22 



Part III. — Tiventy-first Annual Report 



The sixteenth haul was a short one, for thirty-five minutes, in seventy- 

 fathoms, on the morning of 28th May, and fifty-five fishes were taken, 

 viz. forty-one haddocks, one cod^ five codling, two whitings, and six 

 witches. 



The vessel then returned to Aberdeen, steering S.W., and running 

 140 miles to Buchan Ness. 



In the voyage described above, the trawler prospected about more 

 than is usual, owing to the scarcity of fish. As already mentioned, the 

 movements of the haddocks are somewhat erratic at the close of the 

 spawning season, and since this fish forms the most important item in 

 the catches in the deep water, the trawlers hunt about in the hope of 

 striking upon a shoal. 



Complete records were made of ten hauls, representing fifty hours' 

 fishing ; the total number of hauls being sixteen, and the duration of 

 actual fishing seventy-five hours and thirty-five minutes. One of the 

 drags, as stated, was blank, on account of the loss of the net. 



I have tabulated the detailed catches of the ten hauls referred to, in 

 which an aggregate of 18,634 fishes was recorded, 14,984 being market- 

 able and 3650, or about 19*5 per cent., unmarketable. The average 

 number of fishes and of marketable and unmarketable taken in each of 

 the five hours' hauls and in each hour's actual fishing are these : — 





Marketable. 



Unmarketable. 



Total. 



Per Haul, . 

 Per Hour, 



1,498-4 

 299-7 



365-0 

 73-0 



1,863-4 

 372-7 



Although the fishing was comparatively poor on this voyage, it was 

 much superior to what obtained farther to the south and south-east, 

 and the " Fisher Bank," a week later {see p. 26). 



The detailed catches show that of the marketable fishes 13,508 were 

 round-fishes and 1465^ or 10-8 per cent., were flat-fishes; while of the 

 unmarketable 188 were round-fishes and 3273, or 89*7 per cent., were 

 fiat-fishes, composed almost entirely of long rough dabs. 



The particulars referring to the flat-fishes are as follow ; the market- 

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





Plaice. 



Lemon 

 Sole. 



Witch. 



Common 

 Dab. 



Long 

 Rough Dab 



Megrim. 



Halibut. 



I. 

 II. 



5 



9 

 1 



1,203 

 50 



5 



217 



2,994 



325 

 11 



8 



Total, 



5 



10 



1,25S 



222 



2,994 



246 



8 



Average per haul, . 



0-5 



1-0 



125-3 



22-2 



299-4 



24-6 



0-8 



Average per hour's) 

 fishing, . . / 



0-1 



0-3 



25-1 



4-4 



59-9 



4-9 



0-2 



