealt with in a Report by Mr W. Ramsay 

 Smith, B.Sc, which undoubtedly forms the most extensive contri- 

 bution to this subject yet made. Although, probably, more in- 

 formation had been previously collected in regard to the food of 

 fishes than on the other points of the inquiry, it was chiefly limited 

 to round-fish. Mr Smith's Report for the first time gives a 

 systematic record of the nature of the food at different times of the 

 year of round and flat-fishes living together in the same locality. 

 It has, therefore, great practical value as throwing light on the 

 proportions in which the various kinds of marine animals participate 

 in supplying the food of the different kinds of edible fishes, and as 

 indicating the competition which goes on in the same locality, and 

 also the influence which beam-trawling and other modes of fishing 

 are likely to have upon the food of the various kinds of round and 

 flat-fishes. The description of the food of flat-fishes, such as plaice 

 and lemon soles, is especially valuable, inasmuch as our previous 

 knowledge on this point was of the most meagre description. The 

 inquiry also serves to show indirectly the distribution and move- 

 ments of the invertebrate fauna, so far as it constitutes the food 

 of fishes. This Report is accompanied by a series of Tables. 



Observations on the Spawning of Fishes. — This subject — one of 

 the most important in fishery inquiries — is dealt with in a Report 

 by Professor Ewart and Dr T. Wemyss Fulton, which embodies 

 the results of the examination of over 22,000 fish. When the 

 scheme referred to above was begun, it was anticipated that a great 

 deal of positive information in regard to the spawning of fishes 

 in the territorial waters, would be acquired. But, although several 

 thousands of fishes have been carefully examined at short intervals 

 and at fixed stations, comparatively few have been found fully ripe 

 or spawning. The reason for this paucity in the numbers of ripe 

 fish obtained, constitutes, however, one of the most important 

 results of the inquiry, and is of direct practical significance. 



The great majority of the fish specially examined were obtained 

 at the trawling stations of the ' Garland', within the territorial 

 waters, and although considerable numbers were found with the 

 roe or milt well developed and almost mature, very few, as has been 

 stated, were found spawning in the territorial waters. It is pointed 

 out, for instance, that of 814 plaice from St Andrews Bay and the 

 Firth of Forth only one fully ripe specimen was got, and that in 

 September ; while only eight specimens were nearly ripe, and these 

 were got between October and January. A striking exception to 

 the absence of spawning plaice in the Forth and St Andrews Bay 

 occurred last January in the Pentland Firth, where a large shoal 

 of these fish were discovered spawning close inshore. The Master 

 of the steam trawler 'Southesk' reported that the spawn was 

 freely escaping from many of the plaice when landed on deck. 

 There was also found in the Moray Firth, in January, about 15 

 miles from the shore, a shoal of plaice, all of which were either 

 engaged in spawning or were fully ripe or spent. 



Lemon soles, cod, haddock, whiting, and in fact the great 

 majority of the fish, appear not to spawn in the Firth of Forth or 



