10 
Part III, — Tenth Annual Report 
be dealt with in succession in the course of one season; and that 
the boiler and pumps have been selected in view of the extension 
of the hatchery later to three times its present size, for which they 
will be amply sufficient. 
The whole of the expenditure in connection with the above 
undertaking has been met from the ordinary vote for Scientific 
Investigations. The Board, however, regret that this source is not 
sufficient for the enclosure of the adjacent sea-creeks, which is 
essential for the success of the hatching operations. Experience 
at existing hatcheries has made it clear that it is impossible to 
obtain a sufficient number of living spawning fish at the proper 
season for the supplies of ova required, unless the fish are gradually 
collected and acclimatised in a sea-pond until wanted. Many 
hundreds of spawners are needed, and hence an indispensable 
adjunct of a sea-fish hatchery is the possession of a tidal pond or 
ponds in which to retain the adult fish from season to season, and 
which may be used for the rearing of the fry to a certain size. 
At Dunbar certain natural creeks are admirably adapted for this 
purpose. Messrs Strain, Eobertson, and Thomson, the engineers who 
have surveyed these creeks, and drawn up plans for their enclosure, 
report as follows : — 
' We have examined and surveyed the natural sea-creeks at 
' Dunbar in connection with the hatchery and tank at present 
* in course of construction there, and beg to report that, if these 
' creeks were enclosed by concrete walls as proposed, and for 
' which we prepared plans, the total superficial area within 
' those walls would be 13,545 square feet at high-water of 
' ordinary spring tides. 
'The area of the West creeks is about 5,800 square feet, 
' and that of the East creek about 7,655 square feet. 
' When filled by ordinary spring tides, these creeks would 
' contain about 560,000 gallons of water at high-water, and 
' would have a maximum depth of 14 feet in the West creek, 
' and 16 feet in the East creek. 
As stated in last year's Report, it is understood that a sum of 
£1,500 would be sufficient to enclose these creeks, and the Board 
again express the hope that this sum will be placed at their 
disposal for the purpose, and thus enable them to proceed on the 
largest possible scale with the hatching and rearing of the valuable 
food-fishes. 
At the lobster pond which, as stated in last year's Report, has 
been constructed at Arran, and was stocked with berried females, 
about 200,000 ova were hatched during last season. 
The following is an account of the more important investigations 
which have been undertaken during the year : — 
The Influence of Beam-Trawling. 
The Trawling Experiments of the ' Garland! - 
The experiments of the ' Garland ' as to the relative abundance 
of the various species of the food-fishes in the territorial waters 
where trawling is prohibited, and in the adjoining areas where it is 
