SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 



I.— INVESTIGATIONS ON THE ABUNDANCE, DISTRIBUTION 

 AND MIGRATIONS OF THE FOOD FISHES. By Dr. T. 

 Wemyss Fulton, F.R.S.E., Scientific Superintendent. (Plate I.) 



Contents. 



Page. 



I. Investigations on board Steam Trawlers — 



1. The Moray Filth and Aberdeen Bay in May, . 16 



2. The Deep-water Grounds in May, . . . 19 



3. The Great Fisher Bank and North-Eastern Grounds 



in June, ...... 25 



4. The Moray Firth and Aberdeen Bay in October, . 30 

 The Relative Efficiency of the Beam and Otter Trawl, . 30 



II. The Special Statistics of North Sea Fisheries, . . 37 

 III. The Distribution, Migrations, &c., of the Food Fishes — 



Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), .... 40 



Flounder (P. jiesus), ..... 42 



Common Dab (P. limanda), .... 44 



Lemon Dab (P. microcephalus), .... 46 



Witch (P. cynogloMsus), ..... 49 



Megrim (Lepidorhombus whiff), .... 50 



Scald-fish {Platophrys laterna) - - . . 51 

 Turbot {Bothus maximus), . . . .51 



Brill {B. rhombus), ..... 51 



Halibut {Hippoglossiis imlgaris). ... 53 



Little Sole {Solea hitea), ..... 53 



Sole [Solea vulgaris), ..... 54 



Cod [Gadus callarias), ..... 54 



Coal-fish {G. virens), ..... 59 



Pollack [G. pollachius), ..... 60 

 Ling [Molua molva), . . . . .62 



Hake (Merluccius vulgaris), .... 62 



Tusk {Brosmius brosme), ..... 63 



Cat-fish [Anarrhichas lupus), .... 63 



Herring (Clupea hai^engus), .... 65 



Sprat [G. sprattus), ..... 67 



Mackerel (Scomber scombrus), .... 68 



hesser Weeyer {Trachi7ius vipera), ... 69 



Pogge or Armed-Bullhead (Agonus c at aphr actus), . 74 



In the Annual Reports for last year and the year preceding, an 

 account is given of certain investigations which were made, for the 

 most part by the use of steam trawlers, as to the abundance and distri- 

 bution of the food fishes on certain grounds, and more particularly in 

 the Moray Firth and Aberdeen Bay. 



In 1902 these investigations were continued, but, owing to the 

 reduction in the amount of the scientific vote, on a smaller scale than 

 in the previous years. Visits were made to the various grounds in the 

 Moray Firth, a series of hauls being taken in the Dornoch Firth, Burg- 

 head Bay, Smith Bank, and other places which had been examined on 

 previous occasions, as well as in Aberdeen Bay. Two trips were also 

 made to the more distant fishing grounds, the Great Fisher Bank, and 

 the north-eastern area off the Shetlands, and much valuable information 



