of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



55 





Aberdeen Bay. 



Moray Firth. 





Duration 

 of 



Fishing. 



Cod, 



Codling. 



Total. 



Duration 

 of 



Fishing. 



Cod, 



Codling. 



Total. 





I. 



II. 



I. 



II. 



January, 



H. M. 



8 10 



4-4 



0*2 



\j ^ 



4 "8 



H. M. 



36 50 



4'0 



8*2 





19*3 



February, 



4 0 



0-2 



3*2 



0*0 



3'5 



75 5 



4*4 



3*5 



0*3 



8-2 



March, - 



12 5 



149 



97 -1 





41*9 



65 45 



8"9 



4'8 



0'4 



14*3 



April, 























May, 



16 35 



2 '4 



U u 





O \J 



/ O 0\J 



yj o 



2*1 



1 '7 



J- / 



4-6 



June, 



20 - 



1'5 



0-1 



0-4 



2*1 



23 40 



X. o 



2 '4 



0-6 



4*3 



July, 



21 47 



0-5 



0-2 



3-3 



5-6 



53 20 



0-4 



0-02 



0-2 



0-7 



August, - 













38 50 



0-6 



0-08 



0-5 



1-2 



Sept., - 



9 54 



0*4 



0-9 



7-2 



8-5 



25 20 



0-5 



0-04 



6-1 



6-8 



October, 



28 10 



0-5 



23-3 



2-6 



26-4 



72 20 



0-4 



6-1 



0-6 



7-1 



November 



32 35 



1-8 



0-6 



0-6 



7-3 



103 - 



1-3 



3-6 



2-1 



7-0 



December 



1 0 





1-0 





10 



67 - 



5-7 



6-4 



0-8 



12-8 





158 16 



3-0 



6-8 



2-0 



11-6 



634 40 



2-8 



3-7 



1-5 



7-9 



Per cent, of total, 



25-5 



58-9 



15-5 







34-7 



46-2 



18-7 





It will be observed that the number of cod visiting the inshore 

 grounds in the winter months is considerably greater than in summer, 

 although the averages for corresponding months do not agree in the two 

 areas. This, however, could not be expected, inasmuch as the quantity 

 of fishing in different months differed in the two areas, and in the Moray 

 Firth the hauls ofi*shore are combined with those in the bays. The 

 absence of information for April in the Moray Firth is regrettable, but 

 the high average there for March was caused partly by considerable 

 numbers being taken on Smith Bank, where spawning occurs, and partly 

 by large catches in the Dornoch, where herrings and sprats were present 

 at the time. The small proportion of the unmarketable codlings is 

 noteworthy, amounting in Aberdeen Bay to 15*5 per cent, and in the 

 Moray Firth to 18-7 per cent, of the total. The larger marketable 

 codlings, ranging from about a foot up to the cod in size, constitute in 

 both areas the greater part of those captured, the percentage in the 

 Moray Firth being 46*2, and in Aberdeen Bay 58-9. They, like the 

 cod, were also most abundant in the winter months, and, like them also, 

 scantily represented in summer. At this period they are probably to be 

 found in greater numbers offshore where the herrings are. 



In the eight hauls made at the Dog Hole, off Aberdeen, in from 

 fifty-five to seventy fathoms, 263 cod and codlings were taken, twenty- 

 two being cod, 156 marketable codlings and 85 unmarketable; the 

 percentages are respectively 8*3, 59*3, and 32*3, and the average per 

 hour's fishing 2-3, 16*4, and 0*9 the average for all classes being 27-6. 

 The hauls were made in May, June, July, August, November (two), 

 December, and J anuary, and the averages for these months are as 

 follows : — 



