xxiv 



Second Annual Report of the 



Scientific 

 Investigations. 



Specimens 

 forwarded by 

 Officers. 



Herring Eggs 

 attached to 

 sea-weeds. 



Interest of 

 Fishermen in 

 investigations 

 and their 

 experiments 

 with Herring 

 and Cod Eggs, 



a fishing station is in the vicinity of feeding ground, the fishing will 

 depend on the presence or absence of food, which may be regulated 

 by currents, temperature, or other obscure phenomena. 



Of the specimens forwarded by the fishery officers the most 

 interesting are the portions of sea-firs (chiefly Hydrallmannia) and 

 sea- weeds (chiefly Laminaria), with clusters of herring eggs 

 attached. In almost every instance the note accompanying the 

 specimen mentioned that 'the eggs forwarded were believed by the 

 ' fishermen to be those of the haddock,' sometimes those of the cod 

 or whiting. With few exceptions, the sea-firs were brought up by 

 the long line fishermen, and in some instances they were said to 

 have come from a depth of 40 fathoms. In connection with these 

 specimens the Board has the satisfaction of mentioning that the 

 Fishery officers and others have reported that, owing to the inquiries 

 instituted, the fishermen were taking quite a new interest in their 

 work. At several fishing stations the herring eggs brought up by 

 the long lines were successfully hatched by the fishermen, and they 

 have been making experiments with the eggs of the cod and had- 

 dock, about which there has been so much contention. In a recent 

 letter from Mr Murray, the Board's officer at Stonehaven, it is 

 mentioned that the skipper (Main) and crew of the ' Orient ' (A, 214) 

 convinced themselves that ripe cod spawn did not sink to the 

 bottom. They expressed £ roe and milt into a bucket of sea water and 

 ' were surprised to find that the fertilised spawn instead of sinking, 

 ' floated like cream on the surface.' The herring spawn has been 

 chiefly sent from Girvan, Eyemouth, Peterhead, Wick, Stonehaven, 

 and Aberdeen. The specimens sent show what is of great impor- 

 tance, that from August to the present time (28th of May), herring 

 have been constanly spawning off the Aberdeenshire coast, so that 

 . we have not only spawning going on all the year round at one part 

 Herring spawn or other of the coast — at Wick in July, at Eyemouth in October, 

 throughout the a t Cornwall in January, at Ballantrae in March, and at Storno- 

 way in June — but we have herring actually spawning at the same 

 place during at least ten months of the year. 



In addition to the specimens of herrings and sprats, and the 

 samples of food forwarded, the fishery officers and the commander 

 of the ' Vigilant,' have obtained a number of interesting zoological 

 specimens, which, when examined, will enable us to understand 

 better the nature of the bottom and the enemies of the food fishes 

 at the various parts of the coast. Amongst the specimens several 

 are of special interest, e.g., (1) a fine Torpedo taken off Lybster; 

 (2) an Opah from Lerwick, which measured over 4 feet in 

 length ; (3) a Turbot, of a dark colour on both sides, and with 

 an eye on each side of the head, sent from Anstruther ; (4) 

 a Blenny, new to British waters, taken off St Abb's Head ; 

 and (5) a Comber, taken off Shetland. The torpedo was 

 presented to the Museum of Science and Art, the opah is 

 being examined by Professor Turner, E.R.S., the turbot and 

 comber are still in the possession of the Board, and the blenny 

 is in the possession of Professor M'Intosh of St Andrews. 

 Board orders Early in winter it was alleged by herring fishermen and others 

 SstructSn of ^at a wholesale destruction of young herring was being carried on 

 young Herring, in the Eirth of Tay and elsewhere, by the sprat fishermen, which, 



year. 



Other speci- 

 mens obtained 

 — Torpedo, 

 Opah, Turbot, 

 Blenny and 

 Comber. 



