58 



Appendices to Second Annual Report 



The samples of small fish which were examined, were procured partly 

 direct from the boats, partly from lishmongers' shops in Edinburgh, and 

 several were sent by the commander of the F.C. 'Vigilant,' and by the 

 Fishery officers. 



The result of the examination went to show that there was scarcely 

 any intermixture of young herring with sprats in the samples sent from 

 Inverness, the fish in which had been caught in the Moray Firth, but 

 these samples were too few, and did not contain a sufficient number of 

 fish to permit of sure conclusions being drawn from them. The samples, 

 eleven in number, were taken in November, December, and January, and 

 showed a very small percentage of young herring (*6 per cent.) to sprats ; 

 but two small samples sent up by the Fishery officer, as caught off Red- 

 castle, Beauly Firth, and landed at Inverness, in December and January, 

 contained 68 sprats and 12 young herrings (15 per cent.), all between 3 \ 

 and 5 J inches long ; and if the evidence of these few samples is to be 

 trusted, it would seem that there is much more intermixture of sprats 

 and young herring in the Beauly Firth than in the more open Moray Firth. 



The samples from the estuary of the Tay, caught by bag-net, show the 

 largest percentage of herrings to sprats among all those examined. Of 

 ten Tay samples procured by Captain M'Donald on different occasions 

 during the month of November last, and containing 503 fish, there was 

 an admixture of 106 herrings (over 21 per cent.), all between ?>\ and 5 J 

 inches long. The district Fishery officer sent up four samples during 

 December, consisting of 154 fish, of which 54 (fully 35 per cent.) were 

 young herring. In January he sent a sample containing 132 fish, 4 (fully 

 3 per cent.) being young herring. In February four samples were for- 

 warded, containing 266 fish, 65 (24*4 per cent.) being small herring. 

 And in March two samples arrived, with 117 fish, of which 19 (16*2 per 

 cent.) were herring, giving a total of 1172 fish examined, 248 or over 21 

 per cent, of which were small herrings. The percentages in the various 

 samples varied from 3 to 80. 



Mr Miller, Fishery Officer, wrote on 13th December, that 'since 1st 

 ' October over 400 tons of these fish have been landed at Dundee, from fish- 

 * ings between mouth of Tay and Invergowrie Bay (about 14 miles up), and 

 ' sold for manure at 16s. to 17s. per ton.' He also sent specimens of herring 

 from 6 to 8 inches long, of which he wrote the boats contained from 

 •J to 5 crans, these herring being caught in drift nets, few or no sprats 

 being taken among them. These fish were all immature. On various 

 other occasions, however, he sent herrings of this size, with the remark 

 that the boats contained about 1 of these fish to every 40 small. 



It would appear, therefore, that while a considerable percentage of 

 small (under 5 inches) herring are mixed with the sprats caught by bag 

 net in the Tay, there is also a considerable quantity of larger herrings 

 (over 6 inches) taken along with them, as well as by the drift nets. 



Of the Firth of Forth samples, one came from Anstruther, and con- 

 tained 72 fish, 62 being sprats, 10 small herring (i.e., 5 J inches or 

 under) — a percentage of nearly 1 4. 



There was bought from fishmongers' shops in Edinburgh, on four days 

 of November, samples containing 394 fish, which on examination proved 

 to consist of 375 sprats and 19 herrings (over 4*8 per cent.), all of which 

 measured from 3J to 5 inches long, the percentage of herrings to sprats 

 varying on different days from 0 to 16. On seventeen occasions in 

 December 1642 fish were bought, among which were 140 herrings (over 

 8*5 per cent.). The percentage varied in these samples from 0 to 60. 

 In January ten samples were procured, containing 1263 fish, 1231 being 

 sprats and 32 herring (over 2*5 per cent.) ; the lowest percentage being 

 nil, the highest 9*5. In February twelve samples were examined, 



