of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



33 





Cod. 



Cod- 

 ling. 



Had- 

 dock. 



Whit- 

 ing. 



Tur- 

 bot. 



Black 

 Sole. 



Plaice. 



Lemon 

 Sole. 



Com. 

 Dab. 



Thorn 

 back. 



Stari-y 

 Ray. 



Total. 



I. 



5 



578 



5,080 



690 



3 



2 



132 



2 



240 







6,732 



II. 





45 



18 



82 







11 



2 



124 



2 



7 



291 





5 



623 



5,098 



772 



3 



2 



143 



4 



364 



2 



7 



7,023 



The next haul was made on 4th October in the Moray Firth, at 

 Burghead Bay, in from nine to fourteen fathoms, and it lasted for four 

 hours and ten minutes. Only the marketable fishes were enumerated, 

 and of these 2473 were taken, consisting mostly of small haddocks and 

 small plaice. The catch included two cod, ninety-two codlings, and 1083 

 haddocks, of which only seventy -two were large or " firsts," all the 

 others being small. Whitings numbered 150, and gurnards, 228 — this 

 part of the coast being usually very rich in gurnards — while one hake 

 and one ling were also taken, as well as a mackerel. Among the flat- 

 fishes plaice numbered 730, of which 458 were very small ; there were 

 also twenty-seven common dabs (marketable), 122 witches, and 

 twenty-one lemon soles. The unmarketable fishes, consisting mostly of 

 dabs, haddocks, and gurnards, filled fourteen baskets. 



The next haul was made in the same place, in from five to twenty 

 fathoms of water, but mostly in from seven to nine and a half, for four 

 hours and forty minutes, and the marketable catch consisted of 3598 

 fishes, haddocks and plaice again forming the greater proportion. 

 The haddocks numbered 2225, but they were, with the exception of 

 sixty, all small ; the fourth selection of very small marketable fishes 

 numbered 857, and the "thirds" 1308. There were 696 marketable 

 plaice, of which 407 were "thirds," and 114 "fourths," or the smallest 

 marketable. The marketable common dabs numbered 409, and four 

 witches, thirteen lemon soles, and one black sole were included. The 

 unmarketable fishes, mostly dabs, filled twelve baskets. 



The third haul in the Moray Firth, on the same ground, in from five 

 to nine fathoms, lasted for four hours and twenty minutes, and the 

 catch was a large one. The marketable fishes, which were alone 

 enumerated, numbered 4786, comprising 2014 haddocks, 2139 plaice — 

 of which 1354 were " fourths" and 536 " thirds " — 482 common dabs, 

 thirty lemon soles, seventy gurnards, three brill, and six thornbacks, 

 as well as two saithe and forty codlings. The aggregate number of 

 fishes taken must have been very large, because those that were un- 

 marketable, mostly dabs and gurnards, filled fifteen baskets. 



The catch of the fourth drag, in the same place, in four to eight 

 fathoms, and lasting five hours, was completely enumerated. The 

 fishes numbered 4532, of which 2397 were marketable, and 2135 un- 

 marketable. There were twenty-five unmarketable codling, 290 

 haddocks — the reduction in the numbers in this fish being no doubt 

 owing to the shallower water in which the drag was made — of which 

 twelve were unmarketable, seven whitings, 174 gurnards, and 2131 

 plaice, of which 827 were medium, 174 large, 548 small, 160 " fourths," 

 and 425 unmarketable. Common dabs numbered 1885, all being 

 unmarketable except 245, and there were also one ling, three small 

 lemon soles, fourteen thornbacks, and two sand-eels, as well as 240 

 squids. 



Other five hauls were made in Burghead Bay, in from five to 

 twenty, and mostly in from six to thirteen or fourteen fathoms, the 

 c 



