182 
Part III. — Eighth AnnmU Report 
August. There were several five and six inches long, and many more 
eight and nine inches. The smallest whiting taken was three and a half 
inches long, but there were only two or three at this size. A large 
number were six and seven inches long. The smallest gurnard was 
four inches, taken in August; there were many about six and seven 
inches. The gurnard is rarely taken in the trawl in winter or spring. 
Its first appearance was in April, the numbers rapidly increased from June 
to August, and it had practically disappeared in November. 
From what has been said, it is obvious that the use of a beam-trawl 
with a mesh similar to that of the ' Garland's 9 net captures a large 
number of immature fish, especially plaice and cod. It may be said 
generally that it will capture the great majority of flat-fishes above six 
inches in length, and large numbers of round fishes above six or seven 
inches, and a few of both much below that size. Further, if employed 
in the territorial waters, it will capture far larger quantities of immature 
fish — especially plaice and lemon sole, dabs, flounder, cod, and whiting — 
than if used off-shore. 
There are two important practical points in this connection in regard 
to which the observations on board the 'Garland' are of value. The 
first concerns the relation of size of mesh to the capture of immature fish j 
the second refers to the condition of vitality of the immature fish after 
the contents of the net are emptied on deck — that is to say, to their 
destruction as well as their capture. 
Mesh of Net. 
It has not unfrequently been stated that the mere enlargement of the 
mesh of the trawl-net has little effect on the proportion of small fish 
taken. It is contended that contraction of the meshes from the strain 
on the net and the accummulation of sea-weed, &c, bar the escape of 
small fish. But that the enlargement of the mesh undoubtedly allows 
small fish to escape in great numbers may be at once seen from a com- 
parison of the results of the employment of the small-meshed net (p. 163, et 
seq.) and the ordinary trawl-net on board the ' Garland.' The two nets 
were used on exactly the same grounds and during the same months of the 
same year, and the proportion of immature fish captured in the small- 
meshed net was about twenty-two to one adult, and in the ordinary net 
rather less than one immature to three adults. In the Firth of Forth, in 
September 1889, the small-meshed net captured thousands of immature 
whitings at a single haul (vide, p. 175). The ordinary net working amidst 
this shoal captured only fifty-eight immature whitings in a whole month, 
although the beam of the net was seven feet longer. Similarly, very few of 
the smaller immature specimens of other food-fishes were taken by the 
ordinary trawl-net, while large numbers were captured by the small-meshed 
net (p. 165). The sizes of the smallest specimens captured by each net 
are shown in the accompanying Table. 
C3 
& 
Q 
Size of Mesh 
i Sole. 
on Da 
Rough 
. Sole. 
M 
o 
.5 
in Cod End. 
Plaice 
Lemoi 
Comm 
Long ] 
Floun< 
Witch 
Cod. 
Haddc 
Gurna 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
Ordinary net, . 
1^ inches, . 
4f 
6 
2£ 
H 
6 
4 
H 
4 
Special net, 
\ inch, 
3 
4 
1 
1 
7 
2 
■ 
4 
2 
2 
