of the Fishery Board for Scotland, 



11 



the Danish Consul-General, Dr Hoek, the Scientific Fishery Adviser 

 to the Netherlands, Dr. Canu of the Marine Station, Boulogne, and 

 M. Malard of the marine laboratory, St Vaast la Hougue, Normandy. 

 The Italian Government was also furnished, at their request, with a 

 detailed description and plans of the establishment. 



The Influence of Beam-Trawling. 



The results of the trawling experiments and observations of the 

 " Garland " respecting the relative abundance of the food fishes in 

 certain portions of the territorial waters where beam-trawling is 

 prohibited, and on the influence of this prohibition on the fish 

 supply are given in a special Eeport in Section A. (p. 17). 



In the course of the year the various trawling stations in the 

 Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay were examined once a month, 

 so far as circumstances permitted ; those in the Moray Firth and 

 off the Coasts of Forfarshire and the stations at the Orkney Isles, 

 on two occasions, and off f Aberdeenshire once. The number of 

 ordinary trawlings or periodic examinations of the stations in the 

 course of the year was 150, of which 76 were in the Firth of Forth 

 area, 35 in the Moray Firth, and 24 in St Andrews Bay. 



In the area of the Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay, where 

 the trawling experiments were conducted with most regularity, the 

 stations were examined on one hundred occasions. In the Firth 

 of Forth, where seventy-six hauls were made, it was found that, 

 compared with the previous year, a slight increase occurred in the 

 general abundance of the food fishes within the waters from which 

 beam-trawling is excluded, and a more considerable decrease in the 

 open waters outside, where beam-trawling is freely carried on. Both 

 in the protected and in the open area a diminution in the average 

 abundance of round-fishes was indicated, while flat-fishes, which were 

 caught in somewhat greater numbers in the closed waters, were 

 obtained in diminished quantities in the open waters. 



At the stations in the closed area the general average number of 

 fishes of all kinds taken in each haul of the net was 290*5 as 

 compared with 287*6 in the previous year. The average number 

 of the round-fishes captured was 139-6 as against 162*4, and the 

 average number of flat-fishes 145*3 as against 120*5. The greatest 

 increase was among long rough dabs, the average in 1893 being 

 17*9 and last year 31*5. 



In the St. Andrew's Bay area the examination of the various 

 stations showed that within the closed waters a considerable 

 increase in the general average had occurred, from 148*2 in 1893 

 to 179*2 last year. The increase was chiefly in flat-fishes, the 

 average catch of which was 102*8 in 1893, compared with 154*4 

 last year. There was a considerable decrease in the average for 

 round-fish, namely, 21*5 as against 43*9 in 1893. At the stations 

 in the open area the average per haul in 1893 was 93*3, while last 

 year it was 170*6. This increase took place both in flat-fish and 

 in round-fish ; the average catch of the latter was 100*5, as against 

 61*5 in the previous year ; flat-fishes increased from an average per 

 'shot' of 30*5 in 1893 to 68 last year. 



The statistics of the 'Garland's' trawling experiments in the 



