of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



163 



boats, &c. ; a few are tradesmen (masons, &c.) ; while the rest are 

 general labourers. 



Tay Sprat- Fishing Grounds. 



The Tay sprat-fishing grounds are included in that part of the estuary 

 extending from Invergowrie and Balmerino, some 3 miles above or 

 west of the Tay Bridge, down to, or a little beyond, Tay port and 

 Broughty-Ferry, between 4 or 5 miles east of the Tay Bridge. 



From Broughty-Ferry, the estuary increases uniformly in width as far 

 as 3 miles above the Tay Bridge, where it is 2| nautical miles wide. 



At Dundee it is 1J nautical mile in width, and at Broughty-Ferry, 

 some 4| miles below the Tay Bridge, the estuary is only | mile across. 



Many sandbanks extend over this particular part of the estuary, 

 which are dry 4 to 7 feet at low water, the width of the navigable 

 channel being about § mile. 



Sandbanks also exist in the main channel itself, composed of cleaner 

 and coarser sand than most of the surrounding sandbanks. Contrary to 

 expectation, the sandbanks of the Tay are found to vary very little in 

 form from one year's end to another. Extensive flats and sandbanks are 

 present on either side of the main channel above or west of the Tay 

 Bridge. 



Abreast of Invergowrie and Ninewells, the main channel is marked off 

 by two red and two black buoys, and forms here a very important sprat 

 and herring fishing ground. 



About opposite the west end of Dundee an important sandbank exists, 

 some 1 50 yards in width at low water. The deep channel on the south 

 side of it formed the principal ground for this and last year's sprat and 

 herring fishing. This particular sandbank is known as the Middle Bank, 

 and its narrow east end is marked off by the Chequer buoy. 



A somewhat variable and extensive shoal projects from the southern 

 shore of the estuary, about half-way between Newport and Tayport ; it 

 is called the Newcome Spit, and consists of a mass of clean sand and 

 shells six times as coarse as the Middle Bank. The neighbourhood of 

 the Newcome Spit is also a favourite sprat and herring fishing ground. 



At Broughty-Ferry there are no sandbanks, and the river here is fully 

 10 fathoms deep at low water. 



Seaward of Broughty-Ferry the eetuary widens rapidly, and the 

 bottom consists largely of eoarse sand full of rounded water-worn stones. 



At Monifieth Bay this material is said to form a suitable spawning 

 ground for winter herring. 



Tides. 



Spring tides flow up the river Tay as far as two miles above the city 

 of Perth, and sprats and herring are got by the sparling fishermen as far 

 up as Newburgh, but only in very small quantities. 



Low water of ordinary spring tides at Dundee Harbour is 7*5 feet 

 below ordnance datum, and high water of ordinary spring tides is 

 I6J feet above that level. The extreme range of high water at Dundee 

 varies between 19 feet 6 inches and 3 feet 7 inches, and extreme low 

 tides sometimes fall 1 foot 5 inches below low water of ordinary spring 

 tides. 



The tides have an important bearing upon the quantity of fish caught 

 in the river, and also restrict the fishing to those parts of the river 

 where the currents are strong enough to open the bag-nets. 



During the flood of neap tides the currents are too weak to open the 

 nets, and fishing can only take place then during ebb-tide, while during 



