of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
29 
In regard to the kinds of fish, there was an increase in 1891 in cod, 
haddock, and other white fish, and a slight decrease in flat-fish and whiting. 
In all the districts an increase occurred, except in the Anstruther district 
where the decrease was slight. In the Leith district there was an increased 
catch of cod, haddock, whiting, and of ' other white fish,' and a decrease 
in flat -fish. In the Anstruther district there was also a decrease in flat- 
fish, and an increase in cod and haddock. In the Montrose district there 
was an increase in all except whiting. In the Stonehaven district there 
was a decrease in flat-fish and whiting, and an increase in all the others. 
The quantity of flat-fish (lemon soles, flounders, dabs, turbot, and skate) 
caught by line fishermen within the territorial waters of the Leith and 
Anstruther districts (the Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay) last year 
was 5131 J cwts., compared with 6799 J cwts. in 1890, or a decrease of 
1668 cwts. The gross quantities of flat-fish captured, and the average 
per ' shot,' within the territorial waters of these two districts during the 
last four years, are as follows : — 
1888 D889 1890 1891 
Cwts. Average Cwts. Average Cwts. Average Cwts. Average 
7359| 0*288 5677 0*221 6799J 0-344 5131-J- 0*241 
Mr William Mair, the Fishery Officer of the Anstruther district, has 
furnished the following table showing the quantities of haddocks and 
whitings caught within and without the territorial waters of his district 
(Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay) in each year since 1888. 
Caught within the 
Caught outside the 
Closed Area. 
Closed Area. 
Total. 
Year. 
Haddocks. 
Whitings. 
Haddocks. 
Whitings. 
Haddocks. 
Whitings. 
cwts. 
cwts. 
CWtSi 
cwts. 
cwts.. 
cwts. 
1888 
18,419 
1,800 
17,862 
1,131 
36,281 
2,931 
1889 
12,499 
1,972 
19,405 
1,645 
31,904 
3,617 
1890 
12,418 
1,994 
10,338 
1,595 
22,756 
3,589 
1891 
11,981 
1,577 
11,255 
1,244 
23,236 
2,821 
3. Buckhaven Haddock and Cod Line Fishing. 
Table D (p. 124) gives detailed statistics of the Buckhaven inshore 
line fishing for the years 1890 and 1891.* The falling off in the number 
of ' shots,' or visits to the fishing grounds, which has been going on since 
1887, is again noticeable in the table for last year. In 1890, the 
Buckhaven fishermen made 3396 'shots' at this fishing, compared with 
3296 in 1891. In 1886 the number of shots was 7869, or 4573 more 
than last year. As might be anticipated from the great decrease in the 
number of boats fishing, the quantity of fish caught per 'shot' of the 
lines has increased. Last year the average number of cod caught per 
'shot' was 0*91, compared with 0'72 in 1890. There was also an 
increased average catch of large haddocks, — from 78 -8 in 1890 to 103-8 
* These special returns for this important fishing Station have been collected by 
Mr William Mair, the fishery officer of the district. 
