20 



Part III. — Twentij-first Annual Report 



There were also taken in tliese hauls seven anglers, one dog-fish, and 

 one Norway haddock (Sebastes). Another trawler was working in the 

 vicinity. 



Although the gross number of haddocks in these hauls was fairly 

 good for the season, they consisted mostly of the small or third selec- 

 tion, the large haddocks and those of medium size, which bring much 

 better prices, being rather scantily represented ; there were 929 large, 

 697 medium, and 2876 small. At this season of the year, as previously 

 remarked, the large haddocks after spawning are difficult to locate in 

 numbers, and are believed to disperse and leave the bottom. None of 

 the haddocks observed were spawning. It was therefore decided to 

 shift ground, and the vessel steamed about 45 miles N. | E. from 

 where the last of the four hauls was taken, to a position approximately 

 about fifty miles E. by S. of Sumburgh Head, in Square XV. (Plate I.). 

 A haul was made here on the morning of the 24th May, in seventy-one 

 fathoms — also for five hours, — but the catch was small, comprising 

 1611 fishes, of which 1375 were marketable and 236 unmarketable. 

 Whitings were more numerous, and twelve cat-fish, six hake, 

 five coal-fish, a halibut, and ninety-one gurnards were included ; but 

 haddocks, and also witches, were scarcer than before. Numbers of 

 whitings were ripe, and the stomach of a coal-fish was found to 

 contain two argentines, a haddock, and two specimens of Gadus 

 Esmarkii. 



The trawl was again dropped, in seventy-six fathoms, and the vessel 

 steered N.E. by E. for the five hours, the distance run being reckoned 

 to be a little over ten miles. Another trawler was working alongside ; 

 there was a fresh breeze from the westward and a heavy swell on the 

 sea. The catch amounted to 3101 fishes, of which 2684 were market- 

 able and 417 unmarketable. It included a comparatively large 

 number of megrims, viz. 167, two saithe or coal-fish, six hake, four 

 ling, eight cat-fish, and a tusk, and haddocks were more numerous 

 than in the previous haul, but the large ones were poorly represented, 

 and only twenty marketable witches were obtained. Twenty-nine 

 starry rays were taken. 



The next haul was made in seventy-one fathoms, and much the same 

 course was steered during the five hours' drag, viz. N.E. The catch 

 in this instance was only partly enumerated ; it included seven hake, 

 two ling, one coal- fish, twenty-three starry rays, five common dabs, 

 and eight-and-a-quarter baskets of haddocks. 



The eighth haul was made early in the morning of the 25 th May, 

 in seventy-eight fathoms, and during the first half of the five hours the 

 course steered was N.E. by E. The catch included six cod, eleven 

 hake, three ling, two tusk, a cat-fish, a halibut, three common dabs, 

 122 witches, and twenty-one marketable megrims ; but only 606 haddocks 

 were secured. A few of the haddocks were observed to be still spawning. 

 The total number of fishes obtained was 1394. 



When the net was brought up the vessel was run for about fifteen 

 miles to the south-west, and then hove to until the morning of the 

 26th owing to the heavy sea and south-west gale. The wind previously 

 had been blowing a moderate breeze from the S.W., W., and W.S.W., 

 and the sea was choppy ; and the above drag was made in a moderate 

 gale from north-west to south-west. On the morning of the 26th, the 

 gale having moderated, the wind hauling to north-west, the trawl was 

 shot in sixty fathoms on a shelly bottom, and the course steered during 

 the drag was north-east. On taking the latitude at the end of the 

 haul it w.'is found to be 60° 2' N., and the vessel was therefore in the 

 southern part of Square XI. (Plate I.). Another trawler was observed 

 fishing in the E.S.E. 



