•20 



Part III. — Fifteenth Annual Report 



the number was 50,643 ; and in 1896, 48,346. In the three years, there- 

 fore, 'shots' of the great lines increased by 4833, while the 'shots' of the 

 small lines diminished by 6520. 



The number of 'shots' made by the large boats increased in all the 

 districts except Cromarty, where they diminished ; the increase was 

 greatest in Wick district, the figures being 396 in 1894; 1553 in 1894; 

 and 2774 in 1895. The number of 'shots' made by the small boats 

 decreased at all the districts except at Lybster and Findhorn. At Wick 

 the figures given in the returns for the three years are as follows : — 1894, 

 7295^shots; 1895, 4155 shots; 1896, 3063 shots. 



The greatest quantity of the fish caught by line within the closed 

 waters of the Moray Firth is landed in the Banff district, and the next 

 greatest quantity in the Findhorn district. Then comes Buckie, Wick, 

 Cromarty, Helmsdale, and Lybster. 



With respect to the quantities and averages of the different kinds of 

 fish caught in each of the three years, the figures are given in the follow- 

 ing table : — 



Fish. 



1894. 



189 



5. 



1896. 





Cwts. 



Average. 



Cwts. 



Average. 



Cwts. 



Average. 

 1-07 



Cod, 



32,571 



0-52 



47,646 



0-81 



64,663 



Ling, 



2,169 



0*035 



2,937 



0-005 



3,868 



0 062 



Torek, 



25 



0-0015 



24 



0-0004 



94 



o-ooi 



Saithe, 

 Haddock, . 



6,120 



0-09 



5,083 



0-087 



10,636 

 156,703 



0-17 



153,529 



2-47 



178,370 



3 056 



2-6 



Whiting, . 



5,845 



0-094 



5,114 



0-087 



4,836 



0-08 



Turbot, 



5 







15 





Halibut, . 



254 



0-004 



403 



0-007 



- 691 



o'-oii 



Lemon Sole, 











19 





* 1 Flounder, Plaice, 















Brill,' . 



5,477 



0-088 



5,765 



009 



3,402 



0-056 



Conger, 



1,244 



0-02 



777 



0-013 



823 



0-013 



Skates, 



3,281 



0-053 



3,014 



0*051 



3,683 



0-061 



Other kinds of 









white-fish, 



7,976 



0-128 



9,456 



0-16 



7,483 



0-12 



The most obvious feature in this table is that the great bulk of the fish 

 landed in each year within the whole area consisted of haddocks, which 

 made up about two-thirds of the catches, and of cod. The preponderance 

 of haddocks is most marked in the districts on the south coast, Cromarty, 

 Findhorn, Buckie, and Banff. At Wick and Lybster the quantity of cod 

 landed in each year exceeded the quantity of haddocks. Ling, conger, 

 halibut, and torsk, which are rather deep-water fish, were caught in com- 

 paratively small quantity, and the greatest proportion was landed at the 

 northern stations in the Wick and Helmsdale districts and at Buckie. 



It will be observed that the quantity of flat-fishes landed in each year 

 was small. In the three years together only 20 cwts. of turbot are 

 returned from all the districts. The flat-fishes included under the title 

 ' flounder, plaice, and brill,' and which consist principally of plaice and 

 dabs, form the great bulk of those landed. The total quantity of flat- 

 fishes landed in each of the years was as follows : — 5736 cwts., or 2'6 per 

 cent, of the whole, in 1894; 6170 cwts., or 2*3 per cent., in 1895 ; and 

 4127 cwts., or 1*6 per cent., in 1896, showing, therefore, a falling off in 

 relative abundance compared with the round-fishes. The decrease is in 



* The fish included under this head comprise, for the most part, plaice and dabs. 



