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Part III. — Eighth Annual Report 
this important food-fish — its spawning and spawning grounds, its food, 
tfcc. {vide, pp. 230, 260) ; and it has now been seen that the territorial 
waters are the great nursery for its young. 
I have made a careful analysis of the observations at grounds off-shore, 
which shows the comparative paucity of immature fish in these regions. 
Altogether thirty-three hauls were made at distances of between eight and 
twenty-two miles off, and in water varying from twenty-seven to fifty-three 
fathoms. The average number of immature fish per shot is as follows : — 
Plaice, 0*1 ; common dabs, 9 0 ; long rough dabs, 21'0 ; cod, 0*8 ; haddock, 
2*8 ; whiting, 32*5. The large average for whiting was caused by the fringe 
of the shoal present in the Forth in September. The results at Smith 
Bank, where shoals of plaice, cod, haddock, little soles, &c, spawn in succes- 
sion in spring, are of much interest. This bank lies at a distance of about 
sixteen miles from shore in water twenty fathoms deep. Twelve hauls of 
the special net were made in May, June, and July, and the total number of 
immature fish captured was 231, or an average of only nineteen per shot 
of the net. Thirty-eight were round fish (cod, whiting, and gurnard) and 
193 flat fish ; comprising lemon soles, common dabs, and long rough dabs, 
but almost entirely common dabs, and not a single immature plaice. A 
considerable number of adult plaice, lemon soles, haddock, whiting, tfec., 
were obtained. Smith Bank, therefore, although a great spawning 
ground, is remarkably destitute of immature fish. 
Another bank examined lies about twenty-two miles east of May Island, 
opposite the mouth of the Firth of Forth, in about twenty-four fathoms of 
water. Six hauls were made here in June, September, and October, and 
although adult plaice, lemon soles, dabs, cod, haddock, &c, were obtained, 
there were very few immature specimens, only 96 being captured, which gives 
an average of 16 per shot. Immature cod, haddock, and whiting were 
present only in October, and immature gurnard also in June and 
September, the average per shot being only three. The average for flat- 
fish was thirteen, and they consisted almost entirely of dabs. Between 
this bank and May Island eight hauls were made. Immature fish were 
relatively more numerous than further off, the average for young flat-fish 
being 55*2, and for young round fish 132 '5. Three immature (but large- 
sized) plaice were obtained, and two young lemon soles, but the great 
majority were dabs, especially long rough dabs. 
Four hauls were made in May and July in deep water — up to fifty-five 
fathoms — in the Moray Firth, twelve miles from land. The only adult 
flat-fish obtained at this depth were common and long rough dabs, and one 
witch sole. The Only immature flat-fish were long rough dabs, of which 
there were seventy-three, the smallest being three inches in length, obtained 
in July. There were also fifteen young cod ; the smallest, two and a half 
inches in length, was caught in July. There was only one immature 
haddock, two and a quarter inches long, in May ; and fifty young whiting, 
the smallest being five inches in length. In the same neighbourhood, 
but in water twenty-eight fathoms deep, from eleven to fifteen miles 
from shore, four hauls were made in July, for comparison with those made 
in deep water. Only thirty-seven immature fish were taken. The flat-fish 
consisted almost entirely of long rough dabs, the smallest of which was 
tour inches long. There were also three common dabs, the smallest being 
two and a half inches in length. There were no immature plaice. There 
were also two young cod, six young whiting, and nine young haddocks. 
The smallest cod was two inches long and the smallest whiting four inches. 
All the haddocks were tiny, two were one and a quarter inches, two one 
and one-eighth of an inch, and three only three-quarters of an inch. 
These are, I believe, the smallest haddocks yet obtained anywhere.* 
* Vide footnote, p. 18. There is some doubt about the specific diagnosis of 
these young gadoids. 
