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Part III. — Seventh Annual Report 



little information from the West Coast as to the spawning of the haddock, 

 but ripe fish were obtained a mile or two off Arran, where the water is 

 deep. 



Whiting (Gadus merlangus). 



The number of whiting examined was 2360. On board the 'Garland,' 

 350 were obtained in the Firth of Forth, seventy-six in St Andrews Bay, 

 and forty-three in Montrose Bay, Aberdeen Bay, and the Moray Firth. 

 Those obtained by fishermen 20 to 30 miles east of May Island numbered 

 106. At Smith Bauk thirty-seven were caught, and fishery officers examined 

 1748. Of those obtained in the Firth of Forth, all obtained from June 

 1888 to January 1889 were more or less immature. One, three-quarters 

 mature, was caught on January 7th. In February two were nearly ripe 

 and three three-quarters ripe ; all being obtained at the mouth of the 

 Firth. In March, out of sixty-six, four were quite ripe (at the mouth of 

 the Firth), and twenty-three nearly ripe, — nearly all occurring in the outer 

 or seaward part. In April, out of twenty-six, one was fully mature (at 

 an inner station), and six nearly ripe. In May, out of seven, one was ripe 

 and two nearly ripe. In June, out of twenty-seven, two were quite 

 mature and one nearly mature ; in May and June the ripe fish were 

 caught at the mouth of the Firth. 



The whitings caught in St Andrews Bay were all immature up to 

 January. There is no record of their condition in February or March ; 

 but in April one ripe fish was obtained ; in May one, out of two ; 

 in June five caught were more or less immature. All those obtained in 

 Montrose Bay, Aberdeen Bay and the Moray Firth (in July and June) 

 were more or less unripe; as were also those caught at Smith Bank, in 

 January and February and on July 5th. The 106 caught east of May 

 Island, from June to January, were all unripe ; one in January was 

 three-fourths ripe. 



Of those examined by fishery officers two were ripe in March, fifty-three 

 in April, fifty-eight in May, and forty-six in June. They were obtained 

 at distances of from 1 or 2 to 30 or more miles from shore ; it appears 

 that the majority of those spawning in June were caught much closer 

 to shore than those spawning at the beginning of the season, except in the 

 case of those caught in deep water off Arran. The following observa- 

 tions of the fishery officer at Montrose are of special value : — 



On March 30th, whiting were improving in condition, but none of 

 them were nearly ripe; on April 13th a large number were nearly 

 ripe ; towards the end of April a few were ripe, but the great majority 

 unripe ; in the middle and towards the end of May a large number were 

 nearly ripe, a few quite ripe and a few spent ; on June 17th, fifteen, out of 

 twenty, were ripe, the others being mostly spent ; on June 25th, eighteen, 

 out of forty, were ripe, the others being spent. At most of the other 

 stations they were also mostly spent in June. 



It appears that the spawning period of the whiting begins at the end 

 of March and extends to the end of June, and that they do not spawn 

 to any extent in the territorial waters. 



Lythe (Gadus pollachius). 



Only nine specimens were examined. One obtained in the Firth of 

 Forth in October, two at Smith Bank in January and February, four 

 caught 8 miles east of May Island in April, and one in the territorial 

 waters in the Moray Firth in June, were all immature. The only ripe 

 specimen was obtained in May, 50 to 60 miles east of May Island. 



