SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 



I. REPORT ON THE TRAWLING EXPERIMENTS OF THE 

 "GARLAND," AND ON THE FISHERY STATISTICS 

 RELATING THERETO. 



INTRODUCTORY. 



During last year the trawling investigations of the " Garland " were 

 conducted in the Firth of Clyde and Loch Fyne, where the 

 stations were examined in each month, except in February, March, 

 April, and August. The work at each station consists in — (1) trawling 

 along a selected line for a specified distance, determined usually by 

 cross-bearings, all the fish caught being enumerated, measured, and 

 recorded; (2) observations on the temperature, density, and trans- 

 parency of the water, on the condition of the weather, &c. : (3) col- 

 lections of the pelagic organisms floating in the water. The Tables 

 relating to the chief of these investigations will be found appended to 

 this Report. In addition, special observations were made on the occur- 

 rence and distribution of pelagic fish eggs and larvse, on the distribution 

 of immature and spawning fishes, on the migrations of fishes, and on 

 various other questions. 



The "Garland" was also employed in February, March, and a portion 

 of April in procuring live plaice for the sea-fish hatchery at Dunbar, 

 and in conducting an investigation into the condition of the clam bait 

 beds in the Firth of Forth. 



The fishery statistics which have been collected in the districts of the 

 Moray Firth in connection with the trawling experiments there, and 

 which show the quantities of the various kinds of fish caught by line 

 fishermen within the closed waters in each month of the year, and for 

 the whole year, with the respective averages per "shot" of the lines, 

 are appended to this Report, and are discussed below. These statistics 

 were collected by the Fishery Officers of the various districts, or ty 

 their correspondents. The trawling records were made by Mr. F. G, 

 Pearcey, the naturalist on board the " Garland." 



