24 
Part III. — Ninth Annual Report 
■ The special feature in 1890, both in tlie Firth of Forth and St Andrews 
Bay, was the very ,o;reat augmentation in the numbers of the whitings 
caught, no doubt due, as stated above, to the vast shoal of young whitings 
in the inshore waters in 1889. 
3. Other East Coast Districts. 
The trawling stations at other parts of the East Coast were also ex- 
amined in 1890 — namely, at Montrose, Aberdeen, and the Moray Firth, 
26 hauls of the trawl being made. The trawlings are not numerous 
enough for any but partial conclusions to be drawn from them. Those 
off the Aberdeenshire coast showed a decrease in flat-fish, especially in 
plaice and common dabs ; and an increase in cod, and in haddock 
and v/hiting. In the Moray Firtli there was an increase in flat- 
fish, and a slight decrease in rouud-fish. The increase in tiat-fish was 
entirely owing to an increase in the number of dabs; there was also a 
slight increase in cod and whiting, and a decrease in liaddocks and 
gurnards. 
4. The Firth of Clyde. 
The twelve stations in tlie Firth of Clyde were examined in July ; the 
first occasion on which they have been examined since the closing of the 
waters in 1889 by the operation of the Herring Fishery (Scotland) Act of 
that year. The previous examination was in February and March 1887, 
and the position of the stations is described in the Anmial Report for that 
year."^ So far as the comparison between these two series of trawlings 
goes, it shows a slight decrease in the general average for all fish com- 
bined. There was a decrease in plaice, lemon soles, common soles, cod, 
and gurnard; and an increase. in dabs, haddocks, and whitings. In 1887 
a total of 253 flounders were obtained, and no witch soles; in 1890 there 
were no flounders caught, and 236 witch soles. Hake and dog-fishes are 
abundant at the Clyde stations. 
nr. SPECIAL STATISTICS OF FISH CAUGHT BY LINE 
FISHERMEi^ AND BEAM-TRAWLERS. 
The statistics collected in connection with the trawling experiments of 
the ' Garland' are given on page 141. They refer to (1) fish landed by 
fishing boats and by beam-trawl vessels in the Leith, Anstruther, Mont- 
rose, Stonehaven, and Aberdeen Districts, during each month in the year, 
with the total value (Table E., p. 142); (2) the quantity of fish caught 
monthly by fishing boats within the territorial waters of the Leith, 
Anstruther, Montrose, and Stonehaven Districts, from which trawling is ex- 
cluded (Tables G., H., pp. 157, 175) ; (3) the comparative amount of fish 
landed by line fishermen and bearr-trawlers along the whole East Coast of 
Scotland (Table I., p. 176); (4) the quantities month by month of cod, 
large haddocks, small haddocks, and whitings captured in territorial waters 
and landed by the Buckhaven fishing boats in 1889 and 1890 (Table D., 
p. 141) ; and (5) the quantities of large and small fish landed in the Leith 
and Aberdeen Districts by beam-trawlers and line fishermen (Table F., 
p. 153). 
1. Relative Quantities of Fish taken by Line and by 
Beam-Trawl. 
Table E. (p. 142) gives the statistics referring to this subject in certain 
districts in detail, and Table 1. (p. 176) shows the amounts landed by 
* Sixth Annical Report, Part III., p. 32. 
