18 



Part III. — Thirteenth Annual Report 



into force on the 22nd November 1892, the 'Garland' has been engaged 

 there in the trawling investigations to a greater extent than previously, 

 aud as far as circumstances would allow. The special stations selected, 

 with the view of testing the influence of the closure on the abund- 

 ance of the fishes within its waters are described in last year's Report 

 (p. 27). Special statistics have also been collected as to the quantities 

 of the various kinds of fish caught within the closed waters by line 

 fishermen. 



From the great area of the Moray Firth, and the fact that it contains 

 extensive spawning-grounds of white fish, the most important of which is 

 the well-known Smith Bank, the experiment of closing it to beam-trawling 

 will be watched with much interest. 



The statistics collected in connection with the trawling experiments, 

 showing the quantities obtained by line fishermen from the territorial 

 waters, where trawling is prohibited, &c, are discussed below. A part 

 of the work connected with the tabulation of some of these statistics 

 has fallen upon the fishery officers of the districts concerned, namely, the 

 late Mr John Murray, Newhaven ; Mr Mair, Anstruther ; Mr Duif, 

 Montrose ; Mr Bain, Stonehaven ; and Mr Couper, Aberdeen. The 

 trawling returns were almost all kept by Mr Thomas Scott, F.L.S. 

 I have also to acknowledge the assistance of Mr J. G. Anderson 

 in the tabulation of the statistics, and the care and zeal with which 

 Captain R. Campbell, in command of the 1 Garland,' has discharged his 

 duties. 



THE TRAWLING EXPERIMENTS OF THE 'GARLAND.' 

 1. The Firth op Forth. 



The various trawling stations in the Firth of Forth area were examined 

 last year on eight occasions. The total number of ordinary trawlings at 

 these stations was 76, of which 60 were made at the stations within the 

 closed waters, and 16 at the two stations outside. The tables giving these 

 observations will be found at p. 37, and the analyses of the figures at 

 p. 34. Dealing, first of all with the stations in the closed area (I. -VII.), 

 it will be found that a slight increase occurred in the total abundance of 

 fish as compared with 1893. In the latter year the average per 'shot,' 

 or haul of the net, for all kinds of fish, was 287 6, while last year the 

 average was2905. In 1892 the corresponding average was 184*4. This 

 increase was due principally to an increase in flat-fish, which in 1893 

 yielded an average per 'shot' of 120*5, as compared with 145*3 last year. 

 There was a decrease in the abundance of round-fishes, namely, from an 

 average number per 'shot' of 162*4 in 1893, to an average of 139*6 in 

 1894. At the stations outside the limits of the closed waters (VIII. and 

 IX.), where beam-trawling is actively carried on, there was a decrease 

 both of round-fishes and of flat-fishes. The average catch of round-fishes 

 in 1893 was 208*8, while last year it was 157*3. In the former year 

 the average for flat-fishes was 55*4, as compared with 53*1 in 1894. 

 The results of the trawling experiments in the Firth of Forth area last 

 year therefore show a considerable decrease of round-fishes both in the 

 closed and in the open waters, a slight decrease of flat-fishes in the open 

 waters, and a slight increase in the closed waters. 



The figures representing the mean average catch of flat-fishes and 

 round-fishes per 1 shot ' of the trawl, at the seven stations within the closed 



