of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 27 



beam-trawlers and line fishermen in certain important districts on the 

 East Coast, and Table I. shows the relative quantities landed in each 

 month of the year along the whole of the East Coast. The five districts 

 from which special returns have been obtained comprise that portion 

 of the east coast extending between Dunbar on the south and Aberdeen 

 on the north, including both those places. The quantity of fish landed 

 on this portion of the coast by line fishermen and beam-trawlers last year 

 was 804,451 cwts., as against 759,440 cwts. in 1891, or an increase of 

 45,011 cwts. The increase was entirely due to beam-trawling. In 1891 

 line fishermen landed 443,868 cwts., and beam-trawlers 315,571 cwts. ; 

 while last year the quantity landed by the former class of fishermen was 

 432,234 cwts., and that by the beam-trawlers 372,216 cwts. Line 

 fishermen thus landed 11,634 cwts. less, and beam-trawlers 56,645 cwts. 

 more, than in the previous year. Of the total quantity 698,281 cwts. were 

 round-fish and 106,170 cwts. were flat-fish ; an increase over the quantities 

 for 1891 of 40,776 cwts. of round-fish, and 4,235 cwts. of flat-fish. As 

 will be shown later, the increase in flat-fish is entirely owing to increased 

 catches of halibut and skates by the line fishermen. In regard to the 

 relative quantities of round-fish and flat-fish landed by beam-trawlers and 

 line fishermen, it will be found that while the latter caught a greater 

 quantity of flat-fish than in the previous year, the former caught less. Of 

 the 432,234 cwts. landed by line fishermen, 35,114 cwts. were flat-fish 

 and 397,120 cwts. were round-fish — or an increase of 9,527 cwts. of 

 flat-fish and a decrease of 21,161 cwts. of round-fish as compared with 

 the previous year. Beam-trawlers landed 301,161 <cwts. of round-fish 

 and 71,055 cwts. of flat-fish — or an increase of 61,937 cwts. of round-fish 

 and a decrease of 5,292 cwts. of flat-fish. 



The gross quantities of white-fish landed by line fishermen and beam- 

 trawlers in the districts referred to during the last four years are given in 

 the following table : — 



Year. 



Line Boats. 





Beam-Trawlers. 



Flat Fish. 



Round Fish. 



Total. 



Flat Fish. 



Round Fish. 



Total. 



1889 

 1890 

 1891 

 1892 



cwts. 

 23,035 

 28,170 

 25,587 

 35,114 



cwts. 

 453,554 

 430,057 

 418,281 

 397,120 



cwts. 

 476,589 

 458,227 

 443,868 

 432,234 



cwts. 

 60,117 

 72,219 

 76,347 

 71,055 



cwts. 

 155,601 

 208,625 

 239,224 

 301,161 



cwts. 

 215,718 

 280,844 

 315,571 

 372,216 



This table shows that during the period mentioned there has been at 

 this part of the coast, where trawl-caught fish are nearly all landed, a 

 gradual falling off in the quantities of line-caught fish and a considerable 

 increase in the quantities caught by the beam-trawl. Thus, as compared 

 with 1889, there has been a decrease of white-fish landed by line fisher- 

 men to the extent of 44,355 cwts., and an increase of 156,498 cwts., or 

 7824 tons, in the quantities landed by beam-trawlers. 



The most important figures in relation to the trawling experiments are 

 those dealing with flat-fish. It will be seen that while the quantity of 

 round-fish caught by beam-trawlers has very greatly increased, from 155,601 

 cwts. in 1889, to 301,161 cwts. in 1892, or an increase of 93*5 per cent., 

 the quantity of flat-fish in the same period has increased by only 10,938 

 cwts., or 18 '2 per cent. The quantity of flat-fish landed by trawlers last 

 year is less than in 1890 and 1891, although the quantity of round-fish is 

 very much greater. Thus, while trawl-caught round-fish increased in 



