of the Fishery Board for Scotland, 



41 



hauls yielded 796 plaice, none of which were unmarketable. Farther 

 off, on Smith Bank and near it, a number of hauls gave an aggregate of 

 417 plaice, none of which were unmarketable, the depths ranging from 

 twenty-two to thirty-five fathoms. In twenty fathoms, off" Tarbet Ness, 

 twenty-six were taken in a haul, and none were small ; in a haul in 

 fifty fathoms twelve miles off the south shore three were got, all large ; 

 and about eight miles off Kinnaird Head, in 83-85 fathoms, none were 

 taken in a haul. 



In hauls extending into shallow water, as four, five, and six fathoms, 

 a small proportion of unmarketable plaice may be obtained. 



At the depression off Aberdeen, known locally as the Dog Hole, in 

 depths from fifty-seven to seventy fathoms, and from eight to thirteen 

 miles from land, six plaice were got in seven hauls — viz., three in two 

 hauls in 57 fathoms, one in 58 fathoms, one in 65 fathoms, and one in 

 70 fathoms — and none were small or unmarketable. 



In the hauls on the north-eastern grounds, several large plaice were 

 taken in about fifteen hauls in sixty-five fathoms, sixty-five miles S.E. 

 by E. of Sumburgh Head, Shetland, which was the nearest land. None 

 were taken in 63 and 81 fathoms, about 87| miles N.E. of Buchan Ness, 

 or about fifty miles from Fair Isle and sixty-five miles from the 

 Orkneys ; but nearer Fair Isle, about eighteen to twenty-two miles to 

 the south-east, in sixty-five and sixty-six fathoms, 193 plaice were taken 

 in October in nineteen hauls — some being got in each, the numbers 

 varying from one to twenty-six, and they were all large. The usual 

 range of their size was about twenty inches. Several measured twenty - 

 six and twenty-seven inches, and the four smallest were 43'4, 39*0, 39*8, 

 and 37'5 centimetres — from seventeen to fourteen and three-quarter 

 inches. None were taken in seventy-five and seventy-eight fathoms 

 sixty miles S.E. by E. | E. from Flugga, Shetlands, the nearest land 

 being Whalsey Island, about fifty miles distant, nor at a point twenty- 

 two miles east in eighty-five fathoms, in latitude approximately 61° ; nor 

 in sixty-five fathoms sixty-five miles S.E. by S. 5 S. of Fetlar Island, 

 the nearest land being about fifty miles distant. Nor were any plaice 

 taken in the eleven hauls in from sixty-four to eighty-one fathoms, east- 

 wards from the northern part of the coast of Aberdeenshire. 



These facts, while they prove the absence of the smaller plaice from 

 the deeper water, even in proximity to the coast, show that the adult 

 fishes may migrate from it considerable distances into deep water. The 

 deepest water in which any were procured was seventy fathoms, and the 

 greatest distance from land was sixty-five miles, in sixty-five fathoms. 

 The occurrence of plaice in the localities described, particularly near 

 Fair Isle, and their absence from the other localities, is probably 

 accounted for by the comparatively shoal water which extends for a con- 

 siderable distance eastwards from the Orkneys and up towards Fair Isle, 

 and which probably facilitates their wandering (Plate I.). 



Of even greater interest are the phenomena presented by the plaice 

 on the Great Fisher Bank. In the hauls made there last June, in 

 thirty-four fathoms, about 170 miles E. by S. from Aberdeen, 519 plaice 

 were taken in nine hauls, some being got in each, the number varying 

 from eight to ninety-one — and plaice are said to have been some years 

 ago much more abundant there than they are now. None of these 

 plaice were small or unmarketable. The nearest land is Norway, but 

 from the existence of the deep water along that coast and other reasons, 

 it is improbable that the plaice in the region in question come thence. 

 The distance from the Danish coast (at the Limfjord) is 160 miles, and 

 it is probable that the plaice are derived from that quarter, or further 

 south, reaching the Fisher Bank via the Dogger. Our east coast is cut 



