208 
Part ILL — Ninth Annual Report 
Forth, the depth ] eing from six to eight fathoms. The catch consisted 
of 32 skates and rays, 338 plaice (125 immature), 26 lemon soles (2 
immature), 205 common dabs (57 immature), 1 flounder, I turbot, 1 sole, 
1 haddock, 3 cod (2 immature), 114 gurnards (60 immature), and 15 
anglers (Lophius), and all were living except 58 of the immature gur- 
nards. The trawl-net also contained a considerable quantity of shells, 
clams (Pecten), mussels, &c. Of the living fish, 16 immature plaice, 1 
adult and the 2 immature lemon soles, 13 common dabs, and 3 gurnards 
w^ere placed in the tub of sea water, to test, as previously explained, their 
chance of survival if returned to the sea. The lish were put in the tub 
after they had lain on the deck for ten minutes, and were kept in the 
water for thirty minutes, at which time they were all living, except 1 
gurnard, seven inches long, and 1 common dab, six inches long, which 
had died. A few other examples of special hauls with the shrimp-trawl 
may be given, the fish tabulated being all immature : — 
Duration 
of 
Haul. 
Depth 
in 
Fathoms. 
Nature 
of 
Bottom. 
Cod. 
Whit- 
ing. 
Gur- 
nard. 
Plaice. 
Lemon 
Soles. 
Com- 
mon 
Dabs. 
Long 
Rough 
Dabs. 
Hrs. mins. 
2 5 
3-4 
Sand. 
1 
80 
5 
4 5 
3-4 
>> 
1 
24 
82 
4 
2 45 
5-6 
3 
54 
15 
3 20 
5-6 
18 
31 
8 
Muddy 
2 0 
9-13 
Sand. 
3 
30 
2 
o 
(J 
15 
2 
2 20 
6 
2 
13 
17 
24 
2 
4 
6 
3 0 
13-21 
Mud. 
14 
36 
1 
4 
106 
3 0 
14 
5 > 
1 
3 
"s 
27 
26 
4 30 
6-15 
3 > 
10 
9 
10 
2 
42 
14 
All the fish (matuie and immature) were living in each of these hauls, 
except the last (on mud), in which case all the whitings, one cod, and 
one long rough dab were dead. Further, all the fish obtained from a 
sandy bottom lived when placed in the tub of water, even after they had 
lain on deck for ten minutes. On one occasion recently, on board a 
shrimp-boat, I ])laced eighteen immature plaice, from 2J to 4 inches 
in length, which had been caught on a bottom of sand with a little 
mud intermixed, during a haul of fifty minutes, into a pail of sea water 
after they had lain on deck for ten miiiutes. Twenty minutes after- 
w^ards they were quite lively. I then removed them and placed them 
on the dry deck, where they lay exposed to a hot sun for tw^enty 
minutes. On being replaced in the sea-water each of them moved in 
a lively way on being touched. 
These facts, I think, prove that the statements made that most or 
all of the immature fish captured by shrimp-trawls perish if replaced in 
the sea have been based upon imperfect observations. I am convinced 
from investigation and experiment that the vast majority, if returned 
Avithout much delay, would survive. 
It is quite possible, of course, so to conduct the operations as to 
lead to a great destruction of the immature fish caught. In the Solway, 
as has been stated, this does not occur, the fishermen there using re- 
latively large riddles, and returning the immature shrimps and young 
fish at unce to the sea ; hence the excellence of the Annan shrimps, 
which always command the best prices in the market. But at some 
places, as on the Continent, this appears to be often done slovenly 
