of the Fishery Boa rd of Scotland. 



2G3 



from the trammel net. These nets are left in the water, and are usually 

 visited in the morning by the fishermen, who remove the herrings and 

 re-set the net ; the boats do not stand by their nets. It often happens 

 that, owing to bad weather, the nets cannot be visited for many days, 

 and they may become so weighted with fish as to lie flat on the bottom ; 

 and sometimes a gale sweeps them away or casts them into heaps, and 

 in such cases putrefaction of the herrings contained in them causes 

 pollution of the water. There is no evidence to show that such occur- 

 rences have affected the fishing detrimentally in succeeding years, 

 although they have been sometimes adduced as a reason for putting a 

 stop to the fishery on the Bank. 



The question whether or not the seine net disturbs or destroys the 

 deposited spawn of the herring was specially investigated during the 

 present year (1900), when a considerable number of seine-net boats 

 resumed the fishing at Ballantrae Bank. By means of the " Garland " 

 Mr. Pearcey was able to visit the boats when they were hauling their 

 nets, and also to make dredgings at various parts of the Bank in order 

 to ascertain the presence or absence of herring spawn at different points. 

 The dredgings showed that, while no spawn existed at certain points of 

 the Bank, it was in great abundance at other parts, and this largely 

 accounted for the diversity of the results respecting the action of the 

 herring seine. The following dredgings may be specified : — 



6th March. Ballantrae village bearing S.E. 2J miles distant, ten 

 fathoms of water. A small quantity of clean shelly sand and small 

 stones brought up ; no deposited herring spawn. 



7th March. (1) Ballantrae village bearing E.S.E. 2 miles distant, nine 

 fathoms. Dredge full of sand, stones, gravel, with shells and a few 

 fronds of Laminaria, nearly all of which were thickly coated with 

 deposited herring spawn ; (2) Ballantrae bearing S.E. \ S., distant 2| 

 miles ; 9| fathoms. Dredge full of sand, stones, gravel, and Laminaria, 

 without any trace of herring spawn ; (3) Ballantrae village bearing E. 

 by S., 2 miles distant ; 9^ fathoms. Dredge filled with sand, gravel, 

 and a few stones (1 to 3| inches in diameter). Herring spawn thickly 

 deposited on the shingle and on some of the stones. 



The number of seine nets which were examined immediately they 

 were brought from the water was 79, of which 63 showed no trace of 

 deposited herring spawn, while in sixteen it was found in more or less 

 abundance, chiefly on the broad fronds of Laminaria and the stones 

 at their roots, and fine specimens of the deposited spawn were obtained. 

 All the nets examined, except four, furnished evidence of having come 

 in contact with or swept the ground, on which they sometimes became 

 fast. In most cases stones, shells, weeds, or specimens of bottom-living 

 animals were brought up. A summary of the records made on board 

 the "Garland" by Mr. Pearcey is here given: — 



March 1st, 1900. 



1. 5.30 p.m. Net shot in 12 fathoms about 2| miles N.E. of Ballan- 

 trae. Became fast on bottom, and was got up with difficulty ; much 

 damaged. One specimen of Ophiothrix fragilis Mas obtained, net 

 Otherwise quite clean. No fish of any kind captured. 



2. 6.50 p.m. Near the same locality, in 10 fathoms. Net caught on 

 the bottom and brought up much torn from sole-rope ; 1 Asterias rubens, 

 1 stone 2 1 inches, taken from foot of net. No spawn recent or deposited. 

 No fish captured. 



3. In 10 fathoms. Net got caught on the bottom and was somewhat 

 damaged. One basket of herring captured. No deposited spawn. Net 

 quite clean. 



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