of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



65 



the trawl cannot work. The young cat-fish is probably to be found 

 mostly in such quarters. 



Herring {Clupea harengus). 



From its size the herring, as a rule, is not retained in the trawl-net, 

 although from the experiments with the fine-meshed net it is certain 

 that they frequently enter the otter-trawl. In the course of the investi- 

 gations herrings were taken in thirty hauls, the numbers varying from 

 one to as many as eighty-eight, fifty-one, and forty-four. On two 

 occasions they were taken on the north-eastern grounds, namely in 

 September in sixty-five fathoms, and in October in sixty-six fathoms. 

 In Aberdeen Bay they were caught in May, June, July, and December, 

 the depths of the water in which the hauls were made being from four- 

 and-a-half to sixteen fathoms. In the Moray Firth they were taken in 

 the Dornoch Firth in J uly, November, and December, the hauls being 

 made in water from six to thirteen fathoms ; off" Dunbeath in J anuary 

 in twenty-four fathoms ; and in or near Burghead Bay in May, July, 

 December, and January, the depths ranging from seven to twenty-four 

 fathoms. Young herrings, from three to seven or eight inches in 

 length, were frequently taken in the small-meshed net outside the 

 otter- trawl, as many occasionally as nearly two thousand in an hour's 

 drag. The particulars in regard to those caught in the otter-trawl are 

 appended : — 



Date. 



1 



Place. 



Depth 

 in Fms. 



No. 



4 Sept. - 



6.5 miles 8. E. of Sum burgh Head - - - - 



6.0 



5-7 



19 October 



18 „ S.E. of Fair Isle 



66 



2 



6 Nov. 



Dornoch Firth 



8-10 



51 



6 „ 



Do. 



8-10 



6 



17 Dec. - 



Al)erdeeu Bay 



9- If. 





18 „ - 



Do. - .... 



8 10 



1 



18 „ - 



Do. 



7-9 



1 



25 „ 





12 



8 



30 May - 



Aberdeen Bay 



12-16 



5 



30 „ - 





9-14 



1 



6 June - 







1 



6 - 







4 



• 1 July - 



Burghead Bay • - 



7-15 



1 



2 „ 





7-10 



2 



2 „ 



Dornoch Firth ....... 



10 



] 



3 „ - 





10-12 



9 



r, 





8-15 



88 





Do. 



8-12 



10 



31 - 



Do. 



8-12 



1 



{Continued. 



