9 
RESULTS OF TEN YEARS’ EXPERIMENTS. 
As this year completes the tenth year of the experimental 
trawling instituted by Aid. Dent, I propose giving a fuller analysis 
of the results than has hitherto been attempted. As has been 
apparent from the reports given from year to year all that was aimed 
at in the experiments was to present comparative tables showing the 
catches of the larger fishes or such fishes as might have been sold 
in the market. A whole day was given to each excursion and this 
had the advantage of lessening the effects of inlluences which would 
tend to cause variation, such, for example, as might be produced by 
the condition of the tide. When 1 was introduced to the 1 work in 
189G, I thought it well not to interfere with the general aim of the 
investigations, and I only took the opportunity of making such 
other observations and collateral experiments as could bo carried 
out under the circumstances. 
As far then as the results refer to the catches of marketable 
fishes they have been made on parallel lines during the whole period 
of ten years. A small trawl of 22 feet beam was used. The fish 
retained were sorted every time the net was brought on board, and 
they were counted at the end of the day’s fishing. The experiments 
were made in available places in-shore. The lines along which the 
trawling was done varied within small limits depending upon the 
state of the tide, but the time devoted to the experiment would tend 
to make the ground fished over pretty much the same on each 
occasion. The stations were (1) Blvth Bay (2-5 fathoms), (2) 
Cambois Bay (2-8 fathoms), (8) Druridge Bay (2-8 fathoms), ( 1) 
Alnmouth Bay (2-8 fathoms), and (5) Skate Roads (2£-4 fathoms). 
At mid-day the temperature of the surface water was taken and 
the condition of the sea and the direction of the wind noted. We 
were anxious to make the hydrographical work more accurate and 
complete, but we have been hampered for want of funds, and for 
another reason we decided to wait until the recommendations 
of the International Conferences in this respect had been published. 
As the experiments have been made during the summer from 
about the third week of June to the early part of September they 
are not subject to much variation caused by season. But even 
during this short period it has been observed that the fishing as a 
rule had improved towards the end of the season. 
It will be convenient to present the whole returns in the 
following manner (Table II) : — 
