16 



Part III. — Ticenty-first Annual Report 



has been acquired both as to the abundance of the different species 

 of food fishes present on the grounds at the time, and in regard to their 

 distribution in the various areas, and their natural history generally. 

 The particulars in regard to the hauls and the number of fishes obtained 

 were carefully recorded, and will afford important means for comparison 

 in succeeding years. The fishes, as before, were classified, according to 

 the practice adopted on board the trawling vessels, into marketable and 

 unmarketable, and the details are given in a series of Tables appended, 

 and are discussed below. 



I. Investigations on Board Steam Trawlers. 

 1. The Moray Firth and Aberdeen Bay in May. 



The first of the series of investigations was made in Aberdeen Bay 

 and the Moray Firth in May, the trawler employed being the " Star of 

 Peace," under Captain Alexander Caie, and Dr. H. C. Williamson was 

 good enough to accompany her and to record the catches. 



The first haul was made in Aberdeen Bay, between Belhelvie and the 

 " Black Dog," on the afternoon of 12th May, the depth of water being 

 eleven fathoms, and it lasted for four hours and twenty minutes. 

 Except for plaice and dabs the catch was a very poor one, only six 

 haddocks being taken. The aggregate number of fishes was 1906, of 

 which 1382 were marketable and 524 unmarketable. The marketable 

 fishes were represented by six cod, six haddocks, 713 plaice — 242 

 medium and 471 small, — 653 common dabs, and four flounders. The 

 unmarketable consisted of five whitings, thirteen plaice, 363 common 

 dabs, forty-seven gurnards, sixty-eight anglers, and eighteen skates and 

 rays. 



A second drag in the same locality for four hours and a quarter, in 

 from ten to fourteen and a half fathoms, was much less productive, only 

 674 marketable fishes being taken, and 424 unmarketable, the total being 

 1098. Among the marketable were fourteen cod, a saithe, 216 plaice — 

 eight large, 106 medium, and 102 small, — 427 dabs, and thirteen 

 flounders. Only three small and unmarketable haddocks were taken 

 and eighteen unmarketable whitings. There w^ere fifty-one skates and 

 rays and forty anglers among the unmarketable fishes, as well as one 

 herring. The wind during the day had been blowing very hard from 

 N.N.E., and the sea was very choppy. 



A third haul, only partly enumerated, made in from eleven to 

 eighteen fathoms, for four hours and ten minutes, yielded 26 cod, 

 nine marketable codling, five haddocks, seven whitings, five coal-fish, 

 one and three-quarter baskets of plaice, as well as two brill and a 

 basket of marketable dabs. The offal or unmarketable fishes filled half 

 a basket, and were chiefly dabs. 



Other three hauls were made in Aberdeen Bay with even less success, 

 haddocks being practically absent and plaice very scarce. The aggre- 

 gate number of fishes obtained in the three hauls which were com- 

 pletely recorded, representing twelve hours and thirty-five minutes' 

 fishing, was 3361, of which 2351 were marketable and 1010 unmarket- 

 able. The numbers of the various kinds were as follows, the marketable 

 being indicated by I. and the unmarketable by II. : — 



[Table 



