of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



193 



II. Bound-Fish. 



Haddock (Gadus csglefinus). 



The number of haddocks examined was 7412. Of these, 513 were 

 examined on board of the 'Garland'; 363 in the Firth of Forth, 107 in 

 St Andrews Bay, sixteen in Montrose Bay, twenty-three in Aberdeen 

 Bay, seven in Cruden Bay, and sixteen in the Moray Firth. At Smith 

 Bank 109 were examined, and at the University 103, obtained 20 to 30 

 miles east of May Island. The fishery officers examined 6668. 



Of those obtained by the ' Garknd ' in the Forth, at intervals since 

 June 1888, all were more or less immature until January, when one, out 

 of sixty-nine, was ripe, and three nearly ripe. In February, seven, out 

 of twenty-one, were nearly ripe, but none quite mature. In March, 

 out of seventy-one, three were quite ripe and three nearly mature. In 

 April, out of twenty, all were immature. In May, the ten examined, 

 and in June, the thirty-eight were all immature. In St Andrews 

 Bay none were found ripe in any of the months ; one was nearly ripe in 

 December, three in January, one in March, and one in April. All those 

 obtained in July and June at Montrose Bay, Aberdeen Bay, Cruden 

 Bay, and*tho Moray Firth stations were more or less immature. Those 

 examined at the University, and caught from July to January, east of 

 May Island, were all immature, except seven in January, which 

 were three-quarters mature. At or near Smith Bank seventy-four were 

 caught in January and thirty-five in February. Of the former none were 

 ripe, but eleven were nearly ripe and three three-quarters mature. Of the 

 latter nine w r ere nearly mature. Off Lossiemouth, in February, a large 

 haul of haddocks was made in from 50 to 60 fathoms ; a few were quite 

 ripe, but the great majority were only about half mature. Between 

 March 26th and 29th a great shoal of large haddocks was discovered, 

 about 12 miles off Lossiemouth, the great majority of which were ripe 

 and spawning, and enormous numbers of their floating eggs were collected 

 from the surface of the sea. 



Of the large number of fish examined by fishery officers in April, 

 May and June, seventy-three were ripe ; sixty-four in April and nine 

 in May. They were caught at distances varying from 1 or 2 to 

 20 or 30 miles from shore. Most of those obtained in May and April 

 were spent fish. The notes of the fishery officer at Montrose show 

 the successive proportions from the end of March to the end of June as 

 follows : — 



On March 30th, haddocks were largely spent ; all the larger fish, if not 

 spawned or spent, were quite ripe ; on April 6th the large ones were 

 mostly spawned or ripe and spawning; on April 13th most of the large 

 ones had spawned ; on April 23rd a few were spawning, but most were 

 spent, a few small ones being still unripe ; on April 29th all the large 

 fish were spent and most of the small fish ; on May 8th a few were 

 spawning, but the great majority spent ; on June 29th forty examined 

 were all spent. At Aberdeen, on April 27th, they had 'just spawned.' 

 At Peterhead, on April 19th, most had spawned, but a few had still to 

 spawn. 



From the data obtained it is evident that haddocks spawn chiefly in 

 March and April, and on the East Coast at moderate distances from shore, 

 but beyond the territorial waters. Of the mature and nearly ripe specimens 

 got by the 1 Garland ' in the Firth of Forth all the ripe ones were obtained 

 at the stations at the mouth of the Firth ; and only two of the specimens 

 nearly mature were caught at the inner group of stations. We have very 



