of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



185 



having travelled 12 miles in 314 and 325 days respectively. A plaice of 

 11 1 inches, marked and liberated on 25th April 1892, at Station III., 

 Firth of Forth, was re-captured after an interval of 45 days, namely, on 

 9th June, off Leith Pier, or 10 miles from the place where it was set free. 

 Another, 10 inches long, returned to the water on 25th October 1890, at 

 Station L, St Andrews Bay, was again taken on 8th December following, 

 or 44 days later, at West Ferry, in the Tay, or about 11 miles off. On 

 the other hand, some of the fish were found very near the place where 

 they were liberated, even after a long interval had elapsed. Thus, one 

 11 J inches in length, was set free at Station IV., St Andrews Bay, on 13th 

 November 1889, and was recovered on 16th April 1891, or 519 days 

 later, in Carnoustie Bay, only 5 miles off. The most remarkable case 

 of this kind was a specimen, 10-§ inches in length, set free in 

 St Andrews Bay on 14th November 1889, and re-caught only 5 

 miles away, on 11th February 1892, that is, after the lapse of 819 days. 

 Another, liberated at the same time and place, was recovered 579 days 

 later, only 2 miles off. Others had travelled only 4J miles in 598 days, 

 4 miles in 674 days, 2 miles in 587 days, in 245 days, in 396 days, and 

 so on. 



I have marked on a chart the lines between the points of liberation and 

 re-capture in each case, and a study of these shows that the immature 

 plaice not merely remain for long periods in the territorial waters, but 

 that both in the Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay their movement is 

 very largely in a definite direction. Thus, in the Firth of Forth, the 

 immature plaice circulate as it were, along the south shore in a westward 

 direction, and along the north shore in an easterly direction. Without 

 any exceptions, those liberated or re-caught in the southern half of the 

 Firth had moved westwards, while those liberated or re-captured in the 

 northern half had moved, as a general rule, eastwards, and in two cases 

 had passed round Fife Ness into St Andrews Bay. Those set free about 

 the middle line of the Firth moved sometimes to the south-west, and 

 sometimes to the north-east ; thus, of four re-captured fish, liberated about 

 1 mile east of Inchkeith in June 1890, three were obtained to the 

 north-east in Largo and Kirkcaldy Bays, and one to the south-west off 

 Leith. Similarly of two set free at the same time in the middle of the 

 Firth, iu deep water, 4 miles east of Inchkeith, one was found off Leith 

 Pier in 131 days, and the other off Kirkcaldy in 122 days after 

 liberation. There are, however, a few cases of marked plaice set free in 

 the north half of the Firth, east of Elie Ness, which have made for the 

 shallow sandy tracts in Largo Bay, moving therefore in a north-west 

 direction ; but all these were set free iu deep water (28 fathoms) some 

 miles from shore, and there is no evidence of any marked specimens having 

 travelled westwards along the north shore in the shallower water. 



An examination of the records referring to the. marked plaice in St 

 Andrew's Bay reveals a similar definite movement, aud with greater 

 distinctness. With a few exceptions, referred to below, all the fish were found 

 at points north or north and slightly west of the place where they were 

 liberated. Those set free in the south part of the Bay w 7 ere found further 

 north, usually about the sand-banks at the mouth of the River Tay, a few 

 were re-caught in the Tay, aud two or three had crossed over the mouth 

 of the Tay to the Bay of Carnoustie, or its neighbourhood. With the 

 exception of five fish, all caught by trawlers — and, therefore, somewhat 

 doubtful iu regard to the distance travelled — none of the specimens had 

 moved seawards. The experiments show very clearly that a slow but 

 steady movement of immature plaice occurs northwards aloug the sandy 

 stretches in the shallow waters of St Andrews Bay, and an examination 

 of the Table indicates that the movement of the fish is relatively slower 

 than in the Firth of Forth. 



