of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
209 
or carelessly, or not done at all. In Germany, Holland, and Belgium,* 
as in this country in former times, the young fish are frequently used 
for manure, and for the feeding of pigs and poultry. There has hence 
arisen a demand for some other method of shrimp-catching, which, 
while yielding a fair supply of shrimps, will not capture young fish, 
and the baited trap or creel used since 1861 at Croisic in the De- 
partment of the Loire-Inferieure, France, has been much extolled. The 
Belgian authorities have taken steps to have these machines tested 
along tlie Belgian littoral. 
The Fishery Board have had several of these shrimp-traps made for 
the purpose of ascertaining the presence and relative abundance of shrimps 
at various parts of the Scotch coast. As has been said, the only 
place in Scotland where shrimping is regularly carrried on is in the 
Solway Firth, where it was introduced almost by accident. In 1854 
some Lancashire fishermen, out herring-fishing, were driven by stress 
of storm into the Solway, and as it looked a likely place for shrimps, 
two of them came back two years subsequently and started what has now 
become a very important industry. I am informed by one of these 
fishermen (Mr John Holmes) that there are other places on the Scottish 
coast where it is probable that shrimping might be made profitable. 
From inquiries, it appears that shrimps are found at certain parts 
of the Moray Firth, in the Firth of Forth, the Firth of Cly<le, and 
on the East Coast ; and considering how the fishing was begun in the 
Solway it has been decided to investigate some of these places. 
The apparatus used at Croisic is represented in the subjoined wood-cut. 
The wooden frame (made of chestnut wood in France) is 75 centi- 
metres (30 inches) long, 40 centimetres (16 inches) in diameter at the 
ends, and 44 centimetres (17 inches) in diameter at the centre. It coq- 
* Vide Dr Ehrenbaum's memoir, Zur Naturgeschichtc von Crangmi vulgaris, Berlin, 
1890; Tiv Wog\C% Rapport over Ankerkail- en Staalhoomen-Visschcrij, Leiden, 1888; 
and M. Borgers' work, La diminution du Poisson le long des C6tes viaritirncs, Ostend, 
1890. 
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