of the Fishery Board, for Scotland. 



125 



season began, as far as that could be done. Shortly after Christmas such 

 attempts were made, but the severe and continual gales from the north 

 and east made it impossible to procure any spawners till the second week 

 of February, when the first plaice were landed. With a few interruptions, 

 the collection went on to the 9th of March, at which time nearly 800 

 fishes had been received here. Of these about 500 were at once trans- 

 ferred to the spawning pond, the season being so far advanced that 

 spawning was expected to take place soon, and there was no other place 

 to put them. The rest of the fishes were confined in the tidal creek, 

 together with turbots and soles which had been kept from the last 

 summer season. The intention was to select the ripe and healthy 

 individuals from the creek for the pond, and to take back specimens 

 that appeared seriously injured from the trawling operations by which 

 they were caught. As the state of the weather had delayed the collection 

 of the fishes till the beginning of the season, this arrangement was the 

 only one by which a healthy and good stock of spawners in the pond 

 could be gradually obtained. It is not always possible to distinguish the 

 fishes which have been injured immediately after they are caught, as the 

 injuries are mostly internal and due to pressure on the distended ovaries, 

 while the surface is often in apparently good order. During the following 

 weeks this transference took place, the best fishes being taken from the 

 creek to the spawning pond and the most injured placed in the creek. 

 An irregular spawning or emission of the eggs gradually began both in 

 the creek and in the pond, the females shedding their eggs, which, however, 

 were not fertilised, though ripe males were present in considerable numbers. 

 This I thought was somewhat strange, especially in regard to the creek, 

 where a sandy bottom offered the fishes a considerable advantage. Although 

 the creek is a tidal one, it is very small, and the comparatively great 

 number of fishes made me doubt if the natural supply of water was 

 sufficient to keep all the fishes in a thriving condition. 1 therefore 

 arranged so that water could be pumped occasionally into it from the harbour. 

 In thjis way the water in the creek was artificially refreshed for about a week, 

 but it had no visible effect on the fishes. In the meantime the spawners 

 in the pond went on shedding their eggs at odd times, and on careful 

 examination of the eggs it was found that none were fertilised. All the 

 water available was therefore again pumped into the pond, as I felt sure 

 the irregular spawning was largely owing to want of water, the fishes 

 being in good condition otherwise. Shortly afterwards I found the fishes 

 began to feed in the pond, an effect of their gradual acclimatisation and 

 the improved circumstances ; and by working the pump continually a 

 regular spawning commenced on the 23rd of March. 



In the creek matters were different, as the majority of the plaice there 

 had been more or less injured in the trawling, nearly all the injured fishes 

 from the pond being now transferred to it. It was therefore determined 

 on the 22nd that all these fishes should be removed at the first opportunity, 

 but before this could be done they all succumbed. 



2. The Fishes in the Pond. 



It has been explained how the fishes on arrival were at once placed in 

 the pond and the injured specimens later transferred to the creek, and 

 that an irregular spawning at first took place. Regular spawning began 

 on the 23rd of March, and from that date till late in May fertilised eggs 

 were daily collected, the percentage of those not fertilised being various, 

 though relatively high all the season through. 



The condition of the fishes in the pond was satisfactory, the death- 

 rate being very low, a consequence of the selection that took place at 



