20 



Part III. — Eighteenth Annual Report 



The Firth of Clyde. 



The trawling stations in the Firth of Clyde were examined last year 

 in January, May, June, July, September, October, November, and 

 December, 117 hauls being made with the ordinary trawl-net. In 

 addition to these, several hauls were made at night, and 117 with a 

 fine-meshed shrimp trawl, partly at the ordinary stations and partly in 

 other localities, for the purpose mainly of determining the distribution 

 of immature fish. The Clyde stations are seventeen in number, and are 

 situated as follows : — 



Station I. lies off the east coast of Cantyre, in from about twelve to 

 twenty fathoms of water, and extends from Davaar Island to near Ru 

 Staffhage. 



Station II. is placed further north in the Sound of Kilbrennan, in 

 from nine to over twenty fathoms, between Pluck Point and Carradale 

 Point. 



Station III. is situated opposite to Station II., in Machry Bay, 

 Arran, where the water ranges from about ten to over twenty fathoms 

 in depth. 



Station IV. lies off Pirn Mill, Arran, to the north of Station III., in 

 from twenty-seven to thirty fathoms. 



Station V. is placed in Whiting Bay, on the other side of Arran, in 

 water from ten to twenty fathoms. 



Station VI. lies to the south of Station I., beginning off Rhuad 

 Point, Cantyre, and has a depth of from twenty to thirty fathoms. 



Station VII. is placed off the Ayrshire Coast, opposite the village of 

 Ballantrae, in water of from sixteen to twenty-four fathoms deep. 



Station VIII. is situated to the south-west of Ailsa Craig, about 

 midway between Sanda Island, Cantyre, and Bennan Head, and the 

 depth of water is from about twenty-seven to thirty-three fathoms. 



Station IX. lies to the north of the last station and to the west of 

 Ailsa Craig, in from twenty-five to twenty-eight fathoms. 



Station X. lies between Station IX. and the coast of Cantyre, in 

 water about twenty-six fathoms deep. 



Station XI. passes round Ayr Bay, and has a depth of about twenty- 

 fathoms. 



Station XII. lies midway between Arran and the coast of Ayr, in 

 water from about thirty-three to forty-four fathoms deep. 



Stations XIII.-XVII. are situated in Upper Loch Fyne. XIII. 

 extends from near Otter Spit to Gortans, and has a depth of from 

 twenty-five to thirty fathoms ; XIV. extends from near Gortans to 

 Minard Castle, the depth being about the same as the last; XV. extends 

 from Inverawe to Furnace, with a depth of thirty-three to forty fathoms; 

 XVI. passes from near Strachur to Inveraray, the depth varying from 

 about sixty to seventy fathoms; and Station XVII. lies at the head of 

 the loch from Dunderawe to above Cairndow, in from ten to thirty- 

 five fathoms. 



The number of fishes captured in the regular hauls of the ordinary 

 trawl at these stations last year numbered close upon 20,000, of which over 

 12,000 were flat-fishes. A feature of contrast with the condition in the 

 East Coast areas is the comparative scarcity of plaice, and the great 

 abundance of witches, which are most numerous at Stations XV., XII., 

 and VIII. They comprised very nearly half of all the flat-fishes caught. 

 Long rough dabs were also abundant ; so that these two species com- 

 bined formed about 81 per cent, of the total flat-fishes. The statistics 

 of the various kinds of fish caught at the twelve stations in the Firth 

 of Clyde during the year show that the average number of flat-fishes 



