10 



Part III — Eleventh Annual Report 



trawling was prohibited in these waters — and the results of the 

 investigations made in 1892 tend to confirm the conclusions stated 

 in last year's Report. The quantities of fishes captured have varied 

 within certain limits from year to year; but an analysis of the 

 records for the period mentioned brings out the fact very clearly 

 that the abundance of the food fishes has on the whole diminished 

 since the waters were closed to beam-trawling. Taking the two 

 areas — the Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay — together, the 

 average catches of flat-fish and round-fish per haul of the net in 

 the protected waters in each year are as follows : — 





Flat-fish. 



Round-fish. 



Total. 



1886, 



131-1 



79-6 



213-9 



1887, 



270-6 



115-9 



390-1 



1888, 



163-9 



80-5 



248-7 



1889, 



148-2 



31-5 



187-1 



1890, 

 1891, 



201-9 



80-9 



288-0 



112-2 



43-7 



161-6 



1892, 



95-1 



53-9 



156-4 



These figures indicate the fluctuations referred to above, but 

 they also indicate a steady falling off in the quantity of fish caught. 

 In order that comparison may be made between the results of the 

 first few years following the prohibition of trawling and those 

 obtained in the last few years, they have been reduced to averages 

 as follows : — 



Flat-fish. Round-fish. Total. 

 1886-1888, 188-6 92-0 284-2 



1890-1892, 136-4 59*5 201-6 



More detailed examination of the trawling records shows that 

 in the two triennial periods, the annual mean number of plaice 

 captured per ' shot ' of the net in the closed waters has fallen from 

 90-4 in the period 188G-1888 to 70'4 in the period 1890-1892, or 

 a decrease of 20. Lemon soles have decreased from 15*2 to 6*3 in 

 the same years; and dabs from 80'8 to 57'4. Among round-fishes, 

 cod and whitings have increased, and haddocks and gurnards 

 diminished. The averages referring to the open areas bring out 

 similar results, with the difference that dabs have increased and 

 flounders slightly decreased in numbers. 



As has been said, a certain and indefinite amount of natural 

 fluctuation, due to variations in the condition of the weather, &c, 

 must be taken into account in considering these trawling statistics. 

 But it is improbable that this is the principal explanation of the 

 gradual and considerable decline in the abundance of the food fishes 

 which the figures disclose. And it must be borne in mind that 

 these figures refer to nearly 150,000 fishes, captured in about 700 

 hauls of the net on the same grounds. It would rather appear that 

 the collective results of the ' Garland's ' observations point to 

 general over-fishing, especially as was indicated in last year's report, 

 in the extra-territorial waters where the food fishes mostly spawn ; 

 and thus the normal supply of floating fish-eggs and larval fishes 

 does not reach the inshore grounds. It is a noteworthy circumstance 

 that although the prohibition of beam-trawling in territorial waters 

 must have served to protect immature plaice more than the young 



