28 
Fart III. — Nimth Anmuil Re'port 
and 34,501 ' sliots ' — a decrease of 22,736 cvvts. and 8397 ' shots.' The 
average per ' shot ' for 1889 was 3-029, and for 1890, 3*108 cwts. In the 
Leith and Anstrutber districts the average per ' shot ' increased in 1890, 
in the Stonehaven district it decreased, and in the Aberdeen district it 
was the same as in 1889. Taking the districts together, there was an 
increase in the average quantities of haddock, whiting, lemon soles, anl 
dabs, and a decreased average in cod, skate, and turbot, aiid ' other 
' white fish.' 
In the territorial waters of the Leith district there was a decreased 
average catch in all kinds of fish except whiting, dabs, and skate. In the 
Anstruther district there was a decreased average catch, except whiting, 
dabs, and ^ other kinds of fish.' In the Montrose district there was an 
increased average catch in wliiting and ' other fish,' and a decrease in all 
the others. In the Stoneliaven district there was an increased average 
catch of haddoc^k, whiting, skate, and tnrbot, and a decrease in all other 
kinds of fish. 
Almost everywhere along the southern portion of the East Coast whit- 
ings were captured in greater numbers in 1890 than in 1889, a fact which 
no doubt has relation to the vast shoals of young wliitings present in 
the territorial waters in the autumn of the previous year. 
Mr William Mair, the fishery Officer at Anstruther, has furnished the 
following table showing the quantities of haddock and whiting caught 
within and outside the clos'^d area, during the last three years, by bo its 
fishing from his district : — 
Year. 
Caught within the, 
Closed Area. 
Caught outside tlie 
Closed Area. 
Total, 
Haddocks. 
Whitings. 
Haddocks. 
Whitings. 
Haddocks. 
Whitings. 
cwts. 
cwts. 
cwts. 
.... 
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 
These figures show that while there has been a slight decrease in the 
q\iantities of liaddocks captured within the territorial waters, there has 
been a very much less amount captured outside. 
3. BucKHAVEN Haddock and Cod Line Fishing. 
The statistics of the cod and haddock fishing of Buckhaven, which have 
been specially collected by Mr Mair, the Fishery Officer of the District, 
during the last seven years, are given in Table D (p. 141) for the years 
1889 and 1890. The number of 'shots,' or visits to the fishing grounds, 
made in 1890 was much less than in the previous year. In 1889 there 
were 4535 'shots,' as compared with 3396 in 1890. In 1888 the number 
of ' shots ' was 5548 ; there has therefore been a decrease in two years of 
2152 'shots.' But while there has been a diminution in the number of 
trips to the fishing grounds, the average catch per boat has not decreased. 
The average number of cod captured in 1890 was 0*72 per 'shot,' com- 
pared with 0"46 in 1889, and 0*45 in 1888. The largest number was 
