xvi Thirty -sixth Annual Report of Fishery Board for Scotland. 



the year than for a considerable period, and yet the Lochfyne catch 

 is the smallest on record. 



Fluctuations in the herring fishery, especially in fjords or arms 

 of the sea, are not infrequent on the coasts of other countries, and 

 have been attributed to a variety of causes. In Lochfyne a series of 

 temperature observations are made at different levels, and collections 

 of the floating food secured, and it is proposed to continue these 

 investigations until the herrings return to the Loch in their former 

 abundance, so that comparison may be instituted between the 

 observations taken in the period of scarcity and those taken in the 

 period of abundance. 



Fishery Investigations in the North Sea. 



Trawling and Other Investigations. 



The reduced staff have been kept busily engaged in working at 

 the collections of various kinds, which were obtained in previous years, 

 and also in dealing with the records of the observations and the 

 statistics obtained. Among these may be mentioned the marking 

 experiments on the plaice, in connection with the study of the 

 migration and growth of that fish. A Report on this subject dealing 

 with the marking experiments in the years 1910-1913 is now 

 completed. 



Other work on which the scientific staff have been engaged, and 

 in regard to which Reports have either been completed, or are in 

 course of preparation, includes the following: — The influence of 

 herring-trawling on the fish supply ; the closure of the Moray Firth 

 to trawling ; the determination of the age and growth of the herring 

 and of the lemon sole from a study of the markings on the scales ; 

 the diseases of fishes ; the drift-bottle experiments on marine 

 currents ; and the distribution of the pelagic eggs, and of the larval 

 and post-larval stages of the food fishes. 



We have the honour to be, 



Sir, 



Your most obedient Servants, 



ANGUS SUTHERLAND, Chairman. 



W. LYON MACKENZIE, Deputy -Chairman. 



D'AECY W. THOMPSON. 



BREAD ALBANE. 



JAMES ARCHIBALD. 



MALCOLM SMITH. 



DAVID T. JONES, Staff Paymaster, R.N.R., 

 Secretary. 



