10 



Part III. — Eighteenth Annual Report 



When these quantities are compared with those given in the 

 Tables in Part I. of the Board's Eeport, showing the gross quanti- 

 ties landed, irrespective of the place of captnre, it will be found 

 that by far the greater part of the line-caught fish in each district 

 is taken from the Moray Firth. Last year 147,775 cwts. out of a 

 gross quantity of 180,649 cwts. were so derived. In all the districts, 

 indeed, except Wick, all the fish caught by line are returned as 

 derived from the closed waters. In previous years this was the 

 case with only a few of the districts, and the circumstance seems 

 to point to a greater restriction of line fishing in this area. 



The gross quantity taken from the Moray Firth by line-fisher- 

 men in 1899 was less than in any preceding year. As compared 

 with the previous year, the decrease amounted to 21,546 cwts.; as 

 compared with 1895 the decrease was 110,814 cwts., and each year 

 since that named has exhibited a progressive decline. The average 

 catch per " shot " of the line has also decreased during the same 

 period. In 1895 it was 4*43 cwts.; in 1898, 3 -24 cwts.; and last 

 year only 3*66 cwts. The diminution was not, however, confined 

 to the Moray Firth. The general statistics for the rest of the 

 East Coast and for the whole of the coasts of Scotland show a 

 corresponding change, and in the same kinds of fishes. 



With respect to the various kinds of fishes caught by line in the 

 closed waters, the following Table shows the quantities and the 

 average weight per " shot " for each of the six years : — 



FISH. 



1894. 



1895. 



1896. 



1897. 



1898. 



1899. 



Cwts. 



Aver- 

 age. 



Cwts. 



Aver- 

 age. 



Cwts. 



Aver- 

 age. 



Cwts. 



Aver- 

 age. 



Cwts. 



Aver- 

 age. 



Cwts. 



Aver- 

 age. 



Cod 



32,571 



0-52 



47,646 



0-81 



64,663 



1-07 



79,731 



1-26 



56,208 



1-07 



52,753 



0-95 



Ling - 



2,169 



0-035 



2,937 



0'005 



3,S68 



0-062 



3,544 



0-056 



2,567 



0-049 



2,883 



0-052 



Torsk - 



25 



0'002 



24 





94 





25 





43 





82 





Haithe - 



6,120 



0-09 



5,083 



0-087 



10,636 



0-17 



11,761 



0-18 



14,881 



0-28 



9,375 



0-169 



Haddock 



153,529 



2-47 



178,370 



3-056 



156,703 



2-6 



126,031 



2*004 



81,098 



1-554 



68,075 



1-229 



Whiting 



5,845 



0*094 



5,114 



0-087 



4,836 



0-08 



3,319 



0-052 



1,535 



0-029 



1,323 



0-023 



Tnrbot - 











15 





16 



_ 



13 





60 





Halibut 



254 



0-004 



403 



0-007 



691 



o-oii 



707 



o-oii 



730 



0-013 



762 



0-013 



Lemon Sole - 











19 





14 





1 





6 





" Flounder, 

 Plaice, and 

 Brill" - 



5,477 



o-oss 



5,765 



0-09 



3,402 



0-056 



3,978 



0-063 



3,425 



0-065 



5,005 



0-09 



Conger - 



1,244 



0-02 



777 



0-013 



823 



0-013 



1,533 



0-024 



826 



0-015 



741 



0013 



Skate - 



3,281 



0-053 



3,014 



0-051 



3,683 



0-061 



3,999 



0-063 



3,273 



0 062 



3,584 



0-064 



Other kinds of 

 White Fish - 



7,976 



0-128 



9,456 



0-16 



7,483 



0-12 



6,663 



0-105 



4,574 



0-087 



3,116 



0 056 



The most important of the fishes are cod and haddocks, and both 

 show a decrease from the previous year. That in cod was com- 

 paratively slight, amounting for the year to 3405 cwts., the average 

 per " shot " also falling from 1.07 to 0'95 cwts. The total and the 

 average were, however, both lower in the years 1894 and 1895 ; 

 since 1897 the gross quantity and the average have diminished. 



