of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



9 



The statistics of the fish caught by line-fishermen within the 

 Moray Firth during the last three years, and the average weight of 

 fish captured per shot of the lines are as follows : — 



Fish. 



1894. 



1895. 



1896. 





Cwts, 



Average. 



Cwts. 



Average. 



Cwts. 



Average. 



Cod, 



32,571 



0-52 



47,646 



0-81 



64,663 



1-07 



Ling, 



2,169 



0-035 



2,937 



0-005 



3,868 



0-062 



Torsk, 



25 



0-0015 



24 



0-0004 



94 



o-ooi 



Saithe, 



6,120 



0-09 



5,083 



0-087 



10,636 



0-17 



Haddock, . 



153,529 



2-47 



178,370 



3-056 



156,703 



2-6 



Whiting, . 



5,845 



0-094 



5,114 



0-087 



4,836 



0-08 



Turbo t, . 



5 









15 





Halibut, . 



254 



0 004 



"403 



0-007 



691 



o-oii 



Lemon Sole, 











19 





' Flounder, Plaice, 















Brill,' . 



5,477 



0*088 



5,765 



0-09 



3,402 



0-056 



Conger, 



1,244 



0*02 



777 



0-013 



823 



0*013 



Skates, 



3,281 



0-053 



3,014 



0-051 



3,083 



0-061 



Other kinds of 













white-fish, 



7,976 



0-128 



9,456 



0-16 



7,483 



0-12 



When the figures in the above table, indicating the quantities of 

 white fish caught by line fishermen within the closed waters 

 of the Moray Firth last year, are compared with the figures 

 published in the ordinary statistical tables in Part I. of the 

 Board's Eeport, showing the total quantities of white fish 

 (exclusive of herrings, mackerel, and sprats), landed on the coasts 

 of the same districts, it will be found that about 88 per cent, of 

 the total quantity landed is taken from the closed area. 



In the Wick district, which includes only a relatively small 

 part of the coast of the Moray Firth, while it comprises the whole 

 of the northern coast of Scotland from Duncansby Head to Cape 

 Wrath, the total quantity of white fish landed last year was 

 61,429 cwts., of which 31,556 cwts., or over half, were caught by 

 line fishermen in the Moray Firth. In the district of Findhorn 

 the total quantity landed was 63,521 cwts., all of which were taken 

 from the closed waters. In the district of Cromarty 15,317 cwts. 

 were landed, and in the Lybster district 4,241 cwts. ; and in both 

 cases the whole of the fish were caught by line in the closed 

 waters. In the Banff district, of a total quantity of 66,565 cwts. 

 landed, 66,471 cwts., or all, except 94 cwts., were taken from the 

 closed area. In the Buckie district the total quantity landed was 

 61,088 cwts., and of this amount 57,450 cwts., or all, except 3,638 

 cwts., were obtained in the Moray Firth ; and of the 18,360 cwts. 

 landed in the Helmsdale district, all save 30 cwts. were drawn 

 from the closed area. 



These comparisons show the importance of the Moray Firth as 

 the great fishing area for the line fishermen along its coasts. The 

 total quantity of line-caught fish drawn from its waters last year 

 amounted to 12,845 tons. 



The number of ' shots ' of the lines made in the closed waters 

 has steadily increased on the part of the large boats, while it 

 has diminished on the part of the small boats. Thus, in 1894, 



