of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
181 
off lies the ' Out-shaul and at 25 miles off the * Bank.' The deeper 
areas between these various fishing-banks have also local names. At all 
these grounds haddocks, whitings, and cod are caught in abundance. The 
herring spawns on the * Mid-ground/ within 3 miles from shore, and also 
on most of the other banks up to a distance of 30 miles. 
About twenty-five miles south-east of Aberdeen are turbot, plaice, and 
haddock grounds. At a distance of thirty miles lies ' Mars Bank,' a well- 
known herring spawning-ground. Other grounds for turbot, plaice, and 
other flat-fish extend as far out as fifty or sixty miles, and herrings spawn 
here, fifty miles from the shore. Somewhat parallel to the shore, in a 
northerly direction, runs the ' Bennachie ' herring and haddock spawning 
and fishing bank. The fishing-grounds off the coast of Aberdeenshire 
have been very fully and carefully described by Mr Robert Duthie, 
lately assistant officer at Peterhead; but want of space prevents 
anything but an outline being given here. About six miles south-east from 
Old Castle of Slains lies a spot of hard ground much frequented by cod, 
and known as the 'Castle-hard from the shores at this part of the coast 
seawards for nine miles a good many flat-fish of all kinds are met with — 
large quantities of flounders, but chiefly plaice and a few turbot, being 
got on the sand ; while the hard bottom is most frequented by halibut, 
cod, ling, and congers, and in the spawning season by large shoals of 
haddocks. At Peterhead and Boddam the shore for about half a mile off 
is rocky, yielding chiefly rock-cod and congers ; this is succeeded by soft 
ground for about three and a half miles, which forms the principal inshore 
fishing-ground of the Peterhead and Boddam fishermen, being frequented 
by haddocks, cod, whitings, &c., by flat-fish, and by shoals of herrings. 
Further out the bottom becomes rocky for over three miles, and then at a 
distance of seven or eight miles the ' Smooth ' is reached, which extends 
seav/ards for about five miles. Local crews work here all the year round, 
the depth sinking to nearly 50 fathoms. The bottom is soft and clean, 
and used to be covered with algae and crustacea, but the fishermen com- 
plain that it is now swept almost entirely clean by beam-trawlers. This 
used to be the principal haddock fishing-ground at this part of the coast, 
but of late years, although it is visited by shoals of haddocks, they do not 
stay on the ground, as they used to do, and few are caught. The reason 
assigned is the destruction of their food and the disturbing influence of 
the trawls. Herrings in vast shoals frequent the inner and outer slopes 
of this ground in the spawning season. Proceeding further E.S.E., hard 
ground, locally known as the ' Coral,' is again encountered, which is fre- 
quented by herrings and by haddocks in winter. Further out is the 
* Buchan Deep/ a sea-valley with a muddy bottom, extending seawards 
some six miles, and varying in depth from 54 to 70 fathoms. Skate, 
ling, and haddocks, but few cod, are found here. A little over twenty 
miles from land the water gets shallower — 33 to 46 fathoms; and this 
bank extends seaward^^ to about eighty miles E.S.E. from Buchan Ness. 
It is known generally as the 'Long Forties.' Still further out lies the 
gulley between the ' Long Forties ' and the Groat Fisher Bank. Its 
slopes are covered with stones, shells, and a variety of marine algae ; cod, 
ling, ;ind halibut used to abound here, but halibut are scarcer of late. 
Cod are the principal lish caught on the Great Fisher Bank, but halibut 
used to be abundant. A little over seventy miles E. by S. from Peter- 
head lies the ' Monrich Bank,' in 46 fathoms. The sides of the gulley 
between the 'Monrich' and the Great Fisher Bend form tho chief fishing 
ground of the Peterhead deep-sea crews during spring and summer. 
When these grounds were first tapped by them, enormous hauls were ob- 
tained. On one occasion X60 worth of* fish were hauled here on eleven 
