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TWENTY-SECOND
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
FISHERY BOARD FOR SCOTLAND,
Being for the Year 1903.
Part II.—REPORT ON SALMON FISHERIES,
Part III].—SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS.
PART II].—SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS.
Presented to both houses of Parliament by Command of his Majesty.
Se. oO,
PR, A, I>
GLASGOW: ee
PRINTED FOR HIS MAJESTY’S STATIONERY OFFICE ry
By JAMES HEDDERWICK & SONS, &
At ‘*THe Crrizen Press,” St. Vincent PLace.
And to be purchased, either directly or through any Bookseller, from
OLIVER & BOYD, Epinsured ; or
EYRE & SPOTTISWOODE, East Harpine Street, Freer STREET, E.C., and
32 ABINGDON STREET, WESTMINSTER, S.W. ; or
iE. PONSONBY, 116 Grarron Srreet, Dustin.
1904.
[Cd. 2147.] Price 5s. 2d.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
GENERAL STATEMENT, : D
Trawling Investigations, ; : ; 6
Investigations on the Rate of Gr owth of. Fishes, ; : i
The Hatching and Rearing of Food-Fishes, - , 8
The Life-History of the Crab, : : ; : 9
The Young of the Witch Sole, : : ‘ : : 10
The Marine Crustacea, . : : : ; : 10
The Parasites of Fishes, . : : F ; : 11
The Young of the Conger, 5 : 11
_ Any estigations on the Herring in ‘the Firth of Clyde, : . 12:
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS.
I. Trawling Investigations. By Dr. T. Wemyss Fulton, F.R.S.E.,
Superintendent of Scientific Investigations, f ‘ 13
Introductory, . 13
The Proportion of Marketable to Unimarketable Fishes, 13
The Proportion of Immature Fish Landed, _. 16
Investigations in the Moray Firth and Aberdeen Bay, 19
Table 1 eae : A 50
Table Tiley ‘ - 3 : : ‘ 89
II. Contributions to the Life-Histories of the Edible Crab (Cancer
Pagurus) and of other Decapod Crustacea :—Impregna-
tion : Spawning: Casting: Distribution : Rate of Growth.
By H. Chas. Williamson, | M.A., D.Sc., Marine re eanep eh
Aberdeen (Plates I.-V.), —. 100
The Impregnation of Cancer paguy US, 101
The Muscular System of the ‘Abdomen of the
Male Crab, . ‘ 103
The Action of the Penis, . 5 = aly!
The Condition of the Spermatheca, ; = 105
The Impregnation of Carcinus menas, : a £07
The Spawning of Cancer pagurus, 108
The Mode of Attachment of the Eggs to the
Swimmeret, . : 108
The Swimmeret, : ‘ : : oe LO
The Endopodite, : é 5 ; 2 110
The Exopodite, . : : : aa
The Ripe Egg, : : ble
The Attachment of the Eggs, 5 Pee ely
The Sloughing of the Empty Egg- -capsules, mo L1G
The Attachment of the Bess in other peau
Crustacea, . 116
The Spawning of Carcinus menas, 120
The Casting, Distribution, and Rate of Growth of
Cancer pagurus, . ‘ ~ Lat
The Migrations of Cancer pagurus, 3 «135
The Changes i in the Carnet eS of Cancer pagures . 136
Literature, : ~ alky
Explanation of the Plates, : : ‘ . 138
Contents.
III. The Rate of Growth of Fishes. By Dr. T. Wemyss Fulton,
F.R.S.E., Superintendent of Scientific Investigations
(Plates VI.-XII.), . : : : : . leh
1. Introductory, : . AL
2. The Relation of Length to Weight, : . 142
3. The Average Size at Maturity, : ~ bo
4. The Influence of Temperature on Growth, oe enlog
5. The Sprat, . : : : : sy amealivalt
6. The Witch, . ; : : 3 . 186
7. The Norway Pout, : : ae 95
8. The Sharp-tailed Lumpenus, 202
9. Tables showing the Relation of Length to Weight, 205
IV. Notes on some rare and interesting Marine Crustacea. By
Thomas Scott, LL.D., F.L.S. (Plates XIIT.-XV.), . 242
Preliminary Remarks, : ; . 242
Copepoda :—
Fam. Monstrillidee, 5 . 4 . 243
Fam. Choniostomatide, 4 ; ; . 250
Amphipoda, . : : : : =) Seg
Sympoda, : : : . 258
Description of the Plates, 5 : 3 . 250
V. Report on the Operations at the Marine Hatchery, Bay of Nigg,
Aberdeen. By Dr. T. Wemyss Fulton, F.R.S.E. Wis
intendent of Scientific Investigations, F : 262
VI. On the Post-Larval and Early Young Stages of the Witch
(Pleuronectes cynoglossus, Linn.). By H. Chas. Williamson,
M.A., D.Sc., Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen (Plate XVI.),. 270
VII. On some Parasites of Fishes new to the Scottish Marine Fauna.
By Thomas Scott, LL.D., F.L.S. visa ene: s s g2go
Preliminary Note, ‘ ; . 205
Part I. Copepoda Parasita—
Fam. Dichelestide, : j ; » ) 2oab
Part II. Trematoda—
Fam. Tristomatide, 278
Part III. Note on a- Post- larval Fish attacked by
Podon Leuckarti, . : : 279
Description of the Plates, 5 5 : . 280
VIII. Ichthyological Notes. By Dr. T. Wemyss Fulton, F.R.S.E.,
Superintendent of Scientific Investigations Mecca XVIII. }
The Young of the Conger, ! 281
A Larval Fierasfer, : £ : : : 283
The Sting Ray, 3 ; : : 2, 2oes
The Pilchard, ; : ; : OA:
The Fecundity of the Sprat, : : , . 285
An Albino Plaice, ‘ £ : : 286
The Thickback (Solea var iegata), : . 286
teversed action of the Gill-cover in Plaice, 3 5 shy
TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL REPORT.
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
ANDREW GRAHAM MURRAY, K.C., MP, &c.,
His Majesty's Secretary for Scotland.
OFrFicE oF THE FisHERY Boarp
FOR SCOTLAND,
Eprnpureu, lst July, 1904.
My Lorp,
In continuation of our Twenty-second Annual Report,
we have the honour to submit—
PART III].—SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS.
GENERAL STATEMENT.
This, the third part of the Twenty-second Annual Report,
contains an account of the scientific investigations conducted by
the Board in 1903 in connection with the sea fisheries of Scotland,
so far as these have been completed, by means of the Parliamentary
Vote granted for the purpose. The scientific researches have been
carried on for the most part at the Board’s Marine Laboratory at
the Bay of Nigg, Aberdeen, which was erected a few years ago, and
where tanks have now been fitted up for various experiments and
observations. The sea-fish hatchery is also situated at the same
place, and a statement as to its operations during the year will be
found below.
The investigations into the condition of the fishing grounds, more
particularly in the Moray Firth and Aberdeen Bay, which were
commenced four years ago, were continued last year by means of
steam-trawlers. One of the chief objects of these investigations is
to ascertain the changes in the abundance of the food and other
fishes in the closed waters in different years; but observations are
also made on the reproduction of the fish, their spawning, food, and
on various other points connected with their life-history; and
collections of the plankton or floating organisms are secured, and
experiments made with small-meshed and large-meshed nets.
With the large trawl, the efficient ship, and the experienced
trawlers in charge, it is possible to make a much more thorough
examination of the bays than was formerly the case, and from the
6 Part ITI.—Twenty-second Annual Report
fact that the actual trawling operations are carried on exactly as
they are in commercial fishing, opportunities are thus afforded for
certain observations of importance, as the proportion of the market-
able and unmarketable fishes which are caught, and the destruction
of immature fish on different grounds and at different seasons.
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS.
In the course of the year the results of 148 hauls of the large
otter-trawl were recorded, of which 101 were made in the Moray
Firth and 29 in Aberdeen Bay, making 130 in the closed waters;
and in addition 18 drags were recorded in the waters offshore, the
aggregate thus being 148. In the Moray Firth the more important
areas were examined in February, March, April, June, October,
November, and December, and the grounds in Aberdeen Bay were
visited in the same months. The localities in the Moray Firth
which were most thoroughly examined were Burghead Bay and
the Dornoch Firth, as well as Smith Bank, the grounds off Lossie-
mouth, off the Suters of Cromarty, and the coast of Caithness.
The total quantity of fish recorded in the course of the investi-
gations was large, viz., 180,515, of which 126,485 were of a kind
and size to be marketable, and 54,030 were found to be unmarket-
able, either because they were of inedible varieties, or too small to
be profitably sold. Those which belong to the former category are
comparatively not numerous, comprising mostly long rough dabs
and various odd kinds, but they may include large numbers of the
angler or monk fish and gurnards, though these are very often
brought to market. The great majority of the unmarketable
fishes belong to edible and saleable forms, and are simply rejected
because of their small size, such as small haddocks, whitings, plaice,
&e. In the hauls in the inshore waters the proportion of the
unmarketable fishes varied from 7-4 per cent. for cod to 78:2 per
cent. for gurnards among the round fishes, and from 0°5 per cent.
for brill to 89 per cent. for common dabs among the flat fishes.
The percentage of unmarketable plaice was relatively large, namely,
30:3, due to the fact that the fishing was to a large extent carried
on in shallow water. The proportion of the marketable and
unmarketable was found to vary very greatly according to the
depth of the water and the season.
In the paper by Dr. Wemyss Fulton, the Scientific Superinten-
dent, on this subject, will be found described also the results of an
investigation on the proportion of the marketable fishes which are
immature—that is, which have not yet reached a size at which
reproduction takes place. The limit between the mature fishes
and the immature in respect to size is first dealt with, and it is
shown that in most cases it is not the average size of the generation
which first becomes mature that is the true dividing line, but
something under it, the precise point varying in different species
according to whether the reproductive stage is reached early or
late in the growth of the species.
The proportion of the immature, whether regarded in terms of
weight or of size, of different species brought to market varies very
greatly according to the species. Among some flat-fishes, such as
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 7
the common dab, practically all that are marketable are mature,
this fish becoming reproductive at a small size. Among plaice, on
the other hand, which does not attain maturity until it is several
years of age and of some size, the proportion of the immature
amounts to about twenty-four per cent. of the marketable fishes,
but with this species in particular the proportion varies much
according to the chief areas of fishing. Among the witch sole the
proportion amounts to about fifteen per cent., and it is still less
among lemon soles, viz. about seven per cent. From the large
size at which the cod first reaches maturity, the proportion of the
immature that are marketable is considerable; these comprise
codlings, and of the total quantity landed about thirty per cent. are
sexually immature. With haddocks, and still more with whitings,
the proportion is much less, these species first attaining maturity
at about the size at which they become marketable. The calcula-
tion in regard to haddocks shows that the proportion of the
marketable which are immature is small, amounting to only about
one per cent. of the quantity landed, while among whitings it is
less, practically all the whitings caught by trawlers which are of
marketable size being adult.
It must be borne in mind, with reference to this subject, that
the limit between the mature and the immature is a biological one,
having reference, not to the size of the fish from the market point
of view, but in relation to the size when reproduction begins.
INVESTIGATIONS ON THE RATE OF GROWTH OF FISHES.
In the present Report will be found a paper by Dr. T. Wemyss
Fulton describing the results of his further investigations on this
subject, in continuation of the researches detailed in some of the
preceding Reports. In addition to the measurement of large
numbers of fishes obtained during the trawling investigations by
the use of a small-meshed net, numerous observations were made
to determine the relation between the size and weight of fishes
belonging to nineteen species, and a series of experiments were
carried on to show the influence of temperature upon growth.
With regard to the ratio between the length and weight of fishes,
it might be assumed, without experimental evidence, that their
growth was in consonance with the physical law governing the
relation of similarly-shaped bodies of uniform specific gravity with
regard to weight and dimensions—that the weight increased as the
cube of the length, so that a fish which doubled its length should
increase its weight eight times. The observations, which have been
made on between 5000 and 6000 fishes, show that this law does not
apply with exactitude in any of the species examined, the weight
increasing in proportion more rapidly than the length, the conclu-
sion being that, if the specific gravity remains the same, growth
takes place to a greater extent in some other dimension than in
length, whether in breadth or thickness. The various species
examined displayed great differences in the relation between the
weight and length at a given size, the heaviest in proportion to its
length being the turbot, and the lightest the witch, the extremes
being found among the flat-fishes.
8 Part ITI.—Twenty-second Annual Report
With regard to the influence of temperature upon growth, it is
well known from previous observations that fishes, at least in the
waters near the shore, grow less quickly in winter than in summer,
and may not grow at all if the temperature be very low. In the
experiments referred to a number of the food-fishes were kept in
tanks in which the water was of different temperature—in one it
was considerably above the normal—and the effect on the growth
was determined by measuring the fishes after they had been
subjected for some time to the various temperatures and comparing
the measurement with what it was at first. With a mean tempera-
ture of 40:1 F. it was found that the mean increase in the length
of whitings was 1°6 millimetres per ten days, and 2:5 millimetres
when the temperature was 48°7 F.; under the same conditions
haddocks grew at the rate of 2°7 and 5:1 millimetres respectively,
and codlings increased under the lower temperature at the rate of
3°6 millimetres, and under the higher temperature at the rate of
6°87 millimetres in each ten days. In another tank where the mean
temperature was 54°5 F., the rate of growth in length in each ten
days was, on the average, 2'8 millimetres for whitings, 6:45 for
codlings, 3:0 for common dabs, and 3°29 for plaice. The growth in
length varied generally in relation to the size of the fish as well as
to the species, the smaller individuals as a rule growing the quickest,
and considerable difference was exhibited in many cases among
individuals of the same species approximately equal in size.
The influence of temperature is exerted directly in connection
with the metabolism of the fish, that is, the chemical changes in
its tissues, which result in growth as well as in the expenditure of
energy. In low temperatures the process of digestion was greatly
impaired, and appetite was more or less in abeyance, the fishes
refusing their food or eating sparingly. It has been shown that
the action of the digestive ferments is suspended at low tempera-
tures and increased at high temperatures. The bearing of these
observations on the growth of fishes. in winter, whether in the sea
or in fresh water, is obvious.
In the same paper the results of the investigations made as to
the growth of the Sprat, the Witch Sole, the Norway Pout, and the
Sharp-tailed Lumpenus are described, and illustrated by a series of
diagrams.
THE HATCHING AND REARING OF Foop-FISHES.
During the hatching-season of 1903 the number of eggs of the
plaice collected from the spawning pond at the Hatchery, Bay of
Nigg, was approximately 65,940,000. This was almost the same
number as in 1901, and about seven millions less than in the
previous year. The number of fry that were hatched from these
eggs and retained in the hatching apparatus until approaching the
post-larval stage was estimated at about 53,600,000, or a little over
81 per cent. The fry were liberated for the most part off Aber-
deen, but on three occasions they were taken further north and
liberated off Fraserburgh.
The first eggs were collected on 23rd January and the last on
16th May, the period of collection thus extending over 115 days,
but the greater number were obtained in March, when 37,080,000
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 9
were collected, the number in April being nearly sixteen millions,
and in February nearly twelve millions. It may be stated that
the collection of eggs extends over a longer period at the Bay of
Nigg than was the case at Dunbar, where the work did not usually
ommence until March, the average duration at the former being
65 days and at the latter 86 days. The difference is due, not to
variation in the spawning season, but to the circumstance that the
fishes at Dunbar, being for the most part collected a little before
the spawning, did not become accustomed to confinement suffi-
ciently to part with their eggs until the spawning season was some
way advanced, while at the Bay of Nigg they are kept in the large
pond throughout the year, and spawn under natural conditions
approximately during the same time that plaice are found spawning
in the sea. An abundant supply of pure sea-water, of suitable
temperature and specific gravity, has materially aided in the success
of the work ; and as mentioned in last year’s Report, the cost of the
fish hatching, when the hatchery is operated in conjunction with
the Marine Laboratory, is materially reduced, and does not exceed
£100 per annum.
The period for which the embryonic and larval fishes are pro-
tected in the hatching apparatus amounts to about half the
duration of their pelagic life, but the benefit would be considerably
increased if it were possible to rear them in any large numbers
through their post-larval stages—that is, until they have completed
their transformation and become adapted to live on the bottom.
The rearing is not an easy matter, owing to the difficulty of pro-
viding suitable food for multitudes of larvee confined in relatively
small volumes of water, but the attempt to do so will ke made by
the use of a special tank.
Since the hatchery was established the number of fry of the food
fishes which have been produced is as follows:—Plaice, 340,455,000 ;
lemon soles, 5,727,000; turbot, 5,160,000 ; cod, 4,010,000 ; and other
kinds, 2,000,000—the aggregate being 357,352,000.
During the season deputations of fishermen from Aberdeenshire,
who visited the establishment by arrangement with the Technical
Education Committee of the County Council, received demonstra-
tions as to the operations and the life-histories of the food fishes.
Tue Lirg-HIstory OF THE CRAB.
In the present Report will be found a paper, illustrated by four
plates, in which Dr. H. C. Williamson gives the results of further
observations on the life-history of the edible crab and some other
Decapod Crustacea. The observations deal mainly with the repro-
duction, and in this connection with the processes of casting,
impregnation, and spawning. The spawning of the crab takes place
in November, December, and January, and the casting of the shell
and impregnation take place in summer; and it appears probable
that in most cases spawning does not follow until about fourteen
or fifteen months after the process of casting.
On extrusion the eggs are attached to the swimmerets of the
mother, and remain there for about seven months. The mode by
which the eggs are attached is of interest, the author having
10 Part ITT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
discovered that they are skewered on to the long delicate hairs with
which the inner branches of the swimmerets are provided, and are
not, as has generally been believed, fixed to them by a mucilaginous
secretion. The eggs themselves are never found cemented together
although crowded in close contact. The mode in which the eggs
are skewered on to the stiff hairs is as follows. When the eggs
are extruded they imbibe sea water and become swollen, so that
the egg-mass is separated from the shell, and this space soon
attains large dimensions. The eggs are retained in a semi-fluid
mass in the “apron” of the crab, and by the continuous stabbing
movement of the stiff hairs on the swimmerets the eggs are pierced
and skewered as described, Dr. Williamson also treats of the rate
of growth, the migrations, and the distribution of the crab, and in
connection with the former subject had the use of the data
furnished by Mr. Waddington, Bournemouth, of the various
successive casts of certain edible crabs which had been kept in
confinement for periods up to two years, and these are represented
in a series of figures, and are of much interest.
Further descriptions are given of the results of labelling crabs
which were afterwards liberated, in order to throw light on their
migrations. In contrast to some of the previous results, it may be
said that one of the labelled crabs, an adult male, was obtained
three years after its liberation very near the spot where it was set
free.
THE YOUNG OF THE WITCH SOLE.
During the trawling investigations in the Moray Firth a very
complete series of the young of the Witch Sole was obtained, one
of the flat-fishes now brought to market in considerable numbers
by the trawlers working in deep water, and in the knowledge of
whose life-history there were considerable gaps. Dr. Williamson
describes these in a paper in the present Report. Some dubiety
has existed as to the identity of the post-larval stages of this form,
which differ from the corresponding stages of most flat-fishes by
their great length and slenderness, as well as by other characters,
so that the first one described was supposed to be a young halibut.
The present series, by filling up the blanks between the previously-
recorded stages, completes the chain connecting the egg with the
parent fish. The paper is illustrated with a number of figures.
THE MARINE CRUSTACEA.
In this Report will be found a paper, illustrated by three plates
of figures, by Dr. Thomas Scott, descriptive of a number of rare
crustacea, obtained for the most part during the trawling investi-
gations. ‘The forms described are all small, and include two groups
of the Copepoda that are somewhat abnormal both in their
structure and habits. Among the nine species belonging to the
first of these groups—the Monstrillide—three are new to science
and are now described for the first time, and of the seven species
which belong to the second of the groups—the Choniostomatidee—
five are new to science and are here described for the first time,
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. £7
and these are all minute forms which are parasitic on small species
of Crustacea.
The occurrence of other rare species belonging to the Amphi-
poda, the Isopoda, and the Sympoda, other groups of Crustacea,
is also recorded.
Apart from the zoological interest of these discoveries, it is to
be noted that the minute crustacea with which they deal play an
important réle in connection with the food of fishes, many forms
living upon them almost exclusively at some stage or another of
their existence.
THE PARASITES OF FISHES.
In continuation of his researches on the forms which are para-
sitic on marine fishes, Dr. Thomas Scott also contributes a paper to
the present Report on this subject, illustrated with a series of
figures. The parasites described include four Copepods and two
Trematode worms. One of the former is new to science, and
the other three have not previously been recorded from the
Scottish seas. Both the Trematodes are new to science, and were
obtained, along with two of the Copepods, on a specimen of the
sting ray (Zygon pastinaca)—a fish closely allied to the skates—
which was caught in the Moray Firth during the trawling
investigations.
In this paper there is also a description of a figure of a post-
larval fish which has been attacked by two small crustaceans,
furnishing an example of one of the dangers to which young fishes
are exposed.
THE YOUNG OF THE CONGER.
In the course of the trawling investigations in the Moray
Firth, two specimens of the pelagic young of the Conger-eel were
taken in the small-meshed net used around the cod-end of the
otter trawl. These forms, which are characterised in their younger
stages by their singularly flattened form, are known as Leptocephali,
and were until comparatively lately believed to represent distinct
species of fish. They are very rarely seen in British waters. The
two specimens referred to are described and figured in a paper by
Dr. T. Wemyss Fulton in the present Report, along with other
rare fishes obtained during the investigations. Among the others
may be mentioned a larva! Fierasfer,an extremely rare form which,
in the adult condition, lives within Holothurians; it was taken in
a tow-net easterly from Aberdeen. A specimen of the pilchard
was also secured in the Moray Firth—a fish which is said to have
been at one time fairly common at some places in the southern
part of the East Coast, but is now hardly ever seen in these waters.
Other rare specimens comprised the sting-ray and the thickback
sole, both secured in the Moray Firth. It is indeed remarkable
that in several respects the fauna of the Moray Firth offers
resemblances to that of the West Coast; it appears to indicate
that a connection is established by means of the sea currents
entering the Firth from the north.
12 Part IIT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
INVESTIGATIONS ON THE HERRING IN THE FIRTH OF CLYDE.
In connection with the winter herring fishing at Ballantrae Bank,
off the coast of Ayr, arrangements were made for an investigation of
the conditions of the fishing in relation to the operation of the
Bye-law No. 18, by which the use of the seine for the capture of
herrings within a defined area off the coast is prohibited. Owing,
however, to the stormy weather that prevailed on these exposed
grounds the fishing was almost a complete failure, only thirty-five
crans of herrings being obtained within the area specified, although
232 crans were caught in the more sheltered waters of Lochryan,
where fishing operations could be carried on. Under the circum-
stances it was not found possible to make the investigations
desired; but it may be noted that the weather conditions made an
effective close-time in protecting the herrings frequenting the
grounds, and if, as there is every reason to believe was the case,
the herrings spawned there in February and March, the result
ought to tend to increase the number of herrings in some future
season.
Investigations have also been undertaken with regard to the
herrings in the Firth of Clyde generally, more particularly in con-
nection with their migratory movements and spawning, about which
comparatively little is known, and which will require some con-
siderable time tocomplete. In reference to this enquiry a research
is being made by Professor Milroy, Queen’s College, Belfast, on
behalf of the Board, as to the chemical composition of the herring
in relation more especially to the reproduction of the fish.
We have the honour to be,
Right Hon. Sir,
Your most obedient Servants,
ANGUS SUTHERLAND, Chairman.
D. CRAWFORD, Deputy-Chairman.
D’ARCY W. THOMPSON.
W. R. DUGUID.
L. MILLOY.
D. MEARNS.
H. WATSON.
WM. C. ROBERTSON, Secretary.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS.
L—TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS. By Dr. T. Wemyss Futron,
F.R.S.E., Superintendent of Scientific Investigations.
INTRODUCTORY.
The investigations into the condition of the fishing grounds, particularly
in the closed waters of the Moray Firth and Aberdeen Bay, which were
commenced four years ago by means of steam-trawlers, were continued last
year, and a voyage was also made to the offshore waters lying off the
mouth of the Firth of Forth. In the Moray Firth the more important
areas were examined in February, March, April, June, October, November,
and December, and the grounds in Aberdeen Bay were visited in the same
months. On each occasion the places where fish were found to be most
abundant were chiefly worked over ; the total number of hauls made in the
Moray Firth, the results of which were recorded, was 101, and the
number in Aberdeen Bay was 29, making a total in the closed waters of
these areas o£ 13( drags, in addition to 18 in the offshore waters, or 148
altogether. The localities in the Moray Firth which were most thoroughly
examined were Burghead Bay and the Dornoch Firth, as well as Smith
Bank, the grounds off Lossiemouth, off the Suters of Cromarty, and the
coast of Caithness.
The total quantity of fish taken in the course of the investigation was
large, amounting to 180,515 in the completely recorded hauls, and of these
126,485 were of a kind or size to be marketable, and 54,030 were un-
marketable and were thrown overboard.
One of the chief objects of these investigations is to ascertain the
changes in the abundance of the food and other fish in the closed waters
in different years and seasons, but observations are also made on the con-
dition of the reproductive organs of the fish, their spawning, food, and on
various other points connected with their life-history ; while at the same
time the temperature of the surface and bottom water at the various places
is observed and recorded ; and from the fact that the actual trawling work
is carried on precisely as it is for commercial purposes, opportunities
are thus afforded for certain observations, as, for example, the proportion
of the various kinds of fish captured in the net which are marketable and
the proportion unmarketable, the influence of the size of the mesh of the
net on the size of the fish caught, &e., which would be otherwise difficult
to obtain. Collections of the floating organisms or plankton were also
secured, and a number of experiments made with small-meshed nets with
the object of procuring collections in connection with the study of the
rate of growth of fishes and their distribution.
With the large commercial trawl, the efficient ship, and the experienced
trawlers in charge it is possible to make a much more extensive and
thorough examination of the grounds than could formerly be done.
The results of the investigation are given in detail in the following
pages and in the Tables which are appended.
Tur Proportion oF MARKETABLE TO UNMARKETABLE FISHES.
As already mentioned, the proportion of the unmarketable to the market-
able was 54,030 to 126,485, which is therefore a very considerable
14 Part 1JI—Twenty-second Annuat Report
proportion. The unmarketable fishes vary in amount in several ways.
There are some which are never taken to market under any circumstances,
being inedible or at least unsaleable. | The most common of theseis the
long rough dab, which, however, is not found in any quantity in the
shallow inshore waters. Dog-fishes are also unmarketable in the same
way, and they are sometimes taken in large numbers by the trawl in the
deep water in the northern part of the North Sea, but much less
commonly in the Moray Firth or Aberdeen Bay. ‘There are a few other
species occasionally brought up in the trawl which are for the same reason
never taken to market. But the great majority of the unmarketable fishes
belong to forms which are quite edible and marketable and are rejected
merely because of their small size, such as small haddocks, whiting, plaice,
&c. In some instances the question whether a particular species is taken
to market or thrown overboard depends upon circumstances, irrespective
of the size of the fish, as, for instance, with gurnards and anglers. ‘These
two forms are now, however, generally brought to market, in the latter
case only the tail part being made use of. The proportion of the un-
marketable fishes of the class referred to depends also to a very large
extent on the grounds fished over and the season of the year. Examples
of this fact are described in the following pages, as, for instance, in con-
nection with the plaice aud haddock (p. 30, 32, 36, 42).
In the accompanying Table I have tabulated the numbers of marketable
and unmarketable fishes taken in 103 hauls of the net in the Moray Firth
and Aberdeen Bay, and have represented the proportions of each for the
various species in percentages of the total.
MARKETABLE. UNMARKETABLE.
FISH. Toran
Number. Per Cent. Number. | Per Cent.
Cod, as ces 4,283 925 343 74 4,626
Haddock, ... ie, 46,287 86-0 7,525 14:0 53,812
Whiting, ... a, 4,694 Tb/-3 3,495 42°4 8,189
Coalfish, ... ae 45 91°8 4 8-2 49
Ling, a ~ 6 — _ -- 6
Hake, ae eae 4 — 1 — 5
Gurnard, ... zt 465 21°7 1,675 78°2 2,140
Catfish, " ... Bae 76 100°0 — — 76
55,860 81:0 18,043 19:0 68,903
Plaice, ae ans 27,669 69°6 12,057 30°3 39,726
Common Dab, ... 1,779 10°9 14,548 89:0 16,322
Flounder, ... i 904 91:6 83 8:2 987
Witch, aes Dy 5,089 84°8 911 iaseil 6,000
Lemon Dab, Be 518 95:7 23 4:2 541
Halibut, ... = 6 100°0 — — 6
Turbot, 52 23 100°0 _ — 23
Brill, at ane 220 99°5 1 0°5 221
Long Rough Dab a= a 2,533 100°0 2,533
ole, aN = 3 — — —
36,211 54°5 30,151 45°5 66,362
Skates and Rays,... 407 65:2 331 44:8 738
Anglers, ... bese 178 28°6 432 71:2 605
Other Fish, aoe a — 186 — 186
92,651 68-0 | 44,148 320 | 136,794
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 15
From this Table it will be seen that the percentages for the gross catch
of fish are 68 for the marketable and 32 for the unmarketable, and these
figures may be taken as fairly well representing the proportions in the
inshore waters referred to, although the ratio varies on different grounds
and at different times.
The percentage of cod which were unfit for the market by reason of
their small size was small, and less than with any other round fish save
the catfish ; it amounted to only 7:4 per cent., the marketable, including
cod and codling, being 92°5 per cent. The proportion of unmarketable
haddocks was much higher, viz., 14, as against 86 per cent. marketable ;
but the proportion was found to vary very greatly in different cases. In
the hauls made in Burghead Bay in December, for example, about five-
sixths of the haddocks taken were too small to be marketable, while on
other occasions the proportion of these small haddocks was very slight.
The proportion of unmarketable whitings taken was still greater,
amounting to 42°4 per cent. of the total, the marketable being 57°3 per
cent. The unmarketable coalfish—of which, however, comparatively few
were caught—amounted to 82 per cent., while all the catfishes obtained
were of marketable size. Gurnards, which, as stated, are not always
taken to market, show a high percentage of the ‘‘unmarketable,” partly
for this reason, 78°2.
The proportion of round fishes of edible and saleable kinds which were
unmarketable was collectively 19 per cent., the marketable being 81 per
cent.
With flat-fishes, apart from the Jong rough dab, which is never taken to
market, the highest percentage unmarketable were among the common
dabs, viz. 89, the marketable being only 10°9 per cent. This is owing
to the generally small size of this fish, and sometimes trawlers are not
very particular about it, when they are getting good catches of more
valuable kinds. The proportion of unmarketable plaice was also high,
30°3 per cent., and in this case, even more than with the haddocks, the
proportion varied greatly according to the depth of water and the season.
In some places, as at Burghead Bay, where the fishing was as a rule con-
ducted in water over seven fathoms in depth, comparatively few smail
unmarketable plaice were caught, while in the Dornoch Firth, in from five
to eleven fathoms, in June, the majority of the plaice got were too small
to be marketable. In two hauls here, of a total of 9649 plaice caught, no
less than 6419, or 70°1 per cent., were unmarketable,
The proportion of unmarketable flounders taken was comparatively
small, 8-2 per cent., no less than 91°6 per cent. being large enough to be
taken to market. The reason of this high proportion is that these
flounders were almost without exception spawning fish which had
migrated out from the shallow waters near the beach for the purpose of
spawning, the smaller and sexually immature forms remaining inshore
beyond the reach of the trawl. The same reason no doubt explains the
fact that all the turbot and almost all the brill taken were also large
enough to be marketable. The number of turbot was not great, 23, but
of the 221 brill all but one were marketable, or a proportion of 99°5 per
cent. The shape of both these fishes makes them eminently liable to cap-
ture in the trawl-net, if they are on the ground, and there is little doubt
that the smaller forms, under about nine or ten inches, are close inshore
on the sands.
Among the skates and rays 44°8 per cent. were unmarketable, and 55:2
per cent. marketable, and the other unmarketable fishes were made up of
anglers, herrings, sprats, dragonets, and a few others.
The number of hauls on the offshore grounds was comparatively small
last year, and the same contrast is therefore based on fewer results. Of
B
16 Part ITI,—Twenty-second Annual Report
a total of 27,156 fishes in the completely recorded hauls, 22,051 were
marketable and 5105 unmarketable, the percentage of the former being
81:2, and of the latter 18°7—the proportion of the unmarketable being
thus considerably under what it was on the inshore grounds. In these
series of hauls also all the gurnards were classed as unmarketable, while,
on the other hand, owing to the depth of water, all the plaice were
marketable,
The proportion of cod, including codling, which was marketable was
77-2 per cent., 22°8 per cent. being unmarketable ; in the case of haddocks,
the percentage marketable was 86°7 and unmarketable 13°3; while with
whitings the respective proportions were 54-4 and 45-6 per cent.
THE PROPORTION OF IMMATURE FisH LANDED.
The information given above and detailed in the Tables as to the pro-
portion of fish of the different kinds which are caught in the operations
of commercial trawl-fishing and thrown away as unmarketable, enables an
opinion to be formed as to the degree of destruction which may take
place on the inshore grounds.
Tt is also of some importance to be able to ascertain the proportion of the
fish caught and landed which are immature, that is to say, which have never
developed milt or roe and reproduced their species. In most cases it
may be said that the greater proportion of the unmarketable individuals
of the class which is unmarketable owing to the small size, are immature,
although in some instances mature fishes may also be too small to be
marketable, This is the case with the common dabs, none of the imma-
ture individuals being large enough to be marketable, and those landed
are therefore adult fishes which have either reproduced or are large
enough to reproduce. The same is true of the flounder, which, however,
is not taken often in the trawl in ordinary commercial fishing. It is also
true to some extent of the haddock, and still more of the whiting, com-
paratively few of these under the size at which maturity may be reached
being brought to market, and with the whiting, at all events, there is no
doubt that a fairly large proportion of the smaller-sized but mature
individuals are rejected because of their small size.
With plaice, on the other hand, as with turbot, brill, and halibut, all
those which have arrived at the size of maturity, and a large number
which are under that limit are eminently marketable. It is the same
with the cod and the large round fishes, and it is thus of some importance
to be able to show approximately the proportion of the mature and
immature fishes of the different species which are under ordinary circum-
stances brought to market.
In order to do this it is necessary to obtain two classes of facts—the
limit of size which separates the mature from the immature in the
different kinds of fish, and the numbers of fish at the various sizes which
are caught. Information on the former head, as I have elsewhere pointed
out, is not as exhaustive as one would like, but, still, numerous observa-
tions have been made in Scotland and other countries which enable one
to differentiate, sometimes with precision and at other times broadly, the
mature from the immature. It happens, however, at all events in the
case of some fishes, that the size which separates the mature from the
immature is not the same in all places. Thus, with plaice the limit
between the mature and immature is higher in the northern parts of the
North Sea than the southern parts and the Channel. This difference
does not, however, affect the present investigation to any extent, because
coniparatively a very small proportion of the fish landed at Aberdeen is
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. LZ
caught in the southern parts referred to, as is explained in my paper
dealing with the statistics in connection with the place of capture in the
Board’s Twentieth Annual Report.*
For the purpose referred to, certain sizes have been selected as separat-
ing the mature from the immature individuals of the various species of
fish dealt with ; in several instances they exceed the sizes assigned in my
earlier papers on the subject,t where the limit had reference rather to
the smallest mature individuals which were found than to the average
size of the group or generation on first attaining maturity. The latter, no
doubt, is the preferable course in many cases, but not in all, as is some-
times supposed.
The subject, indeed—the fixing of the line to separate the mature from
the immature, so as to include as few of the latter with the former as
possible and vice versa—is not by any means as simple as it looks. It
is really in some degree a complex problem, and the degree of complexity
varies in different cases. If the reproductive generation—that is, the
group which first attains maturity—were distinctly separated from the
next younger generation or group, then the proper limit weuld be natur-
ally the point between ; on one side all the fishes would be immature and
on the other side all would be mature, and in such an example the proper
limit would be, not the average size at first- maturity, but the size of the
smallest mature fish that could be caught. On the other hand, if the
first reproductive generation were so fused with the next younger genera-
tion—if the over-lapping between the two was such i
within the range of its sizes, as many immature as the other contained
mature, then the proper limit would be the average size at first-maturity.
IT am not aware of any case in which either of these two conditions occur.
In some forms in which reproduction takes place at an early age, as with
the whiting and the sprat, the over-lapping of the reproductive generation
with the preceding generation is comparatively slight, and in such
instances the preferable limit in my opinion is not the average size of the
group which is mature—which would exclude a large proportion of the
mature fishes and include a very small proportion of the immature in
compensation—but a limit placed near the minimum size at first-maturity.
The approximation to the other extreme is to be found in the larger
forms, such as the plaice, cod, &c., where reproduction does not take place -
at an age so early, and where, consequently, from the variations in the
rate or growth of the individuals of the different groups or generations,
the first reproducing generation becomes to a certain extent fused with
the generation immediately preceding. But I do not know of any case
in which the fusion is so complete that half of the fishes comprised within
it are mature and the other halfimmature. With the plaice, for example,
a study of the curves appended to my paper dealing with the growth of
this fish in the Twentieth Annual Report will show that although
a considerable number of the fishes belonging to the younger group
next to the reproductive group have fused with the latter, the greater
number by far are distinct, and in such instances it appears to me
that the proper line of division is not the average size of the repro-
ductive group, but the point between the two groups, z.e. where the
numbers of immature forms contained within the latter is balanced by
the number of mature forms contained within the former.
The precise differentiation of the mature from the immature is further
complicated by the circumstance that the males and females do not in all
“Pore pry... p. 80s ei. 1,
+ Highth Annual Report Part I1T., p. 160; Tenth, cbid. p. 240,
hart Iie) Pl xXDyi,
18 Part ITT. —Twenty-second Annual Report
species grow at the same rate, or attain the same size, the females, as a
rule, growing quicker and becoming bigger ; and the numbers of the sexes
in proportion to one another may vary. Thus, among the flat-fishes the
females grow more rapidly, as a whole, than the males, and reach a larger
size; while among the gadoids the rate of growth and the relative
dimensions of the older forms appear to be, as far as ascertained, nearly or
quite uniform. This does not, however, very materially affect the
question of the limit at first maturity, since the males and females grow
with fairly equal uniformity until the reproductive stage is reached, but
in certain cases the male becomes mature at an earlier age than the
female and at a smaller size, and it is this which introduces complexity
and difficulty. It thus happens that among flat-fishes many more
females than males are landed, although the number of males at the stage
of reproduction may be equal to or greater than the number of females
on the fishing grounds.
I have therefore prepared a statement of the limit between the mature
and the immature fishes of the various species, based upon the available
information, with consideration of the facts concerning the growth of the
fishes, which may be used in endeavouring approximately to determine
the proportion of the immature and the mature which are marketable,
as follows :—
Whiting, - 8h | Turbot, - 17
Haddock, at ahudel Brill, - - 15
Cod, - - 26 Common Dab, 6
Plaice, - aie 83) Witch, - 12
Lemon Dab, - 10 |
With regard to the other point of the investigation, the proportions of
the fish at different sizes and weights which are landed, I have for a
considerable time past devoted attention to this subject, and have
measured and weighed a large number of fishes, amounting in the
agoregate to over twenty tons, as they are landed and sold, With some
kinds the average size and the limits of size are very regular, and these as
a rule belong to the more important species. The information thus
obtained as to the size aud weight of the various classes of fish enables
a close approximation to be made as to the proportion of the mature and
immature, and thus a comparison instituted between these results and
the observations made on board the trawlers on the same subject. Tables
containing the particulars of the size and weight of the fish referred to
will be found appended to this paper (p. 89), and other information
relative to the size and weight is given in a paper on the rate of growth
of fishes (see p. 142).
I have therefore made a series of calculations to show the proportion
of the mature and the immature fishes of certain kinds caught by
trawlers, the data being contained in the Tables and in preceding reports
of the Fishery Board, particularly the paper above referred to, and the
limit of size between the two classes being the biological one
as defined.
There are marked differences in the proportions among different fishes.
As already stated in the case of the dab, all those which are marketable
are of mature size; no immature individuals of this species are, therefore,
landed. Among plaice, all those classed as large, or firsts, are of adult
size, while all those belonging to the third, or small, class are under the
biological size and are immature. Among mediums a certain proportion
are immature, rather under one half in number being under the limit of
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 19
maturity. When calculated out it is found that approximately 24 per cent.,
or about one quarter of the total marketable plaice, by weight, are under
the limit or immature, The proportion with the plaice varies greatly
according to the depth of water, and the figure given offers a contrast to
what obtains in the southern and eastern parts of the North Sea.
Among lemon dabs all those classed as large, or firsts, are over the
biological limit of maturity, but a fair proportion of the second class, or
smalls, are immature, the percentage being about seven for the total
weight of the marketable fishes.
Among witches, all those classed as firsts, or large, are over the limit
of maturity, and have either spawned or are large enough to do so.
Among the class of seconds, which range in size from a little over 8
inches to about 14 inches, with an average length of, approximately,
113 inches, a considerable proportion are below the size of maturity, but
the percentage of the immature, by weight, of the total number of market-
able witches is only about 15.
From the large size at which the cod first attains maturity, the
proportion of the immature that are marketable is very considerable.
Among boxed codlings one often finds a few which are over the
biological size at maturity, and measuring as much as 28 inches, the
selection as cod or codling on the part of the men on board the trawlers
often depending on the meagre or fat condition of the fish, as well as on
its length. Of all the cod and codling landed about 30 per cent., by
weight, are below the biological size of maturity.
With haddocks and whitings it is very different, since the market-
able size approximates to the size at which the fishes first become
mature. The calculations in regard to haddocks show that the
proportion of the marketable which are immature is very small,
amounting to only about 1 per cent. of the total quantity landed. This
is much under what one might expect from the statements made as to
the large quantities of undersized haddocks sometimes landed, but it is
the result of careful observations on a large number of fishes, both in
regard to size and weight. All the medium and large haddocks, or firsts
and seconds, landed are above the mature size, and the great majority
also of the small haddocks, or thirds.
With the whiting the proportion of the immature among marketable
fishes is still less, and the quantity of small, or second class, whitings
brought to market by trawlers is inconsiderable, while the proportion
among those which are under the biological size of maturity is also
fractional. It may be said that practically all the whitings marketed by
trawlers are of adult size.
It must be borne in mind in connection with this subject that the
limit taken is a biological one, having reference, not to the size of the
fish from the market point of view, but with reference to reproduction.
With regard to the numbers, as apart from the weight, the calculations
show that, taking the mean of several years, the following represents
approximately the total numbers of the fish of the kinds named which
are brought to Aberdeen market :—Cod, including codling, 4,575,000 ;
haddocks, 110,000,000 ; whitings, 15,000,000 ; plaice, 2,400,000 ; lemon
dabs, 1,600,000; witches, 3,900,000; and dabs, 260,000.
INVESTIGATIONS IN THE Moray FirtH AND ABERDEEN Bay,
iu
The first of the series of investigations was made in the Moray Firth
in February, the steam trawler employed being the ‘‘ Ben Edra,” the trip
extending from the 7th to the 13th; nineteen hauls of the net were
20 Part IIIT —Twenty-second Annual Report
recorded. The places visited were Burghead Bay, where most of the
hauls were taken, off Cromarty, the Dornoch Firth, and, on the 13th,
Aberdeen Bay. The quantity of fish caught was not very great, haddocks
particularly being comparatively scarce.
The first haul was made off Burghead Bay, about four miles N.N.W.
of Burghead light, in from seventeen to twenty fathoms, and it lasted for
four hours and fifteen minutes. The aggregate number of fishes caught
was only 228, of which 173 were marketable and fifty-five unmarketable.
They included only five haddocks, all marketable, eight cod, fifty plaice,
and ninety-four witches, all marketable but eight. The next drag was a little
more productive, 692 fishes being caught in the four hours it lasted. Of
these 463 were marketable and 229 unmarketable. They included forty-
two haddocks, all marketable, fourteen cod, a halibut, three brill, one
turbot, 128 plaice, and 191 witches, as well as fourteen lemon dabs, two
cat-fish, and nine skates. Other six hauls were made in the same
locality, but in rather deeper water, and they were somewhat more pro-
ductive. The first of these was in from eighteen to twenty-five fathoms,
Burghead light bearing from four to five miles S.S.E., and it lasted for
four hours and five minutes. The number of fishes obtained was 725, of
which 476 were marketable and 249 unmarketable. The former included
eighty-eight haddocks, twenty-three cod, fifty-five codling, twenty-one
plaice, thirty-eight lemon dabs, and 197 witches, as well as a few cat-fish
and skates. The next haul, a little further off in somewhat deeper water—
from twenty to thirty fathoms—lasted for four hours and twenty minutes,
the aggregate catch being larger, namely, 1029 fishes, of which, however,
a larger proportion were unmarketable. The marketable fishes numbered
586, the increase being chiefly in cod, plaice, and witches. The
unmarketable consisted of whitings, common and long rough dabs, and
herrings, of which seventy-four were taken, showing that a considerable
shoal was present on the ground.
The other hauls in this locality were rather less productive, and they
were all characterised by the presence of cod, plaice, and especially
witches, and the comparative scarcity of haddocks, particularly small
haddocks. :
In the following Table are given the numbers of the various species of
fishes taken in this locality, the marketable being distinguished from the
unmarketable. One of the hauls in the deeper water in which the net
got fouled is omitted.
Plaice, | CMON) Witch, | Ploun- | Lemon | Fa jiput.| Turbot.| Brill.
the 495 125 | 1,699 ; 73 1 1 5
Il. 5 861 189
Total 495 986 | 1,888 : 73 1 1 5
Long
Rough Cod, Codling. | Haddock. | Whiting. | Coal-fish. | Ling.
Dab.
iG : 154 117 393 49 20 3
1 653 ‘ | 11 11 150 1
Total 653 | 154 | 128 404 199 21 3
|
[ Continued.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 21
{at fc pare Grey Thorn- Starry e
Cat-fish. | Gurnard. Skate. ee Ray. Angler.
If 4 : : 14 11 105
Il. : 1 6 2 9 202
Total 4 I 6 16 20 307
There were also taken in these hauls one dragonet, seventy-seven
herrings, and two red gurnards. The aggregate number of fishes taken in
the seven hauls, the time of actual fishing being thirty hours, was 5445 ;
the average number caught per hour was thus 1815. The marketable
fishes numbered 3269, with an average per hour of 109-0, and the
unmarketable 2176, with an average of 72°5. The fish caught in largest
numbers was the witch, viz. 1888, the average per hour's fishing
being 62°9.
The next few hauls were taken in the same locality but further to the
west towards Cromarty, in water from twenty-five to thirty fathoms deep,
and on a muddy bottom. In the first of these 1840 fishes were procured,
1125 being marketable. More than half of these were witches, viz.
826, and haddocks were also more abundant than in the previous hauls,
thornbacks and starry rays being also more numerous. ‘The same features
characterised the remainder of the hauls here, and a considerable number
of cod were obtained.
The next drag was for four hours and fifteen minutes, but the net was
badly torn, and the catch amounted to only 355 fishes, of which 208 were
marketable. The succeeding two hauls were more productive, the
number of fishes taken in one of them being 1160, and in the other 2117,
the marketable and unmarketable numbering respectively 688 and 1158,
witches being in each case the most abundant.
Other two hauls were made a little closer in to Burghead Bay, 1515
and 2009 fishes being obtained, the majority again consisting of witches,
Altogether in this locality fourteen drags were taken. In one of these the
net was fouled and in another it was badly torn, and the results from
these hauls may be excluded. The total duration of the actual fishing
of the remaining twelve drags was fifty-two hours, and the aggregate
number of fishes taken was 14,072, or an average of 270°6 per hour’s
fishing ; the marketable fishes numbered 7815, or an average of 150-3 per
hour, and the unmarketable 6257, the average being 270°6. In the total
were included 11,600 flat-fishes, 5992 being marketable and 5608
unmarketable. The most common was the witch, of which 5819 were
caught (4987 marketable); the common dabs numbered 2991 (all
unmarketable but 203), and there were 1988 long rough dabs. The
quantity of plaice taken was moderate, viz. 707, and all were marketable ;
only eighty-seven lemon dabs were caught, and all these were also taken to
market. One black or common sole was obtained, a fish which is very
rare on the east coast. Haddocks and whitings were poorly represented,
933 of the former and 263 of the latter being the whole number.
Only eleven of the haddocks were too small to be taken to market—a
great contrast to what usually obtains in these waters. The cod
numbered 286, and the marketable codlings 208 ; there were also twenty-
five codlings too small to be marketable. Among 211 skates and rays
were six grey skates, seventy-six thornbacks, 124 starry rays and five
22 Part ITT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
sandy rays. The number of anglers caught was exceptionally large, being
431—150 of them being taken to market. Highty-three herrings were
taken, most of them in one haul, and also twelve sprats.
During most of the time of fishing at Burghead and between it and
Cromarty the wind had been blowing with fair strength, although variable
in direction. On the 10th it increased in force, and a shift was made to
the Dornoch Firth, where four hauls were made in from about six to
twelve fathoms. The quantity of fish caught was small, the total in each
of three of them being only a little over four hundred of all kinds ; in one
it amounted to 710. Few haddocks, cod, or whiting were obtained, the
bulk of the catch, such as it was, consisting of plaice. A considerable
number of flounders were taken, nearly all of large size and engaged in
spawning, the four hauls yielding 215.
The total number of fishes got in the four drags in the Dornoch Firth—
the actual time of fishing being seventeen hours and ten minutes—was
2027, which represents an average per hour of 118:0. The marketable
amounted to 1476, or an average of 86°0 per hour, and the unmarketable
551, or an average of 32°1 per hour. The flat-fishes greatly exceeded the
round-fishes in number, there being 1798 of them and only 203 of the
latter. Plaice were the most abundant, and after them common dabs.
Only 102 haddocks were got, none of them unmarketable, and six whitings,
all of which, except one, were unmarketable. The paucity of small
haddocks during the whole period of fishing on this occasion is
noteworthy.
Only one recorded haul in Aberdeen Bay was made on this trip,
and the number of fishes taken was still less than in the Moray Firth.
The haul lasted for four hours, and 155 fishes were caught, of which only
thirty-five were marketable. These comprised one cod, thirteen codling,
fifteen haddocks, three plaice, two lemon dabs, and one flounder, the
unmarketable consisting chiefly of whitings and common dabs.
The aggregate total of fishes taken and recorded in the seventeen hauls
in February was 16,268, of which 9340 were marketable and 6298
unmarketable. The total of flat-fishes was 13,455, and of round
fishes 2016.
The quantity of fish landed at the market by the vessel, as recorded
by the Fishery Officer, amounted to 47} cwts., as follows :—
Cod, Codling. Ling. Coal-fish. Haddock. Whiting. Turbot. Brill. Lemon Dab.
‘b 2 3 6 1 at 3 4
Plaice. Dabs. Witches. Cat-fish. Flounder. Angler. Skate.
14 t 6} 13 1 2 2
II.
The next series of trawlings was made in March on board the
*“‘ Devanha,” the catches being again recorded by Mr. James Ingram, jun.
In all, twenty-two recorded hauls were made, three in Aberdeen Bay on
the 16th, three in Burghead Bay on the 17th and 18th, four in the
Dornoch Firth, five on Smith Bank off the coast of Caithness, four off
Lossiemouth on the 20th, and three off Tarbet Ness on the 21st
and 22nd.
In Aberdeen Bay there was a heavy sea, with a S.S.E. wind, and the
catches were poor. The first haul here, in from thirteen to nineteen
fathoms off Newburgh, lasted for four hours, and 514 fishes were
captured, 478 being marketable and thirty-six unmarketable. They
included 123 cod and 195 marketable codling, as well as 184 plaice—
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 23
all but twenty-eight marketable ; but only four haddocks were taken.
The second drag in the same locality, and lasting for four hours and
twenty minutes, yielded only 205 fishes, of which 121 were marketable
and eighty-fonr unmarketable. In this haul only eight cod and four
codling were taken, but there were ninety-two haddocks—-all but eight
marketable ; the plaice numbered twenty-two, and there were a number
of small skates.
A third drag was made off Newburgh to Donmouth for four hours and
five minutes, in from eight to sixteen fathoms, and the catch amounted
to 375 fishes, 269 of which were marketable and 106 unmarketable.
There were included in it forty-seven cod and 126 marketable codlings,
a coal-fish, 145 plaice (ninety-two marketable), as well as a number of un-
marketable dabs, flounders, and skates. Only three haddocks were taken.
In the three drags in Aberdeen Bay, the time of the fishing being
twelve hours and twenty-five minutes, only 1094 fishes were caught, the
average per hour's fishing being 88:1. The marketable numbered 868,
with an average number per hour of 69°9, and the unmarketable 226,
with an average of 18:2. The total number of haddocks caught was
ninety-nine, and of whitings, seven. The following Table gives the
particulars of the marketable and unmarketable :—
Plaice, | COMPO? | Flounder.| Witch, | 4°" | Cod. | Codling.
2 268 4 178 | 325
I 83 33 14 4
Total | 351 33 4 4 4 178 | 325
Grey Thorn-
Gurnard. Skate. back.
A lumpsucker was also taken in one of the hauls. These fish are occa-
sionally caught in the trawl net near shore in spring, during their sawn-
ing time.
The vessel then steamed to the Moray Firth, visiting first the south
coast.
At Burghead Bay the catches were not very productive, comparatively
few marketable fishes being got except plaice. The first drag, which
lasted for three hours and fifty minutes, in from seven to twelve
fathoms, yielded a total of 652 fishes, 439 being marketable and 213
unmarketable. The former comprised four cod, three codling, only two
haddocks, no whitings, one turbot, eleven brill, 329 plaice, seventy com-
mon dabs, fourteen flounders, three cat-fishes, and two anglers—the
unmarketable consisting almost entirely of dabs. In the second haul,
which lasted for four hours and fifteen minutes, 705 fishes were got, of which
316 were marketable, the majority consisting of plaice. Twenty-eight
skates and rays were taken, ten being marketable, and three herrings.
24 Part ITT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
The third drag was more productive, 948 fishes being taken —607
marketable and 341 unmarketable; it lasted for four hours. The bulk
of the catch was composed of plaice and common dabs, 469 of the former
and 398 of the latter ; all the plaice except forty-three were marketable,
and 137 of the dabs.
Altogether the number of fishes obtained in the three drags in Burg-
head Bay aggregated, for the twelve hours and five minutes of actual
fishing, 2305, of which 1362 were marketable and 943 unmarketable.
The flat-fishes greatly preponderated, 2087 being caught, against only 121
round-fishes. Among the flat-fishes 1314 were taken to market and 773
thrown overboard, while only thirty-one of the round-fishes were market-
able, the marketable haddocks numbering two, and there were no market-
able whitings. The plaice caught numbered 1024, all but forty-three
being taken to market. The productiveness of the grounds in Burghead
Bay on this occasion was shown by the number taken per hour’s actual.
fishing, which was 190°8 for all kinds of fish—112°7 for the marketable
and 78:1 for the unmarketable. The average for the marketable plaice
was 81°2 per hour’s fishing.
The particulars of the marketable and unmarketable fishes are as
follows : —
Plaice. Goren Flounder. denen Turbot.| Brill. Cod. |Codling.
I. 981 263 39 10 1 20 7 13
II 43 729 1 1
Total 1,024 992 39 10 1 21 7 ili
Had- : z Thorn- | Starry
ddel. Cat-fish. | Gurnard.| Angler. back: Ray, Ray.
I 2 9 3 2 7 5 3
II 45 40 c 1 37 16 14 5
Total 47 40 9) 1 39 23 19 8
There were also taken in these hauls seven herrings and one lump-
sucker,
After leaving Burghead Bay the vessel steamed to the Dornoch Firth,
where four hauls were made in the usual locality, in sweeps around the
bay opposite Dunrobin, Golspie, and Embo, the depth of water being
from about eight to sixteen fathoms. In the first haul, which lasted
for four hours and five minutes, 999 fishes were taken, of which 822
were marketable and 177 unmarketable. The marketable fishes com-
prised twenty-four cod, 369 plaice, seventy-one common dabs, 317
flounders, as well as ten cat-fish, three lemon dabs, and eighteen skates and
rays. Round-fishes continued to be very scarce, only two haddocks and
a single whiting being caught. The second drag was a very poor one,
only 229 fishes being obtained, of which 148 were marketatle. There
were fifty-seven plaice, sixteen cod, twelve common dabs, and fifty-two
flounders. Three herrings and twenty-twe sprats were also taken. The
next haul-was better, a hundred cod and 110 marketable codling, as well
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 25
as 174 plaice, eleven lemon dabs, and a number of common dabs and
flounders, being caught. In the fourth drag the net got badly split, and
the catch was small, amounting to only 160 fishes, 111 being marketable.
It however included thirty-eight cod and forty-seven marketable plaice.
Omitting this imperfect haul, the total number of fishes taken in the
other three drags in the Dornoch Firth was 2066, of which 1470 were
marketable and 596 unmarketable. The duration of the fishing in these
drags was twelve hours and fifteen minutes, and the averages per hour’s
fishing were therefore as follows :—120-0 for the marketable, 48°7 for the
unmarketable, and 168-7 for both included. The average for plaice was
49-0 per hour. The three hauls yielded 140 cod, but only seven had-
docks and a single whiting, all marketable. The absence of small had-
docks and whitings both here and at Burghead Bay was remarkable, and
formed a striking contrast to what obtained later in the year.
The numbers of marketable and unmarketable fishes caught in the
three drags in the Dornoch Firth are as follows :—
Plaice. ae Flounder. Heron Brill. Cod. |Codling. ts
I. 600 128 420 16 2 140 115 ff
II 8 509 48
Total 608 637 468 7
Whiting, | Cat-fish. | Angler. Thorn- | Starry | Sandy
back. Ray. Ray.
I 1 14 1
ET; 2
Total 1 4 2 1
There were also caught three herrings, twenty-two sprats, and two
lumpsuckers.
On leaving the Dornoch Firth the vessel ran to Smith Bank, where
five hauls were made on the western edge in from about nineteen to
twenty-eight fathoms of water, and here much better results were
obtained than in the localities above described. The first haul, which
lasted for four hours, yielded 726 fishes, of which 262 were marketable and
464 unmarketable. The catch included eleven cod, a halibut, forty plaice,
a few lemon dabs and witches, and also 223 haddocks, in the latter respect
thus differing from the catches in the Dornoch Firth and Burghead Bay.
Eighty-two of the haddocks were too small to be marketable. There
were also 117 gurnards, a fish more sparingly represented in the previous
localities—at this season it is only found in any number in the deeper
waters offshore. The second drag was better than the first, 1016 fishes
being caught, of which 670 were marketable. They included thirty cod
574 haddocks, sixty-nine plaice, fifty-eight lemon dabs, and seven cat-fish.
Seventy-five of the haddocks were two small to be marketable.
The third haul produced 1934 fishes, 648 being marketable and 1286
unmarketable. On this occasion haddocks were well represented, 1379
being taken ; no less than 973 of these were too small to be marketable.
26 Part I11.-—Twenty-second Annual Report
The catch included twenty-eight cod, ninety plaice, 111 lemon dabs, three
cat-fish, and a few other kinds. The fourth and fifth hauls were not
quite so good as regards the number of fish caught. In the first of them
the total was 901, of which only 166 were marketable, and these included
sixty-two cod, forty-four plaice, fifty-two lemon dabs, and five cat-fish.
There were 333 haddocks, all too small to be marketable, and 126 whit-
ings, of which only one was marketable. ‘lhe number of fishes in the
last haul was still less, viz. 664, and all except 100 were unmarketable.
Those taken to market comprised twenty-three cod, fifty-four plaice, two
coal-fish, eleven lemon dabs, and a few others. The number of haddocks
caught was 127, and of whitings 216, but all the latter and all except
three of the haddocks were unmarketable.
Altogether in the five hauls in this locality, the time of actual fishing
being twenty hours and twenty-five minutes, 5241 fishes were taken, the
average per hour's fishing being 256°7. The proportion of marketable
was, however, not large, owing to the numbers of small haddocks and
dabs ; the number was 1846, the average per hour being 90°4, while there
were 3395 unmarketable, giving a ratio of 166°2 per hour.
The aggregate number of flat-fishes in the five drags was 1779, 569
being marketable and 1208 (chiefly common and long rough dabs)
unmarketable. Plaice were most numerous, 297 being taken, and lemon
dabs next, of which 249 were caught, all but ten marketable. The
ageregate of round-fishes was 3395, there being 1268 marketable and 2127
unmarketable. The number of haddocks was 2636, and 1049 of them
were marketable and 1587 too small to be taken to market—a consider-
able proportion. The average number of haddocks taken per hour’s fish-
ing was 129°1.
The particulars as regards the marketable and unmarketable of each
kind are given in the following Table :—
Com Flou Lemon Long
Plaice, | 400 aE) Witch. Halibut.] Rough | Brill. |Megrim
Dab, der, Dab. Dab
Had- ane Coal- | 77,3... | Cat- | Gur- | Grey |Thorn-
dock. | Whiting.) -.,, |Hake.! son. | nard. | Skate.| back.
1,049 30 4 0 iN ; 8 1
1,587 368 ; 1 : 149 6 26
Total 36 2,636 398 4 1 17 149 | 14 27
There were also caught in these hauls eighteen (unmarketed) anglers,
one dragonet, and nine red gurnards.
The next place examined was the grounds off Lossiemouth, where four
drags were made on the 20th, in from about seven to fourteen fathoms of
water. In two of them the net was badly torn, and the catches in
these cases was small, and may be neglected. In the first of the others
the total number of fishes caught in the four hours during which the drag
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 27
lasted amounted to 785, and of these 556 were marketable and 229
unmarketable. Very few haddocks were obtained, the total being three,
all marketable ; the chief fishes were cod, of which fifty were got, codling,
plaice, and flounders. In the other haul 690 fishes were obtained, 570
being marketable. On this occasion also the marketable fishes consisted
for the most part of cod, codling, plaice, and flounders, while only six
haddocks were taken.
The aggregate for the two hauls here, the actual fishing lasting eight
hours and fifteen minutes, was 1474, or an average per hour of 178°7.
The marketable fishes numbered 1126, an average of 136°5 per hour,
and the unmarketable 348, giving an average of 42°2. The flat-fishes
greatly preponderated, 1134, or an average of 137-4, being caught, as
compared with 327 round-fishes, with an average of 39:6. All the round-
fishes were marketable, and they comprised the large number of 127 cod,
172 codling, five coal-fish, and twelve cat-fish, but only nine haddocks
and two whitings. The flat-fishes included 524 plaice, all marketable
except nine (the average of the former being 62°4), 350 common dabs,
and 243 flounders.
Although the catches here were good, the fishing was carried on at some
expense of gear, and a shift was made to the north-east, off Tarbet Ness,
where three drags were taken in from twenty to twenty-six fathoms of
water. In the first, which occupied four hours and thirty-five minutes,
only 222 fishes were taken, 174 marketable, but the net was slightly split.
In the next haul 449 were caught, of which 130 were marketable, and in
the third 259, the marketable numbering 161. The chief fish taken in
this locality was cod, 142 being obtained.
Taking the two perfect hauls, the time of actual fishing being eight
hours and ten minutes, the number of fishes secured was 708, the average
per hour being 86°6. The number of marketable was 291, with an aver-
age of only 35:6, and the unmarketable 417, with an average of 51:0
The total included 137 plaice, 124 cod, 201 haddocks, of which only
sixteen were marketable, sixteen whitings, all unmarketable, and a few
others.
The quantity of fish landed from this trip amounted to 140? ecwts., as
follows :—
Cod. Codling, Ling. Coal-fish, Haddock, Turbot. Halibut. Brill.
1
81 54 3 2 34 $ & %
Lemon Dab. Plaice. Dabs. Megrim, Flounder. Cat-fish. Skates,
23 28} 12 4 44 5 5
REE:
From the 8th to the 13th of June another series of trawlings was
made on board the “ Drumblair,” the places visited being Burghead Bay,
the grounds off Lossiemouth, the Dornoch Firth, the ground off Lybster,
Smith Bank, and Aberdeen Bay, twenty-two hauls being recorded.
The fishing in Burghead Bay, where three drags were made on the
8th and 9th, was very poor, the total number of fish taken being only
560, of which 203 were marketable, the duration of the fishing being six
hours and forty minutes. In one of the hauls the net was slightly torn,
and in the other two, lasting for four hours and forty minutes, 390 were
caught, 125 of them being marketable. The average per hour at this
time in Burghead Bay was 84:1, the average for the marketable being
only 30°5. The catch consisted chiefly of plaice ; only one cod, two cod-
lings, a single haddock, and three whitings were caught. An explana-
28 Part ITT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
tion of the poor takes was probably the very large quantity of weed
which was found in the net, which was with difficulty cleansed of it,
experience showing that under such circumstances fish are usually scarce.
On leaving Burghead Bay the vessel proceeded to the ground off
Lossiemouth, where a haul was made in from eleven to fourteen fathoms,
about three miles off. The net was hauled in fifty minutes, and it con-
tained 278 fishes, of which only forty-one were marketable, viz. forty
plaice and one black or common sole. The unmarketable fishes num-
bered 237, and consisted of common dabs, small plaice, and gurnards, of
which there were 110. The weather both here and at Burghead Bay
was quite calm, the sea smooth, and there was a slight fog.
The vessel then steamed to the Dornoch Firth, where a number of drags
were taken. In the first, which lasted for only twenty-eight minutes, the
net having caught on sornething on the bottom, ninety-five fishes were taken,
of which forty-one were marketable and fifty-four unmarketable. They
consisted mostly of plaice and common dabs; only one haddock was
obtained, and there were no whitings. For the time the net was fishing
the catch was fairly good, and a ‘‘dan” was put down and a few of the
succeeding hauls were made around it. In the first of these, in from
five to eleven fathoms, and in two hours and forty-two minutes actual
fishing, a large bag of fish was secured. The total number of fishes was
4928, of which 1555 were marketable and 3373 unmarketable. With
the exception of fifty gurnards and twenty-four thornbacks, they were
all flat-fishes and nearly all plaice. ‘These numbered no less than 4638,
of which 1525 were marketable and 3113 unmarketable; the former
consisted of eleven “ large,” 205 ‘‘ mediums,” 370 “small,” and 939
“fourths.” The small unmarketable plaice measured from three and
three-quarter inches up to ten inches in length. The catch also included
four brill and six flounders.
In the next recorded haul, on the same ground and lasting for four
hours, 4859 fishes were taken, of which 1318 were marketable and 3541
unmarketable. The great bulk again consisted of plaice, which numbered
4517, and of these 1211 were marketable and 3306 unmarketable. The
other marketable fishes included one turbot, one brill, eighty-five common
dabs, one lemon dab, and nineteen thornbacks. The small “ offal”
plaice were of the same sizes as in the former haul, and their great
abundance showed how destructive the otter-trawl may be on such
shallow-water grounds in certain cases. In the two hauls forty-three
thornbacks were got, and the males greatly preponderated. In fifty-six
examined from these and other catches, there were fifty-one males and
only five females—a proportion the reverse of what usually obtains.*
The larger and medium-sized gurnards were spawning, and they were
found to be feeding on shore-crabs.
Owing to the quantity of small plaice taken, it was decided to shift a
little further out so as to avoid the shallow water, and the result was immedi-
ately apparent. In the first haul made here, in from nine to thirteen
fathoms, the “ bag” was not so large, but the fish were of better size.
The haul lasted for four hours and two minutes, and the fishes caught
numbered 1144, of which 432 were marketable and 712 unmarketable.
The former included 412 plaice, of a total of 1105, the large numbering
twenty-eight, the medium fifty-eight, the small 110, and the fourths 216.
There were also two cod, ten common dabs, two flounders, one cat-fish,
and five thornbacks. The fourth class of marketable plaice consisted of
fish measuring from 23 centimetres (nine inches) to a little over 31 centi-
metres (twelve and a half inches), and the unmarketable from 19:8 cm.
* Twenty-first Annual Report, Part TII., p. 280.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 29
(seven and three-quarter inches) to about 23-5 cm., or nine and a quarter
inches ; a few were a little larger. The selection of the various classes
by the men, being solely by the eye, is never perfect, one class always
overlapping another more or less.
A number of other hauls were made on this ground with the same
general results, the marketable fishes consisting of plaice and scarcely any-
thing else, round-fishes, withthe exception of gurnards, being almost
absent. During the time in the Dornoch Firth the weather was
very favourable for fishing operations on the whole, though on the 10th
there was some wind from the east, which made the sea a little choppy,
causing the vessel to roll.
In the ten recorded hauls in the somewhat deeper water, from eight to
thirteen fathoms and mostly from eight to eleven, the time of actual
fishing being thirty-eight hours and thirty-two minutes, the aggregate
number of fishes captured was 7613, of which 3565 were marketable and
4046 unmarketable. They consisted mostly of flat-fishes, and chiefly of
plaice, the former numbering 7316, and the round-fishes, nearly all
gurnards, only 279. The average per hour’s fishing was 92-5 for the
marketable, and 105-0 for the unmarketable, the general average for both
combined being 197:5. Only five cod, two (unmarketable) codlings, thirty-
two haddocks, all marketable, were taken, and not a single whiting. The
plaice numbered 6680, of which 3450 were marketable and 3230
unmarketable, the respective averages per hour’s fishing being 89°5 and
83°8 for the marketable and unmarketable, and 173-3 for both together.
In the two first hauls in the somewhat shallower water above described
a greater number of fishes were captured in the six hours and forty-two
hours of fishing, viz. 9787, the average per hour being 1460-7 ; the
marketable numbered 2873, with an average of 428-7, and the unmarket-
able 6914, with an average of 1032°0. The number of plaice in these
two hauls was 9155, the average per hour being 1366-4; the marketable
amounted to 2736, with an average of 4084, and the unmarketable to
6419, with an average of 958:0. These numbers are very rarely reached.
The number of marketable and unmarketable fishes taken in the twelve
hauls was as follows :—
F Jom. - F L ‘ ‘od]i
Plaice. ou eae Brill. | Turbot. a D | Cod, | Codling.
ie 6,186 141 11 7 i 1 5
IL 9,649 963 3 2
Total | 15,835} 1,104 14 G 1 1 5 2
Thorn- ae
Haddock,| Hake. | Cat-fish. | Gurnard.| Angler. ack: Sprat.
I 382 1 5 50 -
Il. 234 8 7 1
Total 32 if 5 234. 8 57 1
It is of interest to contrast the proportions in which the plaice of
different sizes were caught in the two hauls in the shallower water and in
30 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
the ten in a little deeper water on this occasion ; and in the appended
Table I give the percentage of each size to the total, and the average
number taken in each hour’s fishing in the two cases respectively. The
two hauls are indicated by A and the ten by B.
Large. Medium, euler Fourths. capa
A No. 27 329 681 1,699 6,419
B No, 174 Tired) 91179 1,322 | ee
oe beeniies 0-29 eit) 728) 18°55 70°11
B phe: 2°60 11:60 17°65 19°80 48:3
|
A | No. per 4-0 49-1 101°6 253°6 958-0
Hour’s
B | Fishing. 4°5 | 20:1 30°6 34°3 83°8
It will be seen how much greater the proportion of small plaice, under
about ten inches, is in the former case than in the latter. The actual
abundance on the ground, as shown by the average per shot, indicates that
while the large plaice were nearly equally distributed, the medium
plaice, and still more markedly those still smaller, were far more numerous
in the shallower water. Nevertheless it will be observed that the largest
average in each case is for the unmarketable fish, that is, under about
nine and a half or ten inches.
Two hauls with the small-meshed net around the cod-end were made
in the Dornoch Firth. In the first, which was for an hour and twenty-
eight minutes, it was found on getting the trawl up that the fine net had
been holed. The total number of fishes taken was 143, belonging to
eleven species, as follows :—Plaice 55, common dab 38, lemon dab 2, little
or yellow sole 3, cod 10, haddock 1, gurnard 14, cat-fish 1, sand-eel 16,
goby 1, gemmeous dragonet 2. In the second haul, which lasted for an
hour, the catch was also very small, viz. 170 fishes, belonging to five
species, viz.—plaice 103, common dab, 57, gurnard 7, sand-eel, 1, angler 2.
The next place where fishing was carried on was off Lybster on the
coast of Caithness, where a drag for two hours in twenty-three fathoms
gave 584 fishes, of which 383 were marketable and 201 unmarketable.
The catch comprised six marketable plaice, forty-six marketable lemon
dabs, and forty common dabs, as well as 410 haddocks, 308 of them
being marketable, two cod, and forty-four whitings, twenty-five of which
were too small to be marketable.
Smith Bank was then visited, and a haul there, in from nineteen to
twenty-two fathoms, for two hours and five minutes, gave a total of 773
fishes, 378 being marketable. The flat-fishes consisted of two turbot, 220
common dabs, and twenty-nine lemon dabs, all but seven of them market-
able ; there were also taken 481 haddocks, 316 marketable, one cod anid
twelve marketable codlings, as well as two cat-fish and twenty-three
gurnards.,
After leaving the Moray Firth five hauls were made in Aberdeen Bay,
with very good results. The first was in from eight to ten fathoms off
the Black Dog, and it lasted for four hours. The number of fishes taken
was 1749, of which 1384 were marketable and 365 unmarketable, the
bulk of the catch consisting of plaice and haddocks. Of 917 haddocks
caught, 707 were marketable and 210 unmarketable; all the former
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 31
were “thirds” or small. The plaice totalled 597, all but twenty being
marketable, and of these twenty-five were large, 363 mediums, and
189 small, There were also one cod, three marketable codlings and
fourteen unmarketable, forty small whitings, 150 dabs, twenty-five
gurnards, and two anglers.
The next haul in the same place, and also lasting for four hours, gave
almost exactly the same numbers, the total being 1745, the marketable
1312 and the unmarketable 433. The haddocks numbered 1013, all
being small and 250 of them uumarketable, while of the 507 plaice,
all of which were marketable, fifteen were large, 162 medium, and 330
small ; there were no “fourths,” a still smaller class, as in the Moray
Firth.
In these two drags at this place, the duration of fishing being eight
hours, 3494 fishes were captured, the average per hour being 436°6.
The marketable, numbering 2696, gave an average of 337°0, and the
unmarketable, of which there were 798, an average of 99-6.
Three other hauls were made in from twelve to fifteen fathoms, off
Slains Castle, with even better results. Only one was completely
recorded ; it lasted for four hours, and 2068 fishes were taken, 1855
marketable and 213 unmarketable. The number of haddocks was 1797,
all but 109 marketable ; there were fewer plaice, viz. 160, all marketable,
and they comprised sixty mediums and one hundred small. The other
marketable fishes were two turbots and five brill. In the next haul, fur
three hours, 4283 marketable fishes were secured ; the nnmarketable
were not counted, but they consisted of six basketfuls, mostly of small
haddocks. The haddocks enumerated amounted to 4126, of which 303
were mediums, 3193, smalls and 630 fourths, or very small. There were
also eighty-seven plaice, al] marketable, and seventy marketable common
dabs. ‘The last drag, for- four hours, yielded 1985 marketable fishes, the
haddocks numbering 1871 and the plaice 107; all the haddocks were
thirds and fourths. The offal was not noted.
The following are the particulars of each class of fish taken in the three
completely recorded drags in Aberdeen Bay :—
we Common . Cod- | Had- | Whit-} Gur- | Ang-
Plaice, Dab. Turbot. | Brill. | Cod. ling: |'dock.| ing. | nard | ler.
E 1,244 94 2 7 1 3 13,158] 40 | - 2
Il. 20 263 : i : 39 | 569) 56 | 61 3
Total | 1,264 357 2 7 Eo} 43771 3:727 | 961 61 5
The quantity of fish landed at the market, as the result of this trip,
as recorded by the Fishery Officer, was 81 ewts., as follows :—
Cod. Codling. Coal-fish. Hake, Haddock. . Turbot.
i 4 wh 4 f ,
Brill. Lemon Dab, Plaice, Cat-fish. Flounder, Skates.
5 633 13 3 9
LVi:
In October another series of trawlings was made, by means of the
steam-trawler “‘Star of the North,” the grounds visited being Aberdeen
Bay, Burghead Bay, the Dornoch Firth, off Lybster, and Smith Bank.
Cc
32 Part ITI._—Twenty-second Annual Report
In Aberdeen Bay five hauls were made on the 16th and 17th of
the month, with fair results, a strong breeze blowing from the S.W.,
while the sea was rough. The first was off Black Dog in from eight to
twelve fathoms, and it lasted four hours. The catch amounted to 1978
fishes, of which 1538 were marketable, most consisting of haddocks. Of
these 1517 were caught, all marketable, the majority being “large” or
“ firsts,” viz. 749. Thirteen cod and 121 codlings, of which 118 were
marketable, were included in the catch, as well as 264 whitings, twenty-
two plaice, one lemon dab, and twenty-eight common dabs. The next
drag in the same locality, and in from nine to twelve fathoms, gave almost
the same result, viz. a total of 1964, of which 1889 were marketable.
The number of haddocks was 1099, all marketable, there being 395 large,
164 medium, and 540 thirds. There were also four cod and 282 codlings, all
but nine marketable, 275 whitings, ten brill, 194 plaice, twelve lemon dabs,
and seventy-three common dabs._ A third haul for four hours in the same
locality gave 1287 fishes, 1216 of which were marketable, the bulk of the
catch consisting of large and medium haddocks, cod, codlings, and plaice.
The fourth drag was made in from twelve to twenty fathoms, from the
same place towards Cruden Skerries, and lasted for three hours and a
quarter. The catch consisted of 1685 fishes, 1634 being marketable.
The number of haddocks was 790, of which 237 were large, 156
mediums, and 397 thirds. Besides nine cod, 387 codlings were taken, all
but five marketable, 228 whitings, 204 plaice, some dabs and rays. The
fifth haul was made from the Skerries towards Aberdeen and lasted for
an hour, The catch amounted to 208 fishes, chiefly haddocks, whitings,
and plaice ; it was made with the small-meshed net around the cod-end.
The three hauls in from eight to twelve fathoms, the time of actual
fishing being eleven hours and fifty minutes, yielded a total of 5229
fishes, the rate per hour being 442°0. The marketable numbered 5043,
with an average per hour of 426°3, and the unmarketable 186, with an
average of 15°7. The aggregate of haddocks was 3281, with an average
per hour of 277°3. A feature was the large number of marketable cod-
lings, of which 570 were taken in three hauls,
The particulars of the catches of the first four drags in Aberdeen Bay
are these :—
Plaice, | Common ) Lemon | turbot. | Brill. | Cod. | Codling.
if 615 71 30 3 23 52 | 952
Il. a 126 : z : ? 28
Haddock, | Whiting. | Gurnard. | Angler. ace ieoniae pp
I 4,071 830 1 16 8 5
ist 49 21 2 3 2 6
Total 4,071 879 21 3 19 10 11
In the haul with the small-meshed net, for an hour, the total number
of fishes caught was 384, as follows :—Plaice 42, common dab 26, long
rough dab 1, cod 22, haddock 94, whiting 190, sprat 9.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 33
The fishing in the Moray Firth was begun on the 19th, Burghead Bay
being first visited ; the weather was calm, and very large quantities of
fish were taken. The first haul was in from twelve to twenty fathoms,
but. mostly in and about ten, and lasted for four hours, The bag of fish
was an exceptionally large one, comprising thirty-one and a half baskets
of haddocks, mostly small, and six baskets of plaice, as well as other
fishes. The total number of the fishes caught was 8382. of which 7286
were marketable and 1096 unmarketable. Among the former were 6439
haddocks and 622 plaice, sixty whitings, a halibut, two brill, thirty
witches, twenty common dabs, and ninety-six gurnards. The unmarket-
able consisted chiefly of common dabs, whitings, and plaice.
The other four hauls at Burghead Bay were made in water from eight
to twelve and thirteen fathoms, and they were also good in regard to the
result. In the first, lasting for four hours, 3446 fishes were taken, 2581
marketable and 865 unmarketable. The former included 1463 haddocks,
646 plaice, and 255 whitings, and also a turbot, three brill, two witches,
and some common dabs and gurnards, The next, also for four hours,
produced 2556 fishes, 1596 marketable and 960 unmarketable, haddocks
and plaice predominating. In the next haul, also for four hours, 4037
fishes were caught, 3005 of them being marketable and 1032 unmarket-
able. The catch included 2119 haddocks and 491 plaice.
In the last haul, for one hour, the catch amounted to 912 fishes, 515
being marketable and 397 unmarketable ; most consisted of plaice, had-
docks, and common dabs.
The aggregate quantity of fish taken in these five drags, the time of
fishing being seventeen hours, was the large one of 19,333 fishes, 14,983
being marketable and 4350 unmarketable. The averages per hout’s fishing
were 1137°2 for the whole, 881°3 for the marketable, and 255-9 for the
unmarketable. The total number of haddocks was 10,910, with an
average of 641°8; the number of plaice was 2730, the average being
160-6, and the number of common dabs 3618, giving an average per hour
of 212°8. There were very few cod or codlings, viz. three of the former
and fifty-two of the latter, and 523 gurnards, of which 379 were taken to
market, The productiveness of the grounds in Burghead Bay on this
occasion very strikingly contrasted with the condition in spring and in
June.
The following Table gives the numbers of the marketable and
unmarketable fishes taken in the five hauls, the former being dis-
tinguished by the figure I., and the latter by II. :-—
Plaice, | COMO) Witch. | E8™ | Halibut. | Turbot. | Brill. | Angler.
I. | 2,622 218 68 6 1 2 5
Cod. | Codling. | Haddock. | Whiting. | Hake. | Gurnard.| 420t
I 3 49 | 10,753 865 1 379 ul
34 Part IIL.—Twenty-second Annual Report
The proportion of the small plaice to those of larger size here was very
different to what it was in the Dornoch Firth in June, The unmarket-
able gave only a ratio of 6°3 per hour, as shown in the appended Table,
which also gives the numbers, and the average per hour’s fishing, for the
various classes of haddocks :—
Plaice. Large. Medium. Small. Fourths. baa siros oc
INS : 22 677 795 1,128 108
Average per
Hour : 1:3 39°8 46°8 66°3 6:3
: : : Unmarket-
Haddock. Large. Medium. Small. Fourths. able
IN@s = "% . 62 521 9,988 182 157
Average per
Hour : 36 30°6 5875 10°7 9:2
In one haul, for an hour, in eight to twelve fathoms, with the small-
meshed net around the cod-end of the otter-trawl, 997 fishes were
obtained, belonging to twelve species, as follows :—
Plaice. Common Dab. Witch. Cod. Haddock. Whiting.
229 340 13 21 246 93
Hake. Gurnard. Pogge. Angler. Dragonet. Thornback.
1 50 1 1 1 i
The fishing in the Dornoch Firth, which was the next place visited, was
. fairly good, but not so productive as at Burghead Bay. The first haul
was made on the afternoon of the 20th October, off Dunrobin and Golspie,
in from eight to fourteen fathoms of water, and lasted for two hours,
The number of fishes caught was 793, of which 677 were marketable and
116 unmarketable. They included forty-two cod, thirty-three codlings,
all but seven marketable, 592 haddocks, nearly all marketable, twenty-
seven whitings, two brill, twenty-two plaice, and one or two others. The
weather was fine, a light wind blowing from the south-west. In the
next drag in the same locality, and lasting also for two hours, 842 fishes
were caught, 771 being marketable. There were only three cod, but the
number of haddocks was increased to 652, and of plaice to a hundred.
A number of other hauls were made on the same grounds, the best being
one of four hours’ duration, by which 2486 fishes were taken, 2239
marketable and 247 unmarketable. Only one cod was included in the
catch, but there were 1846 haddocks and 345 plaice, as well as some
codlings, whitings, lemon dabs, and others. In the next haul the net was
split, but the one succeeding it yielded 2223 fishes, 2081 being market-
able. The haddocks numbered 1926, and the plaice 133, and there were
also five cod, forty-two codlings, and some dabs.
Altogether there were nine recorded drags in this place, and the agere-
gate of fishes taken was 12,253, 9611 being marketable and 2642
unmarketable. The averages per hour of actual fishing were 331°4 for
the marketable, 91:1 for the unmarketable, and 422°5 for both combined.
The average per hour for the haddocks was 266°8 and for the plaice 57:0.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 35
In the following Table are given the totals of each kind of fish taken in
these nine hauls, the marketable being indicated by I. and the unmarket-
able by IL. :—
Plaice, | Common | witch, | Lemon | Bein. Cod. | Codling. |
1. 1,552 89 2 23 5 bd 138
IL. 100
Total | 1,652
Haddock. Whiting. | Coal-fish. | Gurnard. Cat-fish, | Thornback,.
I, 7,666 30 - BH) 1 12
Il 70 190 2 99
Total 7,736 223 2 134 1 12
There were also a conger, seven anglers, twenty-two sprats, five picked
dog-fishes, an armed-bullhead, a little or yellow sole, and a sting ray
(Trygon). The proportions of the plaice and haddocks of different sizes is
indicated in the following Table :—
: 4 ve Unmarket-
Large. | Medium. | Small. Fourths. alla:
Nostra ; 100 261 438 753 100
Plaice Average per
Hour , 34 9-0 15:1 26°0 34
Nox : 1,033 879 5,754 - 70
Had-
dock Average per
Hour : 35°6 30°3 198°4 - 2°4
In a haul for an hour, in from eight to thirteen fathoms, with the
small-meshed net around the cod-end, 1522 fishes were captured, belonging
to fifteen species, as follows :—
Brill, - - - 1 Coal-fish, - - 1
Plaice, - - - 364 Gurnard, - - » 33
Lemon Dab, - 3 Pogge, - - 4
Common Dab, - 724 Sprat, - - 43
Little Sole, - . 8 Sting Ray, : 1
Cod, - . - 8 Thornback, - 1
Haddock, - Mie ioe) Piked Dog-fish, - 1
Whiting, - - 233
After leaving the Dornoch Firth the vessel steamed to the grounds oft
Lybster, where five hauls were made in twenty-three and twenty-four
fathoms of water and good catches of haddocks got. In the first, which
was for one hour, 1008 fishes were taken, of which 956 were marketable
and fifty-two unmarketable. The haddocks numbered 904, all but four
marketable ; there were also fifty-one whitings, fourteen plaice, five lemon
36 Part II].—Twenty-second Annual Report
dabs, and thirty common dabs. The next drag, for two hours, yielded
2740 fishes—2674 being marketable and sixty-six unmarketable. The
number of haddocks caught was 2463 (twenty basketfuls), all except nine
marketable ; there were also 224 whitings and a few flat-fishes. The
third haul, for three hours, was scarcely so good, 2810 fishes being taken,
of which 2665 were marketable. The catch included 2008 haddocks,
nineteen codlings, twenty-six plaice, four lemon dabs, and eighty-six
common dabs.
The five drags here—the time of actual fishing being thirteen hours—
produced altogether 9992 fishes, or at the rate of 768°6 per hour; the
marketable numbered 9536, the average per hour being 732°5, and the
unmarketable 456, with an average per hour of 35:1. The total number
of haddocks was 8063, of which only forty-nine were unmarketable, the
average per hour’s fishing being 620°2, Only 349 flat-fishes were caught
in the five hauls, and of these 108 were marketable, consisting of
eighty-two plaice and twenty-six lemon dabs ; the unmarketable were 241
common dabs.
The following Table gives the numbers of the marketable and unmarket-
able fishes respectively :—
: Lemon |Common Cod- | Had-| Whit-) Gur- /Thorn-) Ang-
HE Dab. Dab. cad ling. | dock.| ing. | nard. back. ler.
Ts 82 26 - 25 45 | 8,014) 1,315} 27 2
Le - - 241 - 28 AST 12:18 a6 - 1
Total 82 26 241 25 73 | 8,063 | 1,436 | 43 2 1
The haddocks were on the whole of a good class, 2078 being firsts, 1530
mediums, and 4406 thirds, the respective averages per hour’s fishing being
as follows :—
Firsts. Seconds, Thirds, Fourths. Unmarketable.
No. 2,078 1,530 4,406 — 49
Average 159°8 OU ETE 3389°0 — 3°8
Of the eighty-two plaice obtained, seven were large or firsts, sixty-four
were mediums, and eleven thirds.
A small-meshed haul was made here for one hour, but the fine net was
torn. The number of fishes taken was 1034, as follows :—
Plaice, - - a Cod, - - - 9
Lemon Dab, . 5 Haddock, - - 906
Common Dab, - 49 Whiting, - - Ol
Before leaving the Moray Firth two hauls were made on Smith Bank,
on the edge, in about twenty-one and twenty-two fathoms. The first, for
an hour, with the small-meshed net attached, yielded 1300 fishes, of which
350 were marketable and 950 unmarketable. The latter chiefly consisted
of common dabs and whitings, and the former of haddocks. The total
for both nets was 1811 fishes, belonging to twelve species, as follows :—
Plaice, - - - $i Haddock, - - 306
Common Dab, - 962 Whiting, - - 442
Lemon Dab, Shee) Gurnard, - ay yaills
Long Rough Dab,- 20 Pogge,- - 4
Little Sole, - - 1 Gobius minutus, 1
Cod, - eupiee (0) Dragonet, - - 4
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 37
The second drag was for three hours:and forty minutes, and the number
of fishes taken was 1236, 980 being marketable and 256 unmarketable.
They included 107 cod, twenty-seven codlings, all marketable, a ling, 796
haddocks, all but ten marketable, thirty-four plaice, all marketable,
fifteen lemon dabs, and some whitings and common dabs.
The haddocks were mostly of the third or small class, only thirty being
firsts and 110 seconds.
Another haul with the small-meshed net around the cod-end was made
at the “ witch ground” about twelve miles off Kinnaird Head, the depth
being fifty-one fathoms, and the duration of the haul one hour. The
total number of fishes taken in both nets was 2187, belonging to eleven
species ; no witches were captured. The numbers of each kind were as
follows :—
Plaice, - - - 3 Whiting, - E PAge
Common Dab, - 412 Norway Pout, - 613
Long Rough Dab, 269 Gurnard, - 2 12
Cod, - = : 1! Gobius minutus, - 1
Hake, - . - 6! Angler, - - 1
Haddock, - - 447 |
The aggregate number of fish taken in twenty-four recorded hauls in
this trip in the Moray Firth and Aberdeen Bay—the duration of the
actual fishing being seventy-seven hours and forty minutes—was 49,728.
Of these, 41,787 were brought to market and 7941 thrown overboard.
The quantity, in cwts., as determined by the Fishery Officer when the
fish were landed, was as follows, the total being 2712 cwts. :—
Cod, Codling. Ling. Hake. Haddock. Whiting.
O98 174 4 g 1434 144
Turbot. Brill. Lemon Dab. _Plaice. Dabs. Witches.
g 1 23 < z 3
Conger. Skate. Gurnard. Angler.
3h 2 1
Vi
At the end of October six hauls in Aberdeen Bay were made by the
steam-trawler ‘‘ Lochryan,” four of which were recorded. In the first, in
from eight to fifteen fathoms of water, and which lasted for two hours and
twenty minutes, 835 fishes were taken, of which 675 were marketable and
160 unmarketable. The catch included twenty-nine cod, forty-three
codlings, all marketable, 399 haddocks, 338 whitings, seven plaice, a
brill, and a common sole. In the second haul, in from seven and a half
to twelve fathoms, for four hours and thirty-five minutes, 1066 fishes were
taken, the number marketable being 930. There were 106 cod, 151
codlings, all except six marketable, four coalfish, 320 haddocks, only
eleven of which were unmarketable, 308 plaice, and a number of
whitings and others. The succeeding two hauls were rather better,
haddocks especially being more abundant, and altogether in the four
drags—the time of actual fishing being fifteen hours and twenty-five
minutes—6042 fishes were taken, of which 4654 were narketable and
1388 unmarketable, the average per hour’s fishing being for the whole
catch 392°1, for the marketable 302-0, and for the unmarketable 90:1.
The average per hour for haddocks was 196°3, for whitings 117°5, and for
38 Part II1I—Twenty-second Annual Report
plaice 33°5, The numbers of fishes of the various kinds, marketable (1.)
and unmarketable (II.), were as follows :—
Long
° Common} Floun- | Lemon ‘ :
Plaice. DEL dae Dab. Sole. Brill. Roush Cod.
I 507 40 5 3 Dy) 1 197
II 10 33 2
Total 517 73 5 3 2 1 2 197
Codling. | Haddock. | Whiting. | Coal-fish. | Gurnard. |Thornback SEIEY
Ray.
i 322 2,863 709 4 - 1
1B 22 162 1,101 - 9 2 47
Total 344 3,025 1,810 4 9 3 47
In a haul with the small-meshed net, which lasted for an hour, the
total number of fishes taken was 1981, belonging to ten species, as
follows :—
Plaice, - - =f pod Haddock, - - 1190
Lemon Dab, - 1 Whiting, - =) COL
Common Dab, : 6 Gurnard, - . 6
Long Rough Dab, 2 Sprat, - - 2
Cod, - - - 45 Grey Skate, —- 1
The total quantity of fish landed, in cwts., was as follows, the time of
fishing (including the incompletely recorded drags) being nineteen hours
and five minutes :—
Cod. Codling. Coal-fish. Haddock. Whiting. Turbot. Plaice. Dabs.
25 74 n 21 44 4 7 4
=664
aL!
The next series of trawling experiments was made in November, the
vessel employed being the steam-trawler ‘Glenogil,” and the places
examined were Aberdeen Bay, Burghead Bay, the Dornoch Firth, between
Burghead and Cromarty, and Smith Bank.
Four hauls were made in Aberdeen Bay on 6th and 7th November, off
Newburgh, and between Black Dog and Collieston. In the first, in from
eight to ten fathoms, which lasted for three hours, 1383 fishes were
secured, 1314 of which were marketable and sixty-nine unmarketable.
The former consisted mostly of haddocks and whitings ; of 1013 haddocks
taken, 977 were marketable and thirty-six unmarketable, and of 32]
whitings all but eighteen were marketable. The other fishes comprised
one cod, twenty-seven codlings, a few dabs and gurnards, as well as six
herrings and two sprats. Only two plaice were caught in this drag.
Most of the haddocks belonged to the third and fourth classes, only 135
were “large” and sixty-nine “medium.” The smallest haddocks amongst
the unmarketable measured six and seven inches in length,
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 39
The next haui in the same locality, in five and a half to twelve fathoms,
lasting for two hours, yielded only seventy-one fishes, and there was
nothing apparent to account for the very small catch. The marketable
fish consisted of thirteen haddocks—viz., one large, six medium, and
six fourths—twenty-four whitings, one plaice, and one dab. Other two
hauls were made in from four and a half to twelve fathoms, bat the
catches were small, the marketable fishes consisting chiefly of haddocks,
plaice, and whitings. Altogether in the four hauls made in Aber-
dren Bay—the actual time of fishing being twelve hours and five minutes
—the total number of fishes captured was 2630, the average per hour
being 217-7; the number of marketable was 2394, with an average of
198-2, and the unmarketable 236, with an average of 19:5. The
haddocks numbered 1485, the average per hour’s fishing being 122°9 ; the
whitings 573, with an average of 47:4, and the plaice 379, with an
average of 31:3.
The numbers of the marketable (I.) and the unmarketable (II.) of each
_ kind are shown in the following Table :—
Common ous
Plaice. Dab Rough Brill. Cod. | Codling, |Haddock.
rt Dab.
I. 378 27 - 2 3 77 1,417
Il. 1 6 14 - - 13 68
Total 379 33 11 2 3 90 1,485
Whiting. | Gurnard. eerey ened a Herring.| Sprat.
I 490
Il. a i 3 1 7 7 2
atte sess | oem eee AS [ree Dene EM pes en ees ma eh re te
Total 573 24 3 1 17 7 2
The vessel then landed the fish which had been caught in Aberdeen
Bay before proceeding to the Moray Firth, and the quantities as recorded
in the market, by the Fishery Officer, in cwts. were as follows :—
Cod. Codling, Haddock. Whiting. Plaice.
1 1 74 13 2
In the Moray Firth the first place visited was Burghead Bay, where
five hauls were made, four of which were recorded. In the first, which
lasted for three hours and ten minutes, 1682 fishes were caught, of which
1365 were marketable and 317 unmarketable. Among the former were
eleven cod, 506 haddocks, ten whitings, nine brill, 790 plaice, and thirty-
four common dabs. The unmarketable were composed mostly of small
haddocks and gurnards. In the second drag, lasting for four hours and
fifteen minutes, 2421 fishes were taken, 1930 marketable and 491
unmarketable. The greater part of the catch again consisted of plaice and
haddocks. It also included a turbot, ten brill, and a black or common
sole. The number of fishes taken in the third haul, which lasted four
hours, was 1779, the number marketable being 1273. They consisted
40 Part ITT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
for the most part of plaice, of which 1158 were obtained. There
were only seventy-five small haddocks, twenty-five marketable and fifty
too small to be marketable. In this drag no less than thirty-one brill
were taken, a number that is scarcely ever reached in these trawling
operations, and there were also five turbot. The fourth drag lasted for
two hours and thirty-five minutes, and 1131 fishes were captured, of
which 733 were marketable and 398 unmarketable. Only twenty-five
small and unmarketable haddocks were caught in this drag ; the market-
able plaice numbered 678, and there were seven brill.
During the time of fishing in the Bay the weather was favourable,
though somewhat squally, with rain, the wind blowing from the west.
The aggregate number of fishes taken in the four hauls in the fourteen
hours of actual fishing was 7013, of which 5301 were marketable and
1712 unmarketable. The average catch per hour’s fishing was for the
marketable 378°6, and for the unmarketable 122°3; the average for both
combined was 500-9. The number of plaice caught was 3588, the
average per hour being 256°3, and the number of haddocks 1823, with an
average of 130-2.
The numbers of the marketable and unmarketable of each species are
given in the following Table :—
Plaice. pe Witch. Tene RB Sole Turbot. Brill.
ile 3,476 238 6 ) it 6 57
IL. 112 584 - - - - -
Total 3,588 822 6 9 1 6 By
Cod. Codling. | Haddock, } Whiting. | Gurnard. boo Angler.
back.
I 19 66 1,358 36 23 6
1 - 35 465 99 396 9 12
Total 19 101 1,823 135 396 32 18
With regard to the general size of the plaice and haddocks captured,
the great majority were small. Especially was this the case with the
haddocks, only six of the large and forty-five of the medium being taken.
The numbers of each class and the average per hour's fishing are given
in the following Table :—
ris , i Offal or
Firsts. Seconds. Thirds. Fourths. Unmarketable.
f 6 45 ide 1,230 465
Haddock, (0-4 3:9 5:5 88:0 83'2
d (77 575 2,824 - 112
Plaice, 155 411 201°7 = 80
On leaving Burghead Bay the vessel steamed to the Dornoch Firth,
where a number of hauls were made, the weather being calm and the sea
smooth, a light wind coming from the north-west.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. Al
The first drag was made in from five to thirteen fathoms, off Golspie.
It Jasted for four hours and five minutes, and the catch was a good one,
the marketable fishes numbering 2346, the unmarketable 1139, and the
aggregate 3485. Plaice and haddocks formed the bulk of the catch; of
the former 2166 were taken, 1264 of which were marketable and 902
unmarketable. Most of the plaice were of small size, only five being
large, 167 medium, and 1092 thirds, while the offal in this haul num-
bered 902. Some of these, however, were quite large enough to go to
market as fourths, and after this fourths were also selected. I found
that the sizes of the larger specimens of the “unmarketable” plaice
were on this occasion between nine and eleven inches: I give the
measurements of seventy-six of the larger ones, in centimetres and
inches :—
Centimetres, . | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 80 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34
fighess) & | Sil =| Se Geb ss] Toe) Be | ry eg) 4 ton) 2 |) Sh ray
Nome 4 Os 5tl 98 Op Si) ae) ese Wi cl Bh ele L
)
The larger of these plaice were in reality ‘‘ thirds” ; but the selection,
as previously mentioned, is never quite exact.
The next haul, in the same locality, was for four hours and twenty-five
minutes, but the fishing was chiefly conducted in from eight to ten
fathoms. The number of fishes taken was 1808, of which 1368 were
marketable and 440 unmarketable. Haddocks were much scarcer, only
375 being caught, and it may be said generally in regard to this fish at
this time in the Dornoch Firth that the quantity taken in the various
hauls varied very much, there being sometimes only a few and sometimes
over a thousand. They were obviously present, as the trawlers describe
it, in “spots.” The plaice numbered 1237, of which 978 were market-
able; there were in addition thirty-two codlings, eight whitings, four
brill, twenty-two common dabs, and a thornback ray among the market-
able fishes.
The number of fishes caught in the next haul, which lasted for four
hours and a half, was 2514, the marketable being 1902 and the
unmarketable 612. The haddocks numbered 1282, of which 271 were
unmarketable. There were 995 plaice, 881 of them marketable, and in
addition to these the marketable fishes included two cod, six codlings, one
halibut, and one megrim. The unmarketable consisted mostly of
haddocks, dabs, plaice, and gurnards, In the fifth drag, in from six to
ten fathoms, only nineteen haddocks were taken, and of these thirteen
were unmarketable. The plaice numbered 2101, all but 184 being
marketable. The next drag, for five hours, yielded 3033 fishes, 2337
being marketable and 696 unmarketable. There were 634 haddocks,
1981 plaice, 1661 marketable, 371 common dabs, six lemon dabs, and
seventeen brill.
Altogether in the six hauls, involving twenty six hours and forty
minutes of actual fishing, 14,404 fishes were eaptured, the rate per hour
being the high one of 541°5. The marketable numbered 10,919, with an
average of 410°4 per hour, and the unmarketable 3485, with an hourly
average of 131-0. The average per hour for the plaice taken was 350°4,
and for those which were marketable 277°2 ; the average for the haddocks
42 Part 11. —Twenty-second Annual Report
was 140°5 per hour. The numbers of the marketable and unmarketable,
and the totals, are as follow :—
Cod. |Codling.| Haddock.| Wbit | piaice. |Cammon| prin, | Yemen
ing. Dab
i 24 78 3,253 10 7,873 129 25 15
Ti - Bl 485 4 1,948 746 - 3
Total 24 109 3,738 14 9,321 875 25 18
Long Gur Grey | Th Sand
; 5 : yey orn- andy
Halibut.| Megrim. Hough pard: Sieatatl| i thanie: Ray. Angler.
I 1 2 1 8
II - 6 213 - BH) 3 ll
Total 1 2 6 213 1 43 3 ll
Among the haddocks the proportion of large and medium was con-
siderable, and much above what it was on many previous occasions ;
medium plaice were also well represented. The following figures give
the average number of each class taken per hour’s fishing :—
First. Second, Third. Fourth. Unmarketable.
Haddock, 24°6 24°6 3By 39°6 18:2
Plaice, 11 43°4 137°6 95:0 13°2
In the Dornoch Firth three hauls were also made with the small-
meshed net around the cod-end, in from four and a half to twelve
fathoms, the time occupied in fishing being three hours and fifty minutes.
The number of fishes taken in both nets amounted to 11,590, the great
majority having passed through the meshes of the cod-end. They
belonged to eleven species, as follows :—
Plaice, - - - $27 Gurnard, - - 4
Brill, - . - 1 Sprat, - - 9851
Common Dab, - 28 Herring, - - 1407
Cod, - - . 4 Sand-eel, - - 3
Haddock, - = 15 23 Thornback Ray, 1
Whiting, - - 44]
Most of the sprats were taken in one haul, viz. 5477, and most of the
herrings in another, 1297.
On leaving the Dornoch Firth the vessel returned to Burghead Bay,
where other three drags were made in from five to ten fathoms, a fresh
breeze blowing from the south, and a considerable number of plaice were
taken. The hauls were also remarkable for the large number of brill
captured, the three drags yielding in succession thirty-six, forty-three,
and fifteen—a total of ninety-four. Seven turbots were also caught.
The aggregate number of fishes secured in the three drags, the time of
actual fishing being fourteen hours, was 5367, an average per hour of
383°4. The marketable fishes numbered 3817, with an average per hour
of 272-6, and the unmarketable 1550, with an hourly average of 110-7.
These averages are under those for the fishing in the same place a few
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 43
days before. In the following Table are given the number of marketable
(I) and unmarketable (IT.) fishes taken in the three drags :—
Cod. Codling. Haddock. | Whiting. | Plaice. Brill,
i 84 87 190 - 3,274 94
II. - 34 98 8 464
Total 84 121 288 8 3,738 94
SE BB WSR UI LS SRS]
Turbot Lemon Dab. es 4 Gurnard. nore: Angler.
I Uj 6 70 5
II 3 600 322 10 11
Total if 9 670 322 15 11
A short haul of one hour’s duration was then taken off Burghead Bay,
between it and Cromarty, in thirty fathoms, with the small-meshed net
around the cod-end of the otter-trawl. The total number of fishes taken
in both nets was 1805, belonging to fourteen species, as follows :—
Witch, - - - 101 | Hake, - - = 2
Plaice, - - - 4 | Ling, - - - - 1
Common Dab, - - 130] Gurnard, - - - 46
Long Rough Dab, - 705 | Norway Pout, - - 432
Whiting, - - - 339 | Gadus luscus, - - 7
Haddock, - - - 29 | Callionymus maculata, - 2
Codling, - . - 4 | Lumpenus lampetriformis, 3
Simnith Bank was then visited, and a haul with the small-meshed net
attached was made in twenty-one fathoms for one hour. The tying of
the outer net was defective ; the knot slipped, and all the fish escaped.
In the cod-end were thirty-three haddocks, three cod, five plaice, one
lemon dab, five common dabs, and an angler.
The quantity of fish landed by the vessel, as recorded on returning to
port amounted to 2183 cwts., as follows :—
Cod. Codling. Haddock, Turbot. Brill.
18 34 58 4 6
Plaice. Dabs. Witch. Skate. Angler.
115 34 2 11 2
VE,
The next series of trawling investigations was made on board the
* Lochryan,” on 11th and 12th December, in Aberdeen Bay, a strong
breeze blowing from the south, with a rough sea and rain. The catches
were small, but, as often occurs in such conditions of weather, a consider-
able number of cod were secured. ‘Three recorded hauls were made off
the Black Dog in from four and a half to ten fathoms of water, the
duration of the actual trawling being twelve hours and ten minutes.
The total number cf fishes caught in each haul was respectively 344,
44 Part ITI.—Twenty-second Annual Report
243, and 191, the aggregate being 778, with the very low average per
hour's fishing of 63-9. The marketable numbered 702, giving an aver-
age per hour of 57:7, and the unmarketable numbered seventy-six. The
hourly average for cod was 13-0 and for codling 24'5, while it was only
16:8 for haddocks and 1°6 for plaice. The numbers of the various kinds
taken were as follows :—
ee I Bad: Wawint: |) Coals (\,". Com. | Starry
Cod. | Coding aoek. ing. fish. Brill || eenee: Dab. Ray.
Teetlvel5S pl e208 eu e205 | 14 : 1 19 7
II. u : . 21 5 : s 3 50
re Seer ———— ee SS SS
Total] 158 | 298 | 205 35 5 i 19 7 50
\ i
Two hauls were also made with the small-meshed net around the cod-
end of the otter-trawl. In the first of these, which lasted for one hour
and twenty minutes, and was made in from eight to twelve fathoms, the
total catch was one cod, four codlings, fourteen whitings, two common
dabs, one sand-eel, one goby, twenty-two small herrings (from one and
three-quarter inches to nearly five inches), and seventy-four sprats. In
the second, on the same grounds for one hour, but in seven fathoms, only
a single fish—a starry ray—was taken.
Vile
Towards the end of December another series of trawling investigations
was carried on in Aberdeen Bay and the Moray Firth, on board the
steam-trawler “Star of the Ocean.” Several hauls were taken in
Aberdeen Bay on the 23rd and 24th of the month, off Slains Castle, in
from ten to thirty fathoms, but the net was usually torn, and the catches
were very poor. In the first, which lasted for four hours and twenty
minutes, 206 fishes were caught, 182 being marketable. Seventy-seven cod
were taken, but only seven haddocks and sixty-six plaice, most of the
latter being “thirds.” In the next drag, for three hours and a half, the
catch was reduced to 108 fishes, twenty-three being cod, and there was
the same number of plaice, but only five haddocks. The catch of the
third haul was still less, viz. sixty fish, twenty-six being cod, eight had-
docks, and eleven plaice. In each case, however, the net was torn on the
bottom. Two other unrecorded hauls were made, and the aggregate
quantity of fish landed from the five hauls amounted to 303 ewts., viz.
22 ewts. of cod, 2? cwts. of codlings, 23? cwts. of haddocks, 13 cwts. of
plaice, and 14 cwts. of skates.
On the 25th a number of drags were taken at Burghead Bay, in the
Moray Firth, the wind being light, from the south-west, and the weather
foggy, and with much better results. In the first of the two recorded,
which was in from eight to eleven fathoms, for five hours and five
minutes, 1149 fishes were taken, 353 marketable and 796 unmarketable.
The catch was chiefly made up of haddocks, mostly small; of a total of
727, the number thrown overboard as unmarketable was 604; there were
only three large and no mediums. ‘The second haul, for five hours and
ten minutes, yielded 3055 fishes, of which 784 were marketable and 2271
unmarketable. The total number of haddocks captured was 2458, and
of these 2086 were too small to be marketable. In the two hauls, the
time of fishing being ten hours and fifteen minutes, 4204 fishes were
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 45
taken, 1137 marketable and 3067 unmarketable. The numbers of the
two classes are as follows :—
» || eee 3
£ = 3 3 : : 3 Ses 3 Qiao.
eS Seek sal eet esi a ee es
5 os) as = Ay aa o) = aR & |AgZe
] 12 9} 495] 196] 366 21 Br) 2 1
Il. 26 |2,690 | 228 14 91 11 7
Total 12 35 [38,185 | 424] 380 21 126 2 1 11 /
The very foggy weather which prevailed interfered with fishing operations
near the shore; partly for this reason the vessel shifted its position and
made a haul in from sixteen to twenty-five fathoms off Tarbet Ness, The
drag. lasted for one hour and forty-five minutes, and it was found that the net
was considerably torn. The catch was small, amounting to 543 fishes,
of which 431 were marketable and 112 unmarketable. The number of
haddocks taken was 338, of which 315 were marketable ; there were
seventy plaice, fifty-two being marketable, thirteen marketable codlings,
five coal-fish, forty-two whitings, twenty-seven marketable, as well as six
lemon dabs and sixty-three common dabs.
Two or three hauls were then made in the Dornoch Firth, in from
seven to twelve fathoms, but the work was difficult owing to the thick
fog, and in one of the drags the net was foul and came up without any
fish. Ina recorded haul, which lasted for four hours, the number of
fishes caught was 1095, of which the marketable amounted to 933 and
the unmarketable to 162. The catch included 825 haddocks, all but 55
being marketable, as well as eight cod, two turbot, four brill, 148 plaice,
and some dabs. On the 27th a haul was made for sixty-five minutes, in
from eight to ten fathoms, with the small-meshed net, around the cod-
end, The total number of fishes taken in the two nets was 880, belong-
ing to sixteen species. On the following day another similar drag was
taken with the small-meshed net for an hour, and they may be both
considered together. The following is a list of the numbers of each kind
of fish caught in the two drags, nineteen species being represented, and
the total being 3657 fishes :—
iRIgICey a) es. 122 Gurnard, ... 10
Lemon Dab, 4 Sprat, 808
Common Dab, re 845 Herring, 4
Long Rough Dab, 24 Pogge, ES st 8
Little Sole, : ba 18 Gobius minutus, ... 2
Brill, sts Bee “ee 4 Dragonet, 4
Witch, : 1 Common Pipe- fish, 3
Cod, 20 Angler, ... sak 8
Haddock, 57 Thornback, Uf
Whiting, ... 1,708
From the Dornoch the vessel steamed to the grounds off Lybster,
where a drag was made for four hours and a quarter in from eighteen to
twenty-two fathoms. The net was found to have been badly split on
coming up, and the catch was very small, amounting to only sixty-two
fishes, all marketable. The catch included two cod, forty-four haddocks,
and a few plaice and whitings.
‘he next place visited was Smith Bank, where a haul was made in
twenty-seven and twenty-eight fathoms, on the edge of the bank, for
46 Part I1T-—Twenty-second Annual Report
sixty-five minutes, the small-meshed net being around the cod-end. The
total number of fishes taken was considerable, viz. 1673, and they belonged
to twenty-one species; some of them, as the young conger (Leptocephalus)
and the thick-back sole, were of much scientific interest.
Rlaice;mey we. a of 19 Sprat, 6
Lemon Dab, Sed see 20 Gurnard, 8
Common Dab, _... Se ee Goby (sp.), 6
Little Sole, nee ie 47 Pogge, .. 8
Thickback, sos 1 Gemmeous Dr agonet, 14
Long Rough Dab, Are 3 Spotted Se 2
Haddock, ... : 5p 25 Sand-eel, ... 54
Whiting, ... 458 Sap 141 Leptoc cephalus, 1
Cod, ae ae 38 Piked Dog-fish, 1
Norway Pout, a ae 153 Starry Ray, 1
Poor Cod, . = si 1
From the commercial point of view, however, the fishing on Smith Bank
was not of a profitable kind, and the vessel returned to Burghead Bay on
the 28th, where a number of hauls were taken, three of which were com-
pletely recorded. In the first, which was for five hours and a quarter, in
from five to thirteen fathoms, 1198 fishes were taken, of which 567 were
marketable and 631 unmarketable. The catch included nine cod, thirty-
two codlings, all but seven marketable, 713 haddocks, the majority being
again very small and 540 of them unmarketable, three turbot, thirty-
seven brill, 306 plaice, all marketable, and a few others.
‘The second drag, for five hours, yielded only 269 fishes, of which 110
were marketable. Of 120 haddocks caught only three were marketable,
and the other marketable fishes comprised one turbot, nine brill, sixty-
three plaice, and twenty-seven common dabs. The third haul, in from
four and a half to ten fathoms, was even less productive, only 193 fishes
being caught, of which 111 were marketable and 82 unmarketable. None
of the fifty-six haddocks taken were marketable, but there were seven
brill and ninety-nine plaice, a cat-fish, two cod, and a thornback ray.
In the three hauls, occupying altogether fourteen hours and a quarter of
actual fishing, only 1660 fishes were taken, 788 being marketable and
872 unmarketable. The general average per hour’s fishing is thus a very
low one, viz. 116°5, while the average for the marketable alone is 55:3,
The particulars regarding the different kinds of fish are given in the
following Table :—
Cod. Codling. | Haddock. | Whiting. | Plaice. Turbot. Brill.
I 18 25 176 - 468 4 53
II 16 713 40
Total 18 41 889 40 468 4 53
Common Lemon
: yurnard, Cat-fish. Rough
Dab. Dab. mabe back.
I 37 3 2 - 2
Il 79 22 - 2 :
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 47
A haul with the small-meshed net was also taken in Burghead Bay for
seventy-five minutes, in from five to twelve fathoms, and the total
number of fish caught was only 173, as follows :-——
Plaice, oa oe Ea 458 a) NVhitines es 59
Common Dab, ... ae 11 Sprat, a 7
Brill, see ie ws 4 Herring, .. 3
Turbot, Ae a oA 1 Long Rough Dab, 1
Cod, ... ae ae oe 6 Sand-eel, ... 2
Haddock, ... as até 34
Another drag with the small-meshed net was taken on the so-called
“ witch ground” between Burghead Bay and the Suters of Cromarty, in
thirty and thirty-one fathoms, and it lasted for an hour. The total
number of fishes caught was 2112, belonging to twenty species. The
numbers of each kind are as follows :—
Halibut, ... ae a 1 Norway Pout, ... Lis 307
Watch)... ane = 73 Hake, ae Set re 2
IPinices 2 a: i: as 6 Herring, ... ies Ais 31
Common Dab, _... aCe 151 Sprat, fs me 50 356
Long Rough Dab, See 696 Sand-eel, Ws 1
Thickback Sole, ... 1 Tnumpenus, 6
Cod, ee on ah 3 Goby (sp.) 1
Haddock, ... ar se 1 Angler, 1
Whiting, ... ae Sas 470 Starry Ray, 3
Gurnard, ... Avs oe 1 Thornback, 1
Before the vessel left the Moray Firth a few hauls were taken at night
off Lossiemouth in twenty and twenty-one fathoms, but the net suffered
much and was usually found split when it was hauled. The particulars
of these hauls were not recorded ; but in the first the catch included two
baskets of large haddocks, one basket of mediums, and three baskets of
thirds, as well as two cod, twenty lemon dabs, half a basket of plaice,
and half a basket of whitings. The offal thrown overboard consisted of
seven basketfuls, mostly of small haddocks.
On the way to port a small-meshed drag was taken in Aberdeen Bay
on 29th December. It was made in from eight to seventeen fathoms,
and lasted for an hour. The total number of fishes caught was 4270, the
great bulk consisting of small whitings. The numbers of the various
species are as follows :—
Plaice, ee te ne 10 Herring, «... 16
Common Dab, fh 5 Sprat, 8 a a 39
Long Rough Dab, Be 5 Gurnard, ... uns a 1
Haddock, ... : ve 173 Pogge, 2
Cod, ee ite ox 9 Liparis, 2
Whiting, eed ae ... 4,007 Sand-eel, 1
The total quantity of fish, in cwts., landed from this trip was recorded
by the Fishery Officer as follows :—
Cod. Codling. Coal-fish. Haddock. Whiting. Turbot. Halibut.
184 2 4 272 3h 4 z
Brill. Lemon Dab, Plaice, Dabs. Witches. Cat-fish. Skate.
1} 1 284 1} 4 4 i
The quantity was small, considering the duration of fishing, but the
foggy weather which prevailed for a large part of the time somewhat
hampered the operations. It was noticed also that young herrings and
sprats did not form so large a proportion of the small fishes caught in the
small-meshed net as was usually the case. Foreign trawlers, moreover,
were observed to be fishing in some numbers in the Firth at the time,
and three of them were working along with us on Smith Bank.
D
48 Part I1[.—Twenty-second Annual Report
IX.
In August a record was kept of the hauls made by the steam-trawler
“ Glenogil” on the fishing grounds lying off the mouth of the Firth of
Forth. The vessel left Aberdeen on the 17th August, and ran for about
sixty miles on a course S. 4 E. from Girdleness, and continued fishing
southwards for several days, landing the catches at Granton, to about
thirty-four miles S.E. of the Isle of May. The weather was good and the
sea calm. The grounds visited on this trip, as may be seen from a chart, lie
off St. Abb’s Head and the coast of Berwickshire and Northumberland,
and are much fished by the trawlers belonging to Granton.
The first drag was made in thirty-four and thirty-five fathoms, about
thirty miles E. 3 S. of the Isle of May, and it lasted for three hours.
The catch was a moderate one, the number of fishes taken being 608, of
which only 381 were marketable. They consisted almost entirely of
haddocks, which numbered 519, the marketable numbering 360; the
other marketable fishes were seven codlings, nine whitings, and five lemon
dabs. The unmarketable were made up of haddocks, whitings, and
gurnards. The next three shots were much the same both in regard to
species and amount, the bulk of the catches being composed of haddocks,
but there were in addition a few cod, coal-fish, plaice, and ling. After-
wards the catches improved. In the sixth haul, which was for three
hours and five minutes, 2145 fishes were captured, 1713 being market-
able. The haddocks numbered 1755, of which 1535 were marketable ;
there were also 130 marketable whitings, one cod, nineteen codlings,
twelve plaice, and sixteen lemon dabs. The unmarketable consisted
entirely of haddocks, whitings, and gurnards.
Succeeding hauls were nearly as productive, the totals varying from
1243 to 2991, the duration of the drags being generally a little over
three hours. In all of them haddocks formed the great bulk of the
catch, the rest of the marketable fishes being made up of whitings, cod-
lings, a few cod, ling, and coa!-fishes ; the flat-fishes were represented by
small numbers of lemon dabs, plaice, and common dabs.
Altogether, in twelve hauls, up to the afternoon of the 19th August,
the time of actual fishing being thirty-nine hours and twenty minutes,
the number of fishes caught was 17,569, of which 13,874 were market-
able and 3695 unmarketable. The average number taken per hour's
fishing was 353:0 for the marketable, 94:0 for the unmarketable, and
447°1 for both combined.
The totals of each kind are given in the following Table, the market-
able (I.) being distinguished from the unmarketable (II.) :—
Cod. Codling. | Haddock. | Whiting. | Coal-fish. Ling. Hake.
I 27 373 12,464 711 19 8 1
i: - 89 2,264 695
Total 27 462 14,728 1,406 19 8 1
Plaice. eae ees eee ugh! Gurnard. Angler.
Tr 92 176 3
II 35 85 514 13
Total 92 176 38 85 514 13
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 49
The haddocks were by far the most important part of the catch, the
average number taken per hour being 374°7 ; the rate for the marketable
was 317:1 and for the unmarketable 57-6. The particulars for the
majority of the fishes, showing the rate per hour, are as follows :—
Marketable. Unmarketable. Total.
Haddock, . : : 5 : 3171 57°6 3747
Whiting, . : c : : 18:1 17°6 35'8
Codling, . : ; ; : 9°5 2:2. akty/
Lemon Dab, . ; : ‘ 4:5 - 4°5
Plaice, : ; F : ‘ 2°3 ~ 2:3
Gurnard, . : : ‘ , = 13°1 13:1
On the 20th and 21st August a number of other hauls were made
about fifty miles E. by S. from the Isle of May, off the coast of
Northumberland, in from thirty-four to thirty-six fathoms. The catch
was of much the same character, consisting mostly of haddocks, with
some whitings, codlings, plaice, lemon dabs, common dabs, gurnards, and
an occasional cod.
The record of one of the hauls was not completely taken, the unmarket-
able fishes being omitted, but in the other four, the time of actual fishing
being thirteen hours and twenty minutes, 7257 fishes were taken, the
number of marketable being 6342 and of unmarketable 915, The average
per hour’s fishing was thus 476°8 for the marketable and 68°8 for the
unmarketable, the general average being 5456. The total number of
haddocks caught was 6292, of which 5811 were marketable; 443
whitings were taken, 294 being marketable, 140 codlings, forty plaice,
eighty-one lemon dabs, and some others.
The averages per hour’s fishing agree very well with those of the
previous hauls above referred to :—
Marketable. Unmarketable. Total.
Haddock, . , : ; : 436°9 36'1 473°1
Whiting, . ; ‘ ‘ ‘ 22°71 12:2 33°3
Codling, . ; é ‘ . 8-1 2°4 10°5
Lemon Dab, . : ; s 6-0 ~ 6:0
Plaice, : : ‘ j : 3°0 ~ 30
Gurnard, . , : : ‘ - 12°4 12°4
| Tabuegs.
50 Part ITI.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. i peneaonl Fish Caught.
epth
Place. Date. g FI in =i ING No,
¥ & g |Fms-| 4s a Name. taken to| *hrown) Total
& 5 6 g Bs Market.| Over | No.
a|a|a a | board.
1903. .
1. Burghead] Feb. 7. 17 to| 7.30 | 11.45 | Cod, 8 c 8
Bay. 20 | p.m. | p.m. | Codling, 7 : Uf
Burghead Haddock, .. 5 a8 5.
Pier Whiting, e a uf
light Brill, 1 z it
bearing Plaice, 50 50
S.S.E. 4 Witch, E 86 8 94
miles. Com. Dab,.. 12 14 26
Grey Skate, ; 6 6
Starry Ray, 1 1
Angler, 4 18 22
Dragonet, .. 1 1
173 55 228
2. Burghead! Feb. 8. 17 to| 12.0} 4.0 | Cod, 14 ae 14
Bay. 20 | p.m. | a.m, | Codling, 4 BG 4
Burghead Haddock, .. 42 ae 42
Pier Whiting, .. 19 os 19
light Halibut, 1 is 1
bearing Turbot, 1 oe 1
S.S.E. 4 Brill, 3 oe 3
miles. Plaice, 128 se 128
Lemon Dab, 14 are 14
Witch, Bc 191 ie 191
Com. Dab, . ais 31 105 136
Long Rough Paps 3 84 84
Cat-fish, .. ; 2 ee 2
Thornback, 3 2 5
Starry Ray, 2 2 4
Angler, 8 36 44
463 229 692
3. Burghead a 18 to] 4.30 | 8.35 { Cod, 28 23
Bay. 25 | am. | a.m. | Codling, 55 5 60
Burghead Ling, 2 2
Pier Coal-fish, .. 1 1
light Haddock, .. 88 7 95
bearing Whiting, .. 23 a0 23
S 8.E. 4-5 Plaice, 21 se 21
miles. Lemon Dab, 38 fe 38
Witch, ne 197 52 249
Com. Dab, . : 5 97 102
Long Rough Dab, ae 53 53
Cat-fish, aS 2 Ag 2
Thornback, 4 oe 4
Starry Ray, 3 Se 3
Angler, 5 14 33 47
Herring, ae 2 2
476 249 u25
4. Burghead af 20 to | 10.10} 2.30 | Cod, 59 59
Bay. 30 a.m. | p.m. | Codling, 25 2 27
Burghead Ling, se 1 il
Pier Coal-fish, .. 11 11
light Haddock, .. 89 a6 89
bearing Whiting, 7a 87 94
S.E. and by Brill, i! 2 1
E. 5-6 miles. Plaice, 5 8s aa 88
Lemon Dab, 6 ee 6
Witch. 273 s 273
~ Com. Dab, . : 22 172 194
Long Rough Dab, ms 101 101
Thornback, ae 1 a 1
Angler, 3 7 10
Herring, ; 74 74
586 443 1029
Remarks.
Strong N.N.W.
breeze. Sea
moderate.
Net
split.
had = small
Light wind W. and
by 8.
Place.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Date.
1903.
5. Burghead) Feb. 8.
Bay.
6. Same
Place.
7. Same
Place.
Feb. 8
& 9.
Feb. 9.
: Time Trawl
Temperature. Down
Depth
cS) | in ;
8 o | Fms 2 3
S = Be) S 3
= o
ao lta) 3 a | &
20 to | . 3.25 |. 4.55
30 | p.m. | p.m.
” 5.25 | 9.30
m. | p.m.
Bs 10.0 | 2.45
p.m, | a.m.
350! || 730
a.m. | a.m.
Fish Caught.
Name.
Cod,
Codling,
Haddock, ..
Whiting,
Plaice,
Witch, .
Com. Dab,..
Cod,
Codling,
Coal-fish,
Haddock, ..
Whiting,
Plaice,
Lemon Dab,
Witch,
Com. Dab, .
Long Rough Dab, ‘
Thornback,
Angler :
Red Gurnard
Cod,
Codjing,
Coal-fish,
Haddock, ..
Gurnard
Plaice,
Lemon Dab,
Witch,
Com. Dab, .
Long Rough Dab,
Starry Ray,
Angler, .
Red Gurnard,
Herring,
Cod,
Codling,
Coal-fish,
Haddock, ..
Whiting,
Plaice,
Lemon Dab,
Witch, eS
Com. Dab,..
Long Rough Dab,
Thornback,
Starry Ray,
Angler,
No.
No. | thrown
taken to} Over-
Market.| board.
12 Ac
5 35
5 ac
or 5
6 C
72
2 2
102 7
28
8
6
46 4
ae 7
81 a0
2 ac
422 =
19 162
we 109
3 ae
18 26
1
633 309
12 Jo
6 cic
il 1
85 oe
of 1
44 :
3
326 11
21 176
fe 132
4 2
19 31
Al
1
521 356
10
12 4
1 Be
38 Be
2 49
33 3c
10 36
204 118
15 135
oe 174
3 ae
2 4
39 51
417 535
Strong E.S.E. wind
ireshepine) rules
showers rain
and sleet.
51
Remarks.
Gear fouled.
52
Place.
9. Six miles
East of
Cromarty.
10. Same
Place.
11. Same
Place.
12. Five
miles East
of Cromarty
Part [I11.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature.
Depth
Date. 3 FI in
8 So | Fms.
Pa = =
4 | melee
1903.
Feb. 9. 25 to
30
Feb. 10.
Time Trawl
Down.
| Shot.
6.55
p.m.
12.25
a.m.
5.45
a.m.
| Hauled.
6.30
p.m.
11.10
p-m.
5.15
a.m.
10.30
a.m.
Fish Caught.
Name.
Cod,
Codling, ..
Haddock, ..
Whiting,
Plaice,
Lemon Dab,
Witch,
Com. Dab,.
Flounder, we
Long Rough Dab, :
Thornback,
Starry Ray,
Angler,
Sprat,
Cod,
Codling,
Ling, ve
Haddock, ..
Whiting, ..
Plaice,
Lemon Dab,
Witch,
Com. Dab,.
Long Rough Dab,
Cat- fish,
Starry Ray.
Thornback,
Cod,
Codling,,
Haddock, ..
Whiting,
Brill,
Plaice,
Lemon Dab,
Witch,
Com. Dab, .
Long Rough Dab,
Starry Ray ;
Thornback,
Cat-fish,
Angler,
Cod,
Codling,
Coal-fish,
Haddock, ..
Whiting,
Brill,
Sole,
Plaice,
Lemon Dab,
Witch,
Com. Dab,
Flounder, ..
Long Rough Dab, ‘
Starry Ray,
Thornback,
Sandy Ray,
Angler,
Herring,
Sprat,
No.
taken to
Market.
bo
DO OT ee Re
ke
- oO
No.
thrown
One Total
ke
» ob
mR OOD
ie
_
ive} .
eo - 0 On
FOONORRE Qeo-
pale
oo
10
2
board. c
F 27
; 10
ae 198
1 1
Ae 4
# 2
67 893
272 272
3 il
367 367
ws 25
a 29
6 9
2 2
715 1840
5 5
} 3
. il
. 21
2 3
45 1
oe 5
117 279
17 a7,
11 11
: 1
6
2
147 355
22
9
Ae 159
14 14
ti 1
cf Tf
As 4
76 490
263 263
112 112
4 52
23
1
3 3
472 1160
54
5
: i!
: 86
11 11
sie 1
ite 1
“fe 6
ete 2:
121 1,079
543 553
ae 1
267 267
ah 18
10
3
6 8
i 1
10 10
959 2117
Remarks.
Muddy bottom.
Net badly split.
Fresh 8.W. breeze.
Place. Date.
1903.
13. Off | Feb. 12
Burghead | & 13.
Bay.
14. Same
Place.
15. Dornoch] Feb. 12.
Firth.
Feb. 12.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature.
3 =|
oO =
eth s
o =
= =} fe)
< Dn aa)
Time Trawl
Down.
Depth wn
in =
Fms. s 3
° a
a |
10 to | 11.40 | 3.50
20 | p.m. | a.m.
10to}; 4 8.10
20 | am. | am.
6 to 12] 10.15 | 2.15
a.m. | p.m,
6 to 12} 3.20 | 7.20
p.m. | p.m.
Fish Caught.
Name.
Cod,
Codling,
Coal-fish,
Hake, ae
Haddock, ..
Whiting, ..
Gurnard,
Brill,
Plaice,
Lemon Dab,
Witch,
Com. Dab, .
Long Rough Dab, ;
Cat-fish,
Starry Ray 4
Thornback,
Sandy Ray
Angler,
Cod,
Codling,
Coal-fish, ..
Haddock, ..
Whiting,
Turbot,
Brill,
Plaice,
Lemon Dab,
Witch,
Com. Dab,.
Flounder,
Long Rough Dab, j
Cat-fish,
Thornback,
Starry Ray,
Sandy Ray,
Angler,
Herring,
Cod,
Codling,
Haddock ..
Whiting,
Plaice
Witch,
Com. Dab,.
Flounder, ..
Long Rough Da,
Cat-fish,
Sandy Ray,
Thornback,
Angler,
Cod,
Codling,
Brill,
Plaice
Com. Dab,
Witch,
Flounder, .
Long Rough Dab,
Thornback,
Grey Skate
. a oO.
o. thrown
taken to} Over- ata
Market.) board. 2
17 3 17
19 ‘ 19
1 3 if
1 pi 1
54 ae 54
5 3 8
= 1 1
4 a 4
80 aa 80
3 sts 3
709 125 834
12 307 319
BS 118 118
1 ae 1
1 1 2
Se 1 1
1 é 1
19 32 51
927 588 1515
12 te 12
23 14 37
6 nt 6
32 5f 32
4 26 30
1 ns i
3 BF 3
115 ae 115
3 a: 3
381 254 635
56 542 598
2 br 2;
xe 471 471
1 5 1
1 Ss 1
as 3 3
1 ae 1
21 32 53
Ha 5 5
662 1347 2009
eee SS OSS
2 F 2
7 ; 7
2 te 2
ae 2 2
254 2 256
2 19 21
24 74 98
27 a 27
ae 28 28
i E 1
1 1
1 1
1 A 1
322 125 | 447
4 4
2 2
4 4
209 a 209
10 116 126
1 2 3
66 a 66
ee 16 16
5 BE 5
é 1 1
301 135 436
53
Remarks.
54.
Place.
17. Same
Place.
18. Same
Place.
19. Aber-
deen Bay,
off New-
burgh.
Part IIT. —Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. qe Trawl Fish Caught.
own.
Depth
Date. 3 FE in = No.
fe i 3 8 Fms. nS 2 No. | thrown Total
a = = ° = Name. taken to) Over- No
<q nm [2a) = a} Market.) board. 3
1903.
Feb. 12 8.20 | 12.30 | Cod, i 7 : 7
& 13. p-m. | a.m. | Coal-fish, .. u A il
Haddock, .. 2 5 2
Turbot, 1 45 1
Brill, 1 ee 1
Plaice Ao 223 20 243
: Com. Dab,.. : 28 47 75
Flounder, .. a 30 = 30
Long Rough Dab, a 63 63
Starry Ray, 2 oh 2
Thornback, 8 AS 8
Grey Skate, a6 il il
303 131 434
Feb 13. 1a.m.|6 a.m.} Cod, 7 oo 7
Codling, 60 fe 60
Ling, Se 2 a 2
Haddock, .. 98 oe 98
Whiting, .. 1 3 4
Plaice, 237 ak 237
| Com. Dab, 46 155 201
Witch, 1 ae 1
Flounder, .. 92 : 92
Cat-fish 2 : 2
Thornback, 4 ai 4
Red Gurnard, Z 1 1
Herring, 1 1
550 160 710
90 8tol0} 7.5 | 11.6 | Cod, 1 ae 1
p-m. | p.m. | Codling, 13 30 13
Haddock, .. 15 a 15
Whiting, .. : a 52 52
Plaice, oe Sp 3 ae 3
Lemon Dab, a6 2 a 2
Com Dab, ie 23 23
Flounder, .. 1 oe it
Witch, a : 14 14
Thornback, 24 24
Grey Skate, 6 6
Angler, 1 1
35 120 155
Remarks.
Place.
1. Aberdeen
Bay, off
Newburgh.
2. Same
Place.
3. Aberdeen
Bay. New-
burgh to
Donmouth.
4. Moray
Firth.
Burghead.
Date.
1903.
Mar. 16.
Mar. 17.
Bay.
5. Same
Place.
Mar. 17
& 18.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
55
Temperature.
|
Surface.
Bottom.
| Air.
13 to
12 to
18
8 to
16
7 to
12:
Time Traw1
Down.
3
< =
~
° eI
a |
2.50 | 6.50
a.m. |' a.m.
7.20 | 11.40
a.m, | am.
12.15] 4.20
p.m. | p.m.
4.35 | 8.25
p.m | p.m.
9 1.15
p.m. | am.
Fish Caught.
No.
Name. taken to
Market.
Cod, 123
Codling, 195
Haddock, .. 4
Gurnard, .. re
Plaice, : 156
Flounder, .. oo
Thornback,
478
Cod, 8
Codling, 4
Coal-fish, .. il
Haddock, .. 84
Whiting, .. 3¢
Plaice 20
Lemon Dab, 4
Witch, ; aa
Com. Dab,..
Starry Ray,
Grey Skate,
Thornback,
121
Cod, 47
Codling, we 126
Coal-fish, .. 56 1
Haddock, .. aS 3
Plaice, 92
Witch, : 6
Com. Dab,..
Flounder, ..
Grey Skate,
Thornback,
Lumpsucker,
269
Cod, 4
Codling, 3
Haddock, .. 2
Turbot, 1
Brill, 11
Plaice 4 329
Com. Dab,.. 70
Flounder, .. 14
Cat-fish, 3
Gurnard, AD
Thornback,
Starry Ray, 2 a0
Angler, .. Ss iz
439
Cod, 2
Codling, 4
Haddock, .. Pn
Whiting, os
Brill, 5
Plaice, 226
Lemon Dab, 1
Com. Dab, 56
Flounder, .. 8
Cat-fish, .. 4
Thornback, 3
Starry Ray, 4
Sandy Ray, 3
Angler, .
Herring, :
316
Remarks.
Wind 8.8. E,
Heavy Sea.
No.
thrown
Ovex: ey
board. :
. 128
6 195
at 4
1 1
28 184
2 2
5 5
36 514
ee 8
ac 4
do uf
8 92
7 7
2 22
485 4
2 2
3 3
1 1
16 16
45 45
84 205
a 47
3 126
Ae 1
BA 3
53 145
2 2
30 30
12 12
1 1
Uf 7
1 1
106 375
ae 4
1 4
an 2
20 1
ve li
do 329
204 274
58 14
on 3
1 i
4 4
2 2
i 3
213 652
sta 2
3 7
44 44
32 32
1 6
ao 226
ae 1
264 220
au 8
ae 4
12 16
2 6
4 7
24 24
3 3
389 705
56
Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Place.
1903
6. Same |Mar. 18.
Place.
-
7. Dornoch
Firth, off
Golspie.
Date.
Air.
Temperature.
Surface.
Bottom.
8 to
16
Time Trawl
Down.
Fish Caught.
a | Shot.
Hauled.
12.20
p.m.
8.15
a.m.
12.40
p.m.
4.40
p.m.
4.50 9
p.m. | p.m.
Name.
Cod,
Codling,
Haddock ..
Whiting, ..
Brill,
Plaice,
Com. Dab,..
Lemon Dab,
Flounder, ..
Cat-fish,
Thornback,
Starry Ray,
Sandy Ray,
Angler,
Lumpsucker,
Herring,
Cod,
Codling, ..
Haddock, ..
Whiting,
Brill,
Plaice,
Lemon Dab,
Com. Dab,..
Flounder, ..
Cat-fish, ..
Thornback,
Starry Ray,
Sandy Ray,
Angler,
Lumpsucker,
Cod, ee
Haddock, ..
Plaice,
Lemon Dab,
Com. Dab,
Flounder, ..
Cat-fish,
Thornback,
Lumpsucker,
Herring,
Sprat,
Cod,
Codling,
Plaice,
Lemon Bab,
Com. Dab,
Flounder, ..
Cat-fish,
Thornback,
Grey Skate,
Angler
an °
No. thrown
taken to} Over- Total
Market.| board. :
1 A il
6 ae 6
oe 1 1
ae 8 8
4 Se 4
426 43 469
137 261 398
9 Be 9
17 as 17
2 BE 2
4 ae 4
1 10 11
1 1
12 12
1 1
4 4
607 341 948
24 24
5 5
2 2
1 1
2 4
369 5 374
3 ae 3
71 143 214
317 25 342
10 ale 10
14 oi 14
3 2 5
1 ao 1
3 1 1
1 if
822 177 999
16 oe 16
5 ae 5
57 te 57
2 5 2
12 51 63
52 4 56
i : 1
3 a 3
as 1 1
3} 3
22 22
148 81 229
—— SE Ca ee Ss ST
100 100
110 110
174 3 177
11 ae 11
45 315 360
51 19 70
3 = 3
5 : 5
1 ats 1
ae if 1
500 338 835
ae ere |
Remarks.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. Hime Tray! Fish Caught.
\Depth
Place. Date. 3 a in o % an 0. Remarks.
3 o | Fms. : = 0. rown
3 = = 6 3 Name. taken to| Over- Atel
a 5 Q om so) Market.| board. ve.
| | |
1903. | |
10. Dornoch|Mar. 18- .. Be es .. | 9.30 | 1.50 | Cod, oF ie 38 st 38 | Net badly split.
Firth. Off; 19. p-m. | a.m.| Codling, .. a 1 oe 1
Golspie. Coal-fish, .. <7 1 ie 1
Haddock, .. ae al ae 1
Plaice, fo ee 47 3 50
Com. Dab,.. its 5 39 44
Flounder, .. me 16 6 22
Thornback, sis 1 al 2
Starry Ray, Sa 1 Sc 1
| 111 49 160
|
11. Smith |Mar.19.| .. a me 19 to| 7.15 | 11.15} Cod, ae an 11 ae wat
Bank. 28 | a.m. | a.m./| Codling, .. Se 2 be 2
| Hake, Ee Se ae 1 1
| Haddock,.. ..| 141 82 223
| Whiting, .. 27 a 27
Halibut, .. Ye 1 a 1
Plaice, oe io 40 Be 40
Lemon Dab, os 14 1 15
Witch, a ae 16 28 44
| | Megrim, .. Re 2 ac 2
| | Com. Dab,.. .. rr 221 221
| Cat-fish, .. ce Z oe 2
Gurnard, .. Be oC 117 117
Grey Skate, 30 6 2 8
Thornback, = he 7 7
Angler, .. ve = 5 5
262 464 726
12. Same és ae oF oe .. | 11.45} 3.45 | Cod, $5 Pe 30 2h 30
Place. a.m. | p.m. | Codling, .. se 6 11 17
Coal-fish, .. : 1 es 1
. Haddock, .. = 499 75 574
Whiting, .. re 2 os 2
Plaice, as oe 69 a. 69
Lemon Dab, 56 54 4 58
Com. Dab, 50 1 122 123
Witch, ye : 1 16 iy
Long Rough Dab, ae 89 89
| Cat-fish, .. 7 Bs 7
Gurnard, ws a ar 24 24
Red Gurnard, ee 3 2 2
Grey Skate, te AE 2 2
| Angler, .. < ae 1 il
670 346 | 1016
|
13. Same | Mar.19.| .. ae me .. |4p.m./8 p.m.| Cod, 28 } 28
Place. Codling, 6 11 17
; Coal-fish, .. oe iF ul
Haddock, .. ae 406 973 | 1,379
= Whiting, oc 27 27
Halibut, a 1 a3 1
Plaice, Se a 90 bs 90
Lemon Dab, ..| 108 3 111
| Com. Dab. 2 214 216
Witch, 3 1 1
Flounder, .. : 2 2
Long Rough Dab, 50 50
Cat-fish, .. 5 3 se 3
Thornback, a as 7 7
Angler, .. fe 1 1
648 1286 1934
58 Part 11 —Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. dane trawl Fish Caught.
Depth :
Place. Date. o g in 3 No. Remarks.
s S |Fms.| |; 2 No. | thrown] ota]
a = 2 ° = Name. taken to} Over- No
=< R faa} D fac Market. | board. 2
1908.
14. Smith |Mar. 19-| .. Be a ae 8.15 | 12.30 | Cod, as Bi 62 ae 62
Bank. 20. p-m. | a.m. | Haddock, .. BG ae 333 333
Whiting, .. ay: 1 125 126
Plaice, ae Se 44 a5 44
Lemon Dab, ab 52 2 56
Com. Dab,.. sis A 139 139
Witch, ao is 1 ie hye
Megrim, ye i Be i
Long Rough Dab, ae 118 118
Oat-fish, ye 5 #3 5
Gurnard, Ba 4 4
Red Gurnard, 2 2
Dragonet, .. 1 1
Grey Skate, 2 2
Thornback, 3 3
Angler, 6 6
166 735 901
15. Same | Mar. 20.) .. mis Ba, oe 1 5.10 | Cod, 8 23 3 23
Place. a.m. | a.m. | Coal-fish, .. 2 ae 2
Haddock, .. 3 124 127
Whiting, ae 216 216
Brill, 1 a 1
Plaice, 54 : 54
Lemon Dab, i1 ink
Com. Dab,.. ES 130 130
Witch, oS j 3 a 3
Long Rough Dab, ac 71 71
Thornback, ae 1 9 10
Grey Skate, 2 6 2
Gurnard, .. 50 ate 4 4
Red Gurnard, 5 5
Angler, 5 5
100 564 664
16. Off » SPs fen tesa) Cee) 4 | Haddock, . 3 2 5 | Net badly split.
Lossie- p.m. | p.m. | Whiting, an Ba 5 5
mouth. Plaice, .. ie 45 3 48
Com. Dab, 5 8 13
Flounder, .. 2 2 4
Cat-fish, il as 1
Gurnard, .. He 1 1
56 21 77
17. Same 5 ag ms "e a3 7 11 | Cod, is Bo 50 50
Place. p.m. | p.m. | Codling, .. 50 25 25
Coal-fish, .. 3 3
Haddock, .. 3 3
Whiting, < 2 2
Brill, te ne 3 3
Plaice, re ao 325 9 334
Lemon Dab, ats 6 ae 6
Com. Dab, 55 24 185 209
Flounder, .. <6 103 32 135
Cat-filsh, .. e 4 are 4
Thornback, A 8 Be 8
Grey Skate, Be Bs 2 2
556 229 785
)
Place.
18. Off
Lossie-
mouth.
19. Same
Place.
20. Off
Tarbet
Ness.
21. Same
Place.
22. Same
Place.
Date
1903.
Mar. 20.
Mar. 21.
Mar. 21-
22.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE [L.
Temperature.
Surface.
Bottom.
Air.
20 to
26
Time Trawl
Fish Caught,
Down.
fs N ine:
é 2 0. rown
6 EI Name. taken to) Over- gees
a fe Market.| board. ec
11.15 | 3.30 | Cod, tel 17
p.m. | a.m. | Codling, 147 147
Coal-fish, 2 2
Haddock, 6 6
Halibut, 1 1
Brill, 1 1
Plaice, 190 190
Lemon Dab, 5 1 6
Com. Dab, 24 117 141
Flounder, .. 108 ee 108
Cat-fish, 8 Et 8
Thornback, 1 a 1
Grey Skate, Se 1 1
Angler, 1 1
570 120 690
4a.m./9 a.m.| Cod, 27 27
Codling, 36 36
Brill, 1 1
Plaice, 69 5 74
Lemon Dab, 2 il 3
Com. Dab,.. 10 142 152
Flounder, .. 6 2 8
Thornback, 4 4
Grey Skate, : 3 3
155 153 308
10.25 |3 p.m.| Cod, 18 5 18
a.m. Haddock, 87 4 91
Whiting, 9 9
Plaice, 53 2 55
Lemon Dab, 1 oe 1
Com. Dab, 4 41 45
Gurnard, c 1 1
Conger, 1 : 1
Starry Ray, L 1
174 48 222
4.15 | 8.25 | Cod, 48 ae 48
p-m. | p.m. | Haddock, 12 149 161
Whiting, ae 54 54
Plaice, 66 3 69
Lemon Dab, 1 2 3
Com. Dab, . F 2 57 59
Long Rough Dab, 56 45 45
Cat-fish, é 1 a 1
Gurnard, ; 66 4 4
Red Gurnard, o6 al 1
Grey Skate, oe 2 2
Angler, 1 1
Herring, ; 1 1
130 319 449
9 p.m.}1 a.m.| Cod, 76 ae 76
Coal-fish, 1 a: 1
Haddock, 4 36 40
Whiting, 50 15 15
Plaice, 68 35 68
Com. Dab,. ‘ 12 15 27
Long Rough Dab, : 26 26
Grey Skate, 3 3
Angler, . 3 3
161 98 259
Remarks.
Net badly split.
Net slightly split.
-———_—_:.\wvv eee eee
60
Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Place.
1. Moray
Firth.
Burghead
Bay.
2. Same
Locality.
3. Same
Locality.
4. Off
Lossiemouth
about 3
miles.
5. Dornoch
Firth, off
Golspie.
Date.
1903.
June 8.
June 8
& 9.
June 9.
Temperature. Pee ate Fish Caught.
Depth :
g FI in rd . BN O. Remarks,
3 o |Fms ; 2 oO. rown
s ca = 6 2 Name. taken to] Over- eee
a A a 3 es Market.| board. :
10'S | 12°8 | 9.4 |5to8] 7.30 | 9.30 | Cod, a 1 e 1 | Seasmooth ; wind,
p.m. | p.m. | Haddock, i : 1 S.W., light; net
Plaice (1), .. 17 A Ze slightly split.
i 1): 2 i oF ee||
— 40 9 49
Com. Dab, 21 42 63
Black Sole, 1 me 1
Gurnard, .. 17 41 53
Angler, 2 2
{
81} 94 175
5 to9! 10.20 }12.30 | Codling, .. 1 : 1 | A great deal 7of
p.m. | a.m. | Plaice (1), .. 14 : a weed in the net,
a eran 39 : ye which was difti-
— 53 12 65 cult to get clean.
Com. Dab, 79 79
Gurnard, .. Ul 23 30
61 114 175
10°0 | 108 | 89 |4to9/7a.m.| 9.30 | Codling, 1 he 1 | Calm, foggy
a.m. | Whiting, 3 Sc 3
Plaice (1), .. 5 a ae
ey ee 50 a Se
— (515) 5c 55
Com. Dab, 104 104
Cat-fish, 2 fe 2
Gurnard, .. 47 47
Angler, 3 fs 3
64 151 215
10:0 | 10°3 | 9:2 | 11 to] 1.35] 2.25 | Plaice (1), .. 4 -E Sea calm, no wind,
{ 14 | p.m. } p.m. on (C25 ce 36 8 slight fog ; weed
: — 40 38 78 in net.
Black Sole, a 1 ae 1
Com. Dab, 87 87
Gurnard, .. 110 110
Angler, é 1 1
Sandy Ray, 1 1
41) 237 278
9°6 | 12-2 | 9-3 | 8to | 6.10 | 6.38 | Codling, 5 2 7 | Small meshed net
11 | p.m.| p.m. | Haddock, .. itl eats 1 around cod end.
Plaice (1), .. 12 f =
yo (2); <. 9 S a
a7 (3); -. 11 ae ae
— 32 19 51
Lemon Dab. 2 a 2
Com. Dab, 22 22
Cat-fish, 1 ae 1
Gurnard, .. 11 11
: 41 54} 95
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
61
Place Date.
1903.
6. Same | June9.
Locality.
7. Same |June 10.
Locality.
8. Same 93
Locality.
9. Same yh
Locality.
10. Same |
Locality.
Fish Caught.
Temperature. rae Trawl
own.
Depth
3 a in :
= 6 |Fms : 3
FS oa 3S S 3
= s ° a 3
< Rn Q mn q
5 toll} 7.25 | 10.7
p.m. | p.m.
6to9} 3.0 7.0
a.m. a.m.
9to 13} 7.30 | 11.32
a.m. | a.m.
12°0
8:9 |9 to 11} 12.25
p.m,
3.15
p.m.
1,25
p.m.
7.15
p.m.
Name.
Plaice (1), ..
Brill, é
Flounder, ..
Com. Dab,
Thornback,
Gurnard, ..
Turbot,
Brill, ,
Plaice (1),..
2
Com. Dab,.
Lemon Dab,
Flounder, ..
Gurnard, ..
Thornback,
Angler,
Cod,
Codling,
Plaice (1),..
» (2).
Cat-fish, .
Thornback,
Plaice (1),..
Com. Dab,..
Gurnard, ..
Angler,
Plaice (1),..
Flounder, ..
Gurnard, ..
No.
No. | thrown
taken to} Over- poe
Market.| board. ‘
11 the
205 is
370 Be oA
939 e We
—1525) 3113 4638
4 Sc 4
6 Ae 6
ne 206 206
20 4 24
te 50 50
1555 3373 4928
1 ae 1
I A
16 F =e
124 Be ts
311 Ae, Ae
760 Ae Be
—-1211} 3306 4517
85] 185 270
1 aS 1
3 2 2
3 43 43
19 ; 19
d 5 bs
1318) 3541 4859
fe 2 2
28 - ae
58 ce
110 ae
216 ae be
— 412) 693 1105
LOIN cio 10
2 Se 2
17 17
i ote 1
|e 5
432) 712 1144
3 3
24 a
4C 55
9 56 be
— 7% 22 98
13 13
6 6
2 2
76 43 119
21 oe
18 5c
20 id 5
14 An 2
— 73 25 98
: 14 14
1 O° 1
o- 54 54
74 93 167
Remarks,
Calm, slight fog ;
trawling round
Dan.
84 baskets of plaice.
Small meshed net;
slight breeze
from eastwards ;
sea becoming
choppy.
62 Part [IT.—Twenty-second Annual Report ‘
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. aaa trawl Fish Caught.
= Depth :
Place. Date. g a an < te a No. Remarks.
3 re) ms. F & o. |thrown
ui = + 6 3 Name. taken to) Over- Tote)
a a a a er Market. | board. o
11. Same 8 toll} 7.45 | 11.45 | Cod, es iS 35 1
Locality. p.m. | p.m. | Haddock (1), iy Meas 1
Brill, S 1 Be 1
Plaice (1), .. 35 ate ae
| = AQ)s os 155 if _
| rer a(S); a5 194 “¢ os
| Bend) 36 oy Ae
— 420) 406 826
Com. Dab, — : 53 53
Thornback, 1 : 1
Gurnard, .. 5 40 40
Angler, 1 1
424 500 924
12. Same |June11. »> | 12.80 |5 a.m.) Haddock, .. Alte ee 1
Locality. a.m. Plaice (1), .. 20 is Be
Sea) 156 B
we (3) 150 Be &
sy) MA) ) ae 102 ae ie
—- 428) 2385 663
Com. Dab,.. 4 4
Thornback, 3 3
429} 242 671
13. Same oD A 5.30 | 7.30 | Cod, 1 “s 1
Locality. a.m. | am. | Brill, : 1 ae 1
Plaice (1), .. 9 ay ~
ae y(2); 44 at ee
no (ese 46 a ee
beet(4) 30 a “5
—- 129 40 169
Com. Dab,.. 23 23
Sprat, 57 1 1
131 64 195
14. Same = 10:9 | 11°8 | 8-9 5» | 8.40 | 12.40} Plaice (1), .. 18 :
Locality. a.m. | p.m. a ED 69 ae a
=) 1(8)}e Ba |paley a ‘.
Slay 274 al ss
—- 495 547 1042
Com. Dab,.. 32) 109 141
Gurnard, .. 23 23
Thornback, 1 a6 il
528) 679 1207
15. Same * A 1.30 | 6.30} Haddock (1), 2 aS 2
Locality. p.m. | p.m. | Plaice (1), .. 14 ae 5
aT) 100 a
ap (3) 121 ae ae
5 Ohne 86 ¥: st
— 321 210 531
Com. Dab, 2 96 98
Cat-fish, tees 1
Gurnard, .. 4 4
326) 310 636
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 63
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. ane ee Fish Caught.
__|Depth ;
Place. Date. eo7|. 8 in wd No. Remarks.
3 Ss Fims. & a) No. | thrown Total
ri 2 = 2 2 Name. taken to) Over- N *
< RD fA 7a | Market.| board. ec
E 1903.
16. Same | Junell; .. .. | .. |8to11] 7.30} 12.30 | Haddock (1), p> OAS eee 12
Locality. | & 12. | p.m. | a.m. | Plaice a 5 || ail a -
| of 2);<» nes 64 ay
A) (has 190 ae
: (Dee 360 be
’ — 625] 700 | 1325
Com. Dab, as PY 156 156
| Gurnard, .. ae BD 3 30
637 886 1523
17. Same of e sis 3. .. |La.m./6a.m.| Cod, a & | ee 1
Locality. Haddock (1), ..| 14
” (2), .. 2
— 16 ae 16
Hake, Sc ate 1 ats 1
Plaice (1),.. canilm@ 5 Le es
a 2)ss 87 ore
UA G@yor | ee, re *
oe 10 7 emer as id
— 471 352 823
Com. Dab,.. .. 12) 104 116
Flounder, .. - 2 1 3
Thornback, aS 4 Bc 4
. Cat-fish, are 3 Ad 3
Gurnard, .. mie an 60 60
—————_|_ | ——————____
510 517 1027
18. Lybster 3 11°4 | 10°83 | 9:4 23 |10.45 | 12.45 | Cod, ars a 2 - 2
Bay, a.m. | p.m. | Hake, ad a ile ae 1
Caithness. Haddock (1) me 2 we at
eG. 2) 8068 &
— 308 102 410
Whiting, .. re 19 25 44
Plaice (2),.. aA 6] -. 6
Lemon Dab, a 46). 46
Com. Dab, if AE 40 40
Cat-fish, .. - 1)... 1
Gurnard, .. oe a 34 34
383 201 584
19 to| 2.55 |5 p.m.) Cod, be Se all) Wee 1
22 | p.m. Codling, .. im IPA! aS 12
Haddock (1), .. an a5
3), 5A 4 ee 0
be Ee — 316] 165 481
Turbot, .. F PAN Be 2
Lemon Dab, a 22 ti! 29
Com. Dab,.. x. 20; 200 220
Cat-fish, .. ae 2 He 2
Angler, .. me 3 on 3
Gurnard, .. te aS 23 23
878| 395 773
=
64 Part UIL.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. pine Taw! Fish Caught.
Depth i
Place. Date. 3 a a = No. Remarks.
2 6 | Fms. ; ED No. | thrown] otal
ah peste ees 6 2 Name. taken to| Over- | “yo
a Z 3 a x Market. | board. oe
1903.
20. Aber- |June 13. 8to10|} 2.30] 6.30 | Cod, il 8 1
deen Bay, a.m, | a.m. | Codling, .. 3 14 17
off Black Haddock(3), 707; +10 917
Dog. Whiting, ie 40 40
Plaice (1),.. 25 ae aa
PO (2)n 363 : BF
E(B) 5c 189 e By
— 5i7 20 597 ?
Com. Dab,.. 94 56 150
Gurnard, .. : 25 Pa)
Angler, | rte 2
1384 365 1749
21. Same 3 a5 7.15 |11.15| Codling, .. 25 25
Locality. a.m. | a.m. | Haddock (3), 763| 250 1013
Whiting, 40 16 56
Brill, 5 2 30 2
Plaice (1),.. 15 ag ore
a (2) sre 162 Ss if
ie (Gos 330 i aS
—— 507 5e 507
Com. Dab,.. 4 120 120
Gurnard, .. 20 20
Angler, 2 Z
1312 433 1745
22. Aber- a 12 to | 11.30] 3.30 | Haddock(2), 196 As
deen Bay, 14 | a.m. | p.m. aA (3), 1492 Eig Ne
off Slains -—1688| 109 1797
Castle. Turbot, 2 Ae 2
Brill, SC By) 60 5
Plaice (2),.. . | 60 es me
i ie 100 be si
— 160)... 160
Com. Dab,.. 5 : 87 87
Gurnard, .. 5 16 16
Angler, 1 1
1855 213 2068
23. Same 3 12 to | 4.15 | 7.15 | Haddock(1), Unmarketable not
Locality. 15 | pm.| p.m. - (2), 303 - enumerated;
as (3). 3193 oe consisted of six
= (4), 630 59 basketfuls, most-
——4126 4126 ly small _had-
Plaice (2),.. 87 87 docks.
Com. Dab,.. 70 70
4283 4283
=
24. Same “6 12 to| 7.45 | 11.45 | Cod, 2 2 | Unmarkctable not
Locality. 14 | p.m. | p.m. | Codling, .. 5 5 enumerated.
Haddock (3), 993 :
4 (4), 878 ou
——1871 1871
Plaice (1),..
» (2);-- 51 oe
Py 6) Kae 36 Me
ss AS 20 ae
— 107 107
1985 1985
Place.
Date.
1903.
1. About 60 | Aug. 17.
miles 8. } E.
from Aber-
deen, and
about 30
miles E. 38.
from Isle of
May.
2. Same
Locality.
3. Same
Locality,
working
southwards.
4, Same
Locality.
5. Same
Locality.
”
Temperature.
o a
2| 8
Pa pa »
qa|aj|a
168 | 12:8} 8:9
19°2 | 132°) 8°9
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
34&
35 &
36
34 to
36
2.30
p.m,
6.10
5.15
a.m.
9.45
a.m.
Hauled.
p.m.
5.30
p.m.
9.40
a.m.
p.m.
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I
Fish Caught.
Name.
Codling, ..
Haddock (1),
Whiting,
Lemon Dab,
Gurnard, ..
Angler,
Codling, ..
Haddock (1),
2
” (4),
Whiting, ..
Plaice,
Lemon Dab,
Gurnard, ..
Cod,
Codling,
Coal-fish, ..
Haddock (1),
Lemon Dab,
Com. Dab,..
Gurnard, ..
Angler, ..
Cod,
Codling,
Coal-fish, ..
Haddock (1),
” (4),
Whiting, ..
Plaice,
Lemon Dab,
Gurnard, ..
Codling,
Ling, Ae
Haddock (1),
” (2),
Lemon Dab, Pr
Com. Dab,.. aM
Long Rough Dab,
< No.
o. | thrown
taken to} Over- Tote
Market.| board. wh
7 4 11
13 = ae
S84 =e He
167 bie =H
96 i an
—-360 159 519
9 62 61
5 ae 5
7 7
5 5
381 227 608
‘ 1 1
24 Be ss
96 os SE
104 r oie
120 ae ne
—344 246 590
a 26 26
2 = 2
2 . 2
Bis 14 14
348 287 635
9 5 9
11 4 15
1l 11
18 ae
50 Re
254 ots
187 es aie
—509 116 625
a5 12 12
12 BG 12
4 a 4
3 Ae 3
Je 12 12
46 2 2
559 146 705
65
Remarks.
Course run — 60
miles 8. 4 E. from
Aberdeen, and
worked south-
wards to about
34 miles S.E. of
Isle of May. Sea
calm.
Sea smooth; calm.
66
Place.
6. Same
Locality.
7. Same
Locality.
8. Same
Locality.
9. Same
Locality.
Date.
1903.
Aug. 18
Aug. 18-
19.
Part [T1.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature.
3 a
() is}
_
= s fo}
<i n isa)
34 to
”
Time Trawl
Down.
ue}
a
43
e &
a |
215) |)bsL0
p.m. | p.m.
5.35 | 9.15
p.m. | p.m.
9.50 1
p.m. | a.m.
1.30 5
a.m. | a.m.
Fish Caught.
No.
No. | thrown
Name. taken to, Over-
Market.| board.
Cod, itt
Codling, .. 19
Haddock (1), 62
” (2), 314
” (3), 621
” (4), «- {538
—1535 220
Whiting, 130 120
Plaice, 12 wa
Lemon Dab, 16 as
Gurnard, A 92
1713 432
Cod, 1 es
Codling, 58 i
Hake, x 1 oie
Haddock (1), 123 oe
eK): 315 be
5 (3), 643 Ae
A (4), 435 i
—1516 209
Whiting, .. 46 100
Plaice, oa 6 sie
Lemon Dab, 5 oy:
Com. Dab,. a 5 8
Long Rough Dab, 5
Gurnard, i 38
1633 360
Cod, 3 a
Codling, .. 12 v6
Haddock (1), 58 oF
a5 (2), 311 an
“5 (3), 385 sre
ee (4), 439 hs
—1193 105
Whiting, 32 63
Plaice, 3 ave
Lemon Dab, 8 AG
Com. Dab,. 5 a 3
Long Rough Dab, ; i
Gurnard, Fi 24
1251 202
Cod, 1 ate
Codling, .. 28 56
Haddock (1), 126 an
me): 105 xe
cA (3), 383 “
= (4), 210 es
—824 180
Whiting, 20 64
Plaice, 9 ae
Lemon Dab, 49 ye
Com. Dab, . ‘ ste 4
Long Rough Dab, 18
Gurnard, 48
Angler, 3
926 317
Total
Remarks.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 67
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. Time Trawl Fish Caught.
Down. Spa
Depth
Place. Date. g a in a No. Remarks.
s S |Fms.| |, g No. |thrown| motay
a = 2 2 3 Name. taken to| Over- N a
<q a es aI se Market.) board ME
|
1903.
10. Same Aug. 19.) .. fat wa 35 5.30 | 8.30 | Cod, - ar 2 4s 2
Locality. a.m. | a.m. | Codling, .. aA 120 10 130
Haddock (1), ee 62 as a
3 2), we louz 6
a (3), -. (625 As
a (4), e235 .
—1234 96 1330
Whiting, .. an Ho 28 28
Plaice, At he 6 a; 6
Lemon Dab, Be 8 we 8
Com. Dab, a6 4 4
Long Rough Dab, Se 14 14
Gurnard, ee Be 40 40
Angler, .. SS et 1 1
1370 193 1563
11. Same 5 Bs u ee | [Led bolle 9) 12.15) | Codling;? &.: na 40 15 55
Locality. 36 | am.| p.m. | Coal-fish, .. a) 2 ce 2
Haddock (1), .. | 126 : >
bP) 2 ’ v 524 =
ay ) 1087 .
a (Os 435 if
2172 209 2381
Whiting, .. ne 140 56 196
Plaice, xs sf 13 as 13
Lemon Dab, ar 21 oe Pil
Com. Dab, fe 8 8
Long Rough Dab, ud 18 18
Gurnard, .. ae 100 100
2388 406 2794
12. Same 55 15°27 12°38) 974 ys 235; |) 3:45. |) Cod; x a 1 aa 1 Calm. Sea smooth.
Locality. p.m. | p.m. | Codling, .. wf 43 20 63
Ling, F z3 3 ae 3
Coal-fish, i 2 Sie 7
Haddock (1), .. {127 an
a7 5) 418 iy
sd PRED ee (098 s:
” (4), 460 ge!
—2003 428 2431
Whiting, .... 288 46 334
Piaices “ 10 Pe 10
Lemon Dab, Be 10 a2 10
Com. Dab,. ae 6 6
Long Rough Dab, 36 20 20
Gurnard, .. 50 109 109
Angler, .. =e oe 2 2
2360 631 | 2991 j
13. Same a ce 56 a », | 4.80 | 7.15 | Codling, .. ae 36 4 40 | At end of haul,
Locality. p.m. | p.m. | Haddock (1), .. | 62 a5 fe left for Granton
ia 2)... (455 A. -
A (8), 671 as
- (4), 455 He
—1643 312 1955
Whiting, .. oF 135 109 244
Plaice, .. a 12 sc 12
Lemon Dab, Ae 9 as 9
Com. Dab, ays 5 5
Long Rough Dab, vie 17 17
Gurnard, .. as 47 47
Angler, .. a 2 1 1
1835 495 2330
were ee EE
}
Place. Date.
1903.
14. About |Aug. 20,
50 miles E
by S. from
Isle of May.
15. Same |Aug. 20-
Locality. 21.
16. Same
Locality.
17. Same “5
Locality.
| Air.
Aug. 21
Part IIT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS--TABLE I.
Temperature.
Surface.
34 to
35
34
Time Trawl
Fish Caught.
Down.
z Pe eae
: 2 0. rown
rs 5 Name. taken to) Over- qe!
a le} Market. | board. ‘
6.15 | 10.15 | Codling, .. 18 17; 35
p-m. | p.m. | Haddock (1), 128 ats a
a (Oe 522 - x
on (3), 1044 + oe
a (4), 428 ’ Pe
——2122) 108 2230
Whiting, 130 40 170
Plaice, 20 : 20
Lemon Dab, 31 53 31
Com. Dab,.. Gre : 9 9
Long Rough Dab, 23 23
Gurnard, a 47 47
Grey Skate, 3 3
2321 247 2568
10.35 | 2.45 | Cod, 5 a 5
p.m. | a.m. | Codling, .. 48 8 56
Haddock (1), 128 a ae
m) Q) 416 :
Re (3), 507 a
a (4), 220 sa
—1271 96 1367
Whiting, .. 60 32 92
Lemon Dab, 23 we 23
Com. Dab, : 8 8
Long Rough Dab, 15 15
Gurnard, : 52 52
Grey Skate, i 1
Angler, 2 2
1407 214 1621
8.10 | 12.20) Cod, 2 “8 2
a.m. | p.m. | Codling, 42 7 49
Coal-fish, .. 1 ais it
Haddock(1), 125 ae ae
op 2), 623 Re Se
“a (3), 882 a ea
RS (4), 215 a =
—1845 209 2054
Whiting, .. 104 46 150
Plaice, 10 as 10
Lemon Dab, 20 fe 20
Com. Dab, é Zs 4 4
Long Rough Dab, U 7
Gurnard, Fi 43 43
Grey Skate, 2 2
Angler, 3 3
2024 321 2345
ies) 2.5 | Haddock (1), 20 a
p.m. | p.m. *) (2), 105 ae
Cane: 268 a
» (4), 180 Se
—-573 68 641
Whiting, . 31 31
Plaice, 10 bs 10
Lemon Dab, if ae Ul
Com. Dab, : 4 4
Long Rough Dab, 7 ia
Gurnard, : 23 23
590 133 123
Remarks.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 69
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE ].
Temperature. rage e Fish Caught.
Depth : : ae?
Place. Date. g g ae J eae Remarks.
, 3 cS) ms : = No. | thrown
sé = 3 zo) = Name. taken to) Over ie
4 R Q a q Market.| board. nb
1903.
18. Same jAug. 21.) .. Se BY 34 2.30 | 6.30 | Cod, se ns 5 He 5 | Unmarketable,
Locality. p.m. | p.m.} Codling, .. or 13 oe 13 amounting to 14
Hake, aca ie 1 a8 1 baskets, not
Haddock (1), an |} 2keKs} Be sts counted ; mostly
Be (2), ac || ALi? ate a haddocks.
” (@), - (1131 a
BS (4), 448 ae
2482 iS 2482
Whiting, .. ae 217 50 217
Plaice, ss ae 28 a 28
Lemon Dab, is 42 ae 42
Cat-fish, .. os 1 es |
2789 2789
Part T11.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Place.
1. Aber-
deen Bay,
off Black
Dog.
2. Aberdeen
Bay, off
Old Castle.
8. Same
Locality.
Temperature. que Trew! Fish Caught.
Depth :
Date. 3 dq in si No.
3 6 |Fms f 2 No. | thrown :
a = = S 3 Name. taken to) Over- Total
Zz # faa a ea Market. board. c:
1903.
Oct. 16. 8 to 12} 10.50 | 2.50 | Cod, 13 be 13
a.m, | p.m. | Codling, . 118 3 121
Haddock (1), 749 as By
3 2), 232 : %
“ (3), 536 ; *
—1517 + 1517
Whiting, 259 5 264
Brill, BD 1 x 1
Plaice (1), .. 13 Be
We (2s es ) as
— 22 22
Lemon Dab, a Bs 1
Com. Dab,.. 5 23 28
Grey Skate, 2 ie 2
Gurnard, as 8 8
Angler, if 1
1938 40 1978
4 10°1 | 10°8 | 61 |9 to12} 3.20 | 7.10 | Cod, Ch a 4
p-m. | p.m. | Codling, 273 9 282
Haddock (1), |395 ae
i (2), 164 i
i (3), 540 5
—1099 3% 1099
Whiting, 261 14 275
Brill, SA 10 be 10
Plaice (1), .. 12 : *
Fenn (D) a8 169 : oA
ee WB) 13 &
—194 Ese 194
Lemon ab, 12 es 12
Com. Dab,.. 28 45 73
| Starry Ray, 3 2 5
Grey Skate, 5 1 6
Gurnard, .. 5 4 4
1889 75 1°64
” Stoll} 7.30 | 11.80} Cod, 26 an 26
p.m. | p.m. | Codling, .. 179 11 190
Haddock (1), 241 a3 0
Re (2), 254 aN
atl eaBls 170 re
—-665 Bo 665
Whiting, 96 16 112
Brill, 8 fe 8
Plaice (1), 10 ce 3B
Oe 171 A ee
| | ey ENB) ies 14 we a
—195 5h 195
Lemon Dab, 14 ae 14
Com. Dab,.. 24 37 61
Gurnard, .. ni 5 5
Thornback, 4 rae 4
Grey Skate, 5 1 6
Angler, 7 iL 1
1216 71 1287
Remarks.
Wind S.W., strong
breeze; sea rough.
Place.
1903.
Oct. 17.
4. Same
Locality.
Towed up
to Cruden
Scars.
5. Same
Locality.
Shot at
Cruden °
Skerries and
towed to-
wards Aber-
deen.
6. Moray
Firth ;
Burghead
Bay.
7. Same
Locality.
Date.
”
Oct. 19.
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
of the Mishery Board for Scotland.
Temperature.
% a
oO =
=
= =} te)
< n aa)
10 to
15
8 to 12
Time Trawl
Fish Caught.
Remarks.
Down.
rd No.
a8 3 No. thrown] Total
° 3 Name. taken to] Over- No.
a q Market] board.
12.50] 4.5 | Cod, 9 9
a.m. | a.m.} Codling, .. 382 5 387
Haddock (1), 237 a
4, (2), 156 ;
” (8), 397 .
—790 ac 790
Whiting, 214 14 228
Turbot, 3 : 3
Brill, ws 4 : 4
Plaice (1), .. 12 ; ES
<6 2) eye 181 A x
iS (hoe 11 : oA
——204 " 204
Lemon Dab, 3 . 3
Com. Dab, .. 14 21 35
Gurnard, .. Ae 4 4
Thornback, 4 2 6
Grey Skate, 4 1 5
Starry Ray, 2 4 6
Angler, 1 ‘ 1
1634 51 1685
4,20 | 5.20 | Codlinge, .. 14 5 19
a.m. | a.m. | Haddock (1), 20 ,
= (2), 46 2
— 66 4 70
Whiting, .. 32 19 51
Plaice (1), .. ee oe 28
np 2) vss 42 ce ee |
—- 42 ae 42
Com. Dab,.. 12 14 26
166 42 208
1.30 | 5.30 | Codling, .. 12 12
p.m. | p.m. | Haddock (1), 35 a6
s (2), 190 Ee
- (3), 6214 ie af
6439 30 6469
Whiting, 60 150 210
Halibut, 1 BS 1
Brill, 2 AS 2
Plaice (1), .. 2 ses sie
ws | (2); se 178 a ee
rm 6)5 36 277 He ie
Ce 165 he Ss
—622 56 678
Witch, 30 Ke 3
Com. Dab,.. 20 794 814
Gurnard, 96 60 156
Thornback, 4 a 4
Angler, a0 6 6
7286 1096 8382
6.15 | 10.15 | Cod, 1 1
p-m. | p.m. | Codling, .. 9 9
Haddock (1), 1 F
” (2), 180
5 (3), 1282 a es
1463 38 1401
Whiting, 255 102 357
Turbot 1 A 1
Brill, 3 ms
Plaice (1), .. 4 i ne
ge 2 ee 314 a ats
Ba tA(3) 134 ; ae
sy e 194 E S
ae — 646 20 | 666
Witch, 2 a Z
Com. Dab, 120 653 773
Gurnard, 80 31 111
Thornback, 1 oe 1
Angler, : 21 21
2581 865 3446
Small-meshed net.
Weather ealm.
Catch included
31} baskets of
haddocks, mostly
small, and six of
plaice.
72
Place.
8. Same
Locality.
9. Same
Locality.
10. Same
Locality.
Part I1T.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Fish Caught.
Temperature. pune awl
Depth i
Date. 3 a in <
3 6 |Fms 4 o
Bile Bala
2/a|aA a | ©
1903.
Oct 19- | 11:2 | 103} 10 |8to12) 10°45 | 2.45
20. p-m. | am,
Oct. 20.) 10°8 | 12°33] 10 |8to13) 3.35 | 7.35
a.m. | a.m.
é 8 to12} 9.0 | 10.0
a.m. | a.m.
Name.
Cod,
Codling, ..
Haddock (1),
2
Whiting,
Lemon Dab,
Witch,
Com. Dab,
Gurnard, ..
Thornback,
Angler,
Codling, ..
Haddock (1),
” (2)
» (3),
Whiting, ..
Turbot,
Plaice (1), ..
2 .
Witch,
Com. Dab,..
Gurnard, ..
Thornback,
Angler,
Hake,
Codling,
Haddock (1),
»” (2),
”» (3),
Whiting,
Plaice (1), ..
D)
” (2), O06
Gurnard, ..
Thornback,
Angler,
x No.
o. | thrown
taken to} Over- Jotal
Market.| board. se
2 2
5 5
16 ss
12 on
352 <“é
182 ae Hf
—562 20 582
290 94 384
i ae aes
89 ae <
214 83 So
324 i. a
— 634 32 666
2 a0 2
18 ba 18
ae 786 786
80 18 98
3 ar 3
: 10 10
1596 960 2556
11 : ial
8 ft ah:
112 2 ae
1956 on <3
——-2076 43 2119
250 103 353
1 25 if
5 ee oe
78 Rf. xe
120 hs ~
288 Re a
—491 se 491
4 bf 4
5 oe 5
78 860 938
87 21 108
2 ae 2
5 5
3005 1032 4037
1 - 1
iy 3 15
2 ae aH
27 a
184 Ss a
——213 26 239
10 46 56
4 He on
18 zis as
50 ee Be
157 bs AF
——229 fe 229
os 307 307
8} ate 13
36 14 50
al ie 1
ie 1 1
515 397 912
Remarks
Small-meshed net.
Place.
11. Dornoch | Oct. 20.
Firth, off
Dunrobin
and Golspie.
12. Same
Locality.
13. Same
Locality.
14. Same
Locality.
Date.
1903.
”
Oct. 21.
| Air.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
73
Temperature.
Time Trawl
Down.
Surface.
Bottom.
| Shot.
Hauled.
2.45
p.m.
4.45
p.m.
5.10 | 7.10
p.m. | p.m.
7.45
p-m.
11.45
p.m.
12.20} 3.20
a.m. | a.m.
Name.
Cod,
Codling,
Coal-fish, ..
Haddock (1),
” (2),
” (3),
Whiting, ..
Brill, es
Plaice (1), ..
” (2), Co
» (8), ..
Lemon Dab,
Com. Dab,..
Cat-fish,
Gurnard, ..
Cod,
Codling, ..
Haddock (1),
2
” (2),
Whiting, ..
Plaice (1), ..
» (8), ..
Lemon Dab,
Com. Dab,..
Gurnard, ..
Thornback,
Angler,
Codling, ..
Haddock (1),
(2
”
Whiting,
Brill, ae
Plaice (1), ..
” ©) On
Lemon Dah,
Com. Dab,
Gurnard, ..
Thornback,
Codling, ..
Haddock (1),
” (2),
Whiting,
Plaice (1), ..
” (2), oi
Lemon Dab,
Com. Dab,..
Gurnard,
Thornback,
Fish Caught.
* No.
o. jthrown
taken to} Over- re
Market. | board. ‘
42 : 42
26 7 33
aie 2 2
51 ;
83
.. [444 si ate
—578 14 592
x 27 27
2 in 2
10 ;
5
7
— 22 22
3 3
ae 61 61
1 1
3 5 8
677 116 793
3 3
12 12
177 ia
43 ae
425 oe
—645 7 652
4 12 16
5 A ae
39 ae ae
54 eh or
—- 98 2 100
8 ae 8
HA 43 43
5p 4 4
1 6 i
: 3 3
771 71 842
26 3 29
78 ie a
24 fr Ds
—102 2 104
4 6 10
2 Ry 2
21 ie F
36 His
57 Ne 57
4 aye 4
ae 60 60
8 8
2 2
197 79 276
10 9 19
2 ‘ ae
10 és
—— 1Y 4 16
Ne 3 3
5 ee
20 Es
a O5 6 31
12 ae 12
s 24 24
8 11 19
4 oe 4
71 57 128
Remarks,
Weather fine ; light
8. W. wind.
Weather fine
split.
net
74 Part IIL.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. ue Lal Fish Caught.
Depth :
Place. Date. 3 a in = No. Remarks.
3 On| ims: 0a 2 No. | thrown
x * 2 S 5 Name. taken to] Over-
a PD iaa) wal fas Market.| board.
1903.
15. Same | Oct. 21.| 12°0 | 10°71 | 10°6 |8to14} 3.50 | 7.50 | Cod, Se as 3
Locality. a.m. | a.m. | Codling, .. “fs 8
Haddock (1), Bseitiral
D 2), spe | ag)
oH (8), .. [637
—668 2
Whiting, .. O6 15 25
Plaice (1), .. aap aks AA
» (2), .. 24
» (3), .. aye Led
ann (4) .. | 25
— 82
Lemon Dab, sé 2 ;
Com. Dab, oe ae 233
Witch, ae 2 oe
Gurnard, .. fs 7 18
Conger, 5 35 1 A
Thornback, oe 2 5.
Angler, E 30 50 2
Piked Dog-fish, 2
Sprat, : F 3
790 285
16. Same op a = > | LOito 8 12 Cod, on ae 1 ‘i
Locality. 15 | a.m. | p.m.| Codling, .. yes 13 5
Haddock (1), .. | 149 5
Pr (2), Bo | a8}
” (3), bh bo 1574
——1846 6
Whiting, .. sie 9 23
Plaice (1), .. a. |) 4 ts
3 (2), .. >. 40
phy SDs) 1- 91
” (4), +7 180
—-325 20
Lemon Dab, 25 3 oe
Com. Dab, ae 30 181
Gurnard, .. Bo 8 of
Piked Dog-fish, .. 2
Angler, .. es 4A 1
Thornback, ie 4 “fe
Sprat, as de 50 15
2239 247
17. Same . -- | .. | .. [8 to 12/1215) 1.15 | Cod, Shs 1 Net split.
Locality. p-m.| p.m. | Codling, .. of 9 Bs
Whiting, .. ae ee 2
Plaice (8), .. Se ee» eel tt
Com. Dab, ot ay 6
Sprat, 56 Sc = 8
il 16
18. Same Hy Ns Be -. {8to13) 4.50 | 8.50 | Cod, ps ot 5 a3
Locality. p-m. | p.m. | Codling, .. it 30 12
Haddock (1), Bo | Bs} se
st (2), +. || 856
nS (8)3 ee oe 1248
1907 19
Whiting, .. ae be 36
| Plaice (1), .. Soaked, Bs
ssive (C2) ae vn Oo
» (8), - 46
» (4), . 15
112 21
H Lemon Dab, 55 2 ate
Com. Dab, ae 25 43
Gurnard, .. a ae 10
Angler, =: 55 ie i
2031 142 2223
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 75
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. apne Trawl Fish Caught.
own.
Depth ae
Place. Date. g g in = No. Remarks,
3 S |Fms.| |; 2 No. thrown Total
a = = s S Name. taken to} Over- N =
<q n ~Q iva) i Market.| board. O:
1903.
19.Same | Oct. 21-| .. wh . |8to13} 9.10] 1.10 | Codling, .. oe 19 8 27
Locality. 22. p.m. | a.m. | Haddock (1), .. |166 ae a
oe (2), .. |150 an
A (38), Soa SS
—1033 15 1048
Whiting, .. ar ae 9 9
Plaice (1), .. so || 140) 7 ars
aa 2) ae ees Ze me
Pan (S) ae 32 E
re 4a)a 70 Ss
—136 24 160
Lemon Dab, me 1 na 1
Com. Dab, My 11 760 771
Gurnard, .. ES 50 6 6
1200 822 2022
20. Same | Oct. 22.) .. AY; re +> | 1.80 | 5.80 | Codling, .. 30 Sc 9 9
Locality. a.m. |am.| Haddock(1), .. | 73 . .
oe (2), Bet |let! 6
ms (3), .. (645 ;
—799 i 806
Whiting, .. oc 50 12 12
Plaice (1), .. sid 4 Ss als
DOR ad ton tee
5 GIS Ae .. {120
(isa co [FAO 5 ind
—-372 18 390
Com. Dab, 5 a6 347 347
Gurnard, .. as 12 23 35
Thornback, ne 2 ae 2
1185 416 1601
21. Same a 9.2 | 9°7 | 974 |8to13] 5.45 | 6.45 | Codling, .. ae 4 1 5 | Small -meshed net
Locality. a.m. | a.m. | Haddock (1), Ee ieL0 ie J used,
” 2 ’? ee 9 oa oe
is (3), .. | 69 cr
— 88 4 92
Whiting, .. ae 1 40 41
Brill, ‘e Be 1 a 1
Plaice (1), .. is 3 Be nc
Vea tcae mer iAee at
PNB ae 71 i
men a)ae 253 3
—-348 15 363
Com. Dab,.. aa 23 371 394
Gurnard, .. aA 5 25 30
Thornback, eit 1 1
Piked Dog-fish, Bc 1 1
Sting Ray, so 56 1 1
Little Sole, as Ae 1 1
Sprat, a ae 4 4
Armed Bullhead, 1 1
471 464 935
22. Off 3 wa we Hh 23 1 2 Codling, .. aye 6 4 4
Lybster. p.m. | p.m. | Haddock (1), se (BI 5 a
a5 2), .. {190
“4 (3), ... (358 : ie
—-900 4 904
Whiting, .. aD 37 14 51
Plaice (1), .. Be 4 in oe
x Oyen on | 20 a a
—- 14 be 14
Lemon Dab, a 5 = 5
Com. Dab... Ae ne 30 30
956 52 1008
a
Part ITI —Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
76
Temperature.
Place. Date. a g
(3)
3 °
es >) S
2=/a/8
1903.
23. Same | Oct. 2%.
Locality.
|
24. Same on
Locality.
25. Same | Oct. 22
Locality. & 23
26. Same | Oct. 23.
Locality.
27. Smith op
Bank.
Time Trawl .
Down. Fish Caught.
OS No.
. 2 No. | thrown Total
6 3 Naine. taken to] Over- | “\5
a es] Market. | board. 3
2.30 | 4.30 | Codling, .. ae 13 13
p.m. | p.m. | Haddock (1), 731 aa ae
it (2), 446 x A
5 (3), 1277 fe 55
2454 9 2463
Whiting, 200 24 224
Plaice (8), .. 11 A 11
Lemon Dab, 5 aA 5
Com. Dab,.. ac 20 20
Gurnard, .. 4 5 4
2674 66 2740
4.50 | 7.50 | Codling, .. 12 7 19
p-m. | p.m. | Haddock (1), 449 Be
3 (2), 471 ae
. (3), 1075 ae i
——1995 13 2008
Whiting, 628 36 664
Plaice (1), .. 3 as is
a (Ob as 23 ‘ =
— 26 3 26
Lemon Dab, 4 oe 4
Com. Dab,.. : 86 86
Gurnard, .. 3 3
2665 145 2810
8.15 | 12.15 | Cod, 18 oe 18
p.m. | a.m. | Codling, .. 19 4 23
Haddock (1), 286 Pr Bc
5 (2), 210 ie de
0 (3), 836 re a:
—1332 14 1346
Whiting, as 21 21
Plaice (2), 9 23 9
Lemon Dab, 12 es 12
Com. Dab, 00 66 66
Gurnard, .. 13 8 21
Angler, on 1 1
1403 114 1517
12.30 | 3.35 | Cod, i 3 7
a.m. | a.m. | Codling, .. 14 : 14
Haddock (1), 260 : ae
“f (2), 213 3 ae
i. (3), 860 2 a0
—1333 9 1342
Whiting, 450 26 476
Plaice (2), .. 22 ee 22
Com. Dab,.. Ue 39 39
Gurnard, .. 10 5 15
Thornback, 2 F 2
1838 79 1917
6.15 | 7.15 | Codling, .. 5 1 6
a.m. | a.m. | Haddock (1), 28 F Ae
» (2), 6 Sire Re
- (8), 231 F a3
— 265 37 302
Whiting, .. 46 204 250
Plaice (1), .. 3 Ef a0
3 RO) A 28 ne oe
— 31 os 31
Com. Dab, ie 3 674 677
Long Rough Dab, ac 3 3
Lemon Dab, ite © 14 14
Armed Bullhead, 2 2
Gurnard, .. 06 15 15
350 950 1300
Remarks,
20 baskets of had-
docks.
Place.
28. Same
Locality.
29. Off
Kinnaird
Head at
“ Witch
Ground.”
Date.
1903.
Oct. 23.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLFE I,
Temperature.
Depth
3 Fi in
SI S | Fms.
= 4 =
= 5 xe)
< mM jaa}
22
50
Time Trawl
Fish Caught.
Down.
= | a No.
: 2 0. thrown
8 tes Name. taken to) Over- be
7] jaa | Market.| board. Os
8.10 | 11.50 | Cod, 107 107
a.m. | a.m. | Codling, 27 27
Ling, Pe 1 1
fladdock (1), 30 ;
iS 2), 110 2
oA (3), 646 be
—786 10 796
Whiting, 10 31 41
Plaice (2), .. 34 Ae 34
Lemon Dab, 15 te 15
Com. Dab,.. , 206 206
Gurnard 8 8
Angler, 1 1
980 256 1236
1.50 | 2.50 | Hake, Ae 6 - 6
p.m. | p.m. | Haddock (1), 21 23 a5
” (2), ge oN
» (3), 400 de ts
—421 18 439
Whiting, te 46 46
Plaice, 3 AG 3
Com. Dab,.. 406 406
Gurnard, .. 56 12 12
Angler, ~ 1 1
430 483 913
Small-meshed net.
78
Place.
1. Aberdeen
Bay; _ be-
tween Black
Dog and
Newburgh.
2. Same
Locality.
3. Same
Locality.
4. Same
Locality.
Date.
”
Oct. 80
& 31
Part I1L.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature.
me:
o
ai/al|aAa
10°0 | 104 | 10
6 toll
5 to 11
ena Fish Caught.
3 & ae
. a o. | thrown
6 eI Name. taken to| Over- pote
5 sa Market.| board. ©
9.55 | 12.15 | Cod, 29 7 29
am. | p.m. | Codling, .. 43 re 43
Haddock (1), 181 ia a
A 2), 195 ws o
” (3), 16 3 x6
—-— 392 7 399
Whiting, 195) 148 338
Brill, a 1 He 1
Plaice (3), .. 6 1 7
Com. Dab,. . a 8 7 15
Black Sole, ate 1 A 1
Long Rough Dab, 2 2
675; 160 835
12.45 | 5.20 | Cod, L069) 106
p.m. | p.m. | Codling, 145 6 151
Coal-fish, .. 4 De 4
Haddock (1), 120 i on
53 2s 179 Ne ae
Ae (3), 10 ae a
— 309 11 320
Whiting, 54} 107 161
Plaice (2),.. 198 Be ne
S34) (Hoe 110 i s:
— 308) .. 308
Lemon Dab, 1 = 1
Com. Dab,.. 8 8
Flounder, .. 3 a 3
Thornback, 2 2
Starry Ray, 2 2
930} 136 1066
5.55 | 10.10 | Cod, 25 He 25
p.m. | p.m. | Codling, : 85 9 94
Haddock (1), 311 5 fe
» (2), 588
es (3), 132 Ls 6
——1031) 130 1161
Whiting, 188) 640 828
Plaice (1),.. 37 Le an
aa) ble)srere 28 ee
ep (Ghar 49 a
—- 114 9 123
Com. Dab, 25 13 38
Gurnard, 8 8
Thornback, 1 ae 1
Starry Ray, 30 21 21
1469} 830 2299
10.45 |3 a.m.| Cod, 37 37
p.m. Codling, 49 a 56
Haddock (1), 475 5 ae
o (2), 303 ‘ mc
Vane (3)s 353 a *
——1131 14 1145
Whiting, 272 211 483
Black Sole, 1 as 1
Plaice (1),..
ET (Oyen 52 ‘ ;
5a ne) sets 27 : ¥e
— 79 : 79
Lemon Dab, 2 ne 2
Com. Dab,.. ai 5 12
Flounder, .. 2 Ai 2
Gurnard, .. 1 1
Starry Ray, 24 24
1580 262 1842
Remarks.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. "9
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. Time Trawl Fish Caught.
Depth Down:
Place. Date. 3 E in = No. Remarks.
o | Fms. ; & No. | thrown
a = c= rs = Name. taken to} Over- Be
| = 8 3 td Market.| board. :
5. Aberdeen] Oct. 31] 9:6 | 10-2 | 10°6 |8to19). 7.10 | 810 | God, eae oe ie a 5 | Small-meshed net,
Bay ; off a.m.-| a.m. | Codling, .. A 10 9 19
Collieston. Haddock, .. as 773| = 157 930
Whiting, .. te 169 75 244
Plaice, ye te 27 ate 27
Lemon Dab, eS 1 oe 1
Com. Dab,.. ‘ 3 3
Long Rough Dab, 2 2
Gurnard, .. =e 6 6
Grey Skate, if 1
80 Part 117.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. pune Le wh Fish Caught.
Depth
Place. Date. 3 g a 3 ft FEN:
a ) ms. : = 0. rown
“s — 8 zs) 5 Name. taken to| Over: otal
a a roa] zl ran Market.| board. wt
1. Aberdeen| Nov. 6.| 9:2 | 10°0 | 9°8 |8to10 2.10 | 5.10 | Cod, 1 j 1
Bay ; off p-m.| p.m.| Codling, .. 27 é 27
Black Dog to Haddock (1), 135 A ote
Collieston. ” (2), 69 : B
an (3), 334 : G0
a (4), 439 i bn
— 977 36 1013
Whiting, 303; 18 321
Plaice, : 2 a 2
Com. Dab, . ; 4 1 5
Long Rough Dab, 2 2
Gurnard, 3 3
Thornback Ray, .. u 1
Herring, a0 6 6
Sprat, 2 2
1314 69 1383
2. Same “f 53 to| 6.25 | 8.25 |-Codling, a 2 2
Locality. 12 | p.m.| p.m. | Haddock (1), 1 a
” (2), 6 On
” (4), 6 oa
— 13 2 15
Whiting, 24 6 30
Plaice, 1 ar 1
Com. Dab,. 1 a 1
Long Rough Dab, 1 1
Gurnard, 4 2 2
Grey Skate, 3 3
Starry Ray, 15 15
Herring, 1 1
39 32 71
3. Same | Noy. 6 54 to] 9.15 | 1.20} Cod, _ 1 1
Locality. & 7. 12 | p.m.| a.m. | Codling, .. 22 3 25
Haddock (1), 126 2
on 2), 75 ae
50 (3), 118 bh
—— 319 329
Whiting, 96, 22 118
Plaice (1),.. 1 Bis se
00 2) as 53 an a0
1p, (5 aa 67 <5 ae
— 121 1 122
Com. Dab,.. 7 5 12
Long Rough Dab, 3 3
Starry Ray, 2 2
566 46 612
4, Aberdeen 5 41 to| 2.55 | 5.25 | Cod, 1 1
Bay ; off 12 | a.m.]a.m.| Codling, .. 28 8 26
Newburgh. Haddock (1), 13 A 5
is (2), 14 4 i.
on (3), 81 46 qa
— 108 20 128
Whiting, (al BY 104
Brill, . 2 A 2
Placer).
3 (2) 39 36
op (Bh ab 215 si
—- 254 254
Com. Dab,.. ‘ 15 15
Long Rough Dab, 5 5
Gurnard, ae 19 19
475 89 564
Remarks.
Weather fine ; sea
smooth; gentle
westerly wind.
Nothing apparent
to account for
very small catch.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 81
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. ane Trawl Fish Caught.
own.
Depth —
Place. Date. oI 3g in | No. Remarks.
s Ss |Fms.| 4; | No. | thrown | mot
a = = E 3 Name. taken to} Over- N
a na ioe) ~m q Market.| board. a:
5. Moray | Nov.9.| .. ye .. |54t09)1p.m.| 4-10 | Cod, ae oF wal Se 11 |Wind west;
Firth ; Burg- a.m. | Codling, .. : 1 7 8 squally, rain.
head Bay. Haddock (1), BE 1 ae ae
CMTS yee il aty ¥
” (3), aie Pa
snl ays 494 ie 2
—- 506] 187 693
Whiting, .. dc 10 23 33
Brill, ae ae to] Pa 9
Plaice (1),.. e: 21 ae
Dn(2) os) eel 00
5) (Bh 4c .. | 660 ar Sp
—— 790 8 798
Com. Dab,.. fe 34 8 42
Gurnard, .. on oo 84 84
Thornback, s 4 Sh 4
1865} 317 1682
6. Same f re a .. | 53 to] 4.30 | 8.45 | Cod, a ws 2 ae 2
Locality. 13 | p.m.| p.m.| Codling, .. a 33 10 43
and Haddock (1), eS 5 ot =a
20 rr (2), anil ee AS
(3), ad [ee a
or) (4), 711 me 0
—- 827; 203 | 1,030
Whiting, .. AG 26 31 57
Turbot, Sc 1 1
Brill, : 10 10
Black Sole, a i 1
Plaice (1),.. Me 16
5 (Bhan oe |) eal
ree (S)ice se ||) re bys ae
— 908 21 929
Com. Dab,.. Be 100} 196 296
Witch, 213 ae G| eee 6
Gurnard, .. ats aa 24 24
Thornback, Sr 12 aa 12
Angler, .. ae 4 6 10
1930 491 2421
7. Same |Noy. 10.) .. : .. |4% to |3a.m.|7 a m.| Cod, a6 ks Sli Ae 3
Locality. 10 Codling, .. ae 32 11 43
Haddock (2), aia
” (3), oe
Fs (4), 205 25 x
— 2 50 75
Whiting, .. oe 54 34 34
| Brill, =f ne 31 3
Turbot, .. by 5 ae 5
Plaice (1), .. AE 27 Ss
a iC2 nt ee pen | L7G
| oy (EIS oe bo ltetiee = is
| —1100 58 1158
| Lemon Dab, a 9 = 9
| Com. Dab,.. Me 64, 240 304
Gurnard, .. ae a 102 102
Thornback Ray, .. 2 9 11
Angler, .. ats 2 2 4
1273] 506 1779
8. Same : 78 | 98 | 10 |5t010)8a.m.| 10.35 | Cod, A Se Sle aes 3 | W.S W. strong
Locality. a.m. | Codling, .. a ae "i 7 breeze; showery.
Haddock, .. ae id 25 25
Whiting, .. as ss 11 i
Brill, a we 7 ue 7
Plaice (1), .. a 13 Le ts
a) ap wer LBD) is
ae ACD) oe .. | 526 F ae
— 678 25 703
Com. Dab,.. =a 40) 140 180
Gurnard, .. Be a 186 186
Thornback Ray, .. 5 34 5
Angler, .. 56 56 4 4
733 398 1131
Part ITI.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
82
Temperature.
Place. Date. Py q
8 a
Soilae
a TE leas
<q nM {ea}
9. Dornoch
Firth, off
Golspie.
10. Same |Noy.11] 92 98 9°4
Locality.
11. Same ”
Locality.
Time Trawl
5 to 13) 3.25
p.m.
7.30
p-m.
5.40
a.m.
10.5
a.m.
4.10
p-m.
8.40
p-m.
Fish Caught.
Name.
Codling, ..
Haddock (1),
Whiting,
Brill, 50
Plaice (1), ..
(2), -.
(3), --
Lemon Dab,
Com. Dab,
Grey Skate,
Thornback,
Sandy Ray,
Angler,
Gurnard,
”
”
Codling, ..
Haddock (1),
Com. Dab,.
Thornback Ray, . #
Sandy Ray,
Gurnard,
Angler,
Cod,
Codling,
Haddock (1),
Halibut,
Megrim,
Plaice (), Ne
Com. Dab,.
Long Rough Dab,
Gurnard,
Thornback,
Angler,
x ‘ No.
o. |thrown
taken to) Over: pote
Market.) board ec
11 6 17
232 as ce
214 . oe
413 BE
191 ae a
——1050 50 1100
2 2 4
3 at 3
5 a a
167 Be ae
1092 Bre a
——1264| 902 2166
6 2 8
4 126 130
1 ie 1
5 15 20
1 it
2 2
33 33
2346) 1139 3485
32 8 40
158 Ore Yo
53 Res ae
56 ne oa
56 Ee ae
— 323 52 375
8 2 10
4 Be 4
6 te are
103 oa ae
453 ae ms
416 es ae
-— 978 259 1237
22 78 100
1 5 6
1 rf
34 34
al! of
1368} 440 1808
VAN a 2
6 9 15
100 5
162
219
530 oe es
—-1011} 271 1282
il i 1
1 *) 1
6 ne #
87 Ae a
482 a3 ee
356 be i
— 8sl} 114 995
na 144 144
6 6
60 60
7 7
1 1
1902; 612 2514
Remarks.
Sea smooth.
Weather calm.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 83
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. ime Trawl Fish Caught.
Down. 5
Depth
Place. Date. 3 g in 3 No Remarks.
8 8 Fms.| |; = No. | thrown Total
4s E 2 3 3 Name. taken to) Over- N ae
< D Q n = Market.| board. c
12. Same |Nov. 12. 2.55 | 7.55 | Cod, 22 ; 22
Locality. a.m. | am. | Codling, . 23 3 26
Haddock(1), 97 a a
ern) 78 y
6 (3), 6 “14
(4). 107 oe a
—— 282 46 328
Brill ‘ i eae 1
Plaice (1), .. 2 me ne
51 (ONiae 137 coe >
mn AGI Hac 319 ae -
ape as 214 Na ae
— 672 169 841
Lemon Dab, 3 1 +
Com. Dab, 12 63 75
| Megrim, 5 1 PP, 1
| Gurnard, .. ds 50 50
Thornback Ray. .. 4 4
Sandy Ray, 1 1
Angler, 2 2
1016 339 1255
13. Same * 6 to 10} 11.40 | 3.20 | Codling, .. 5 4 9
Locality. a.m | p.m. | Haddock (1), 3 E 5
ee): 3 a <
— 6 13 19
Plaice (1), .. 7 x Ss
nae (2) 331 -
ay (he 795 Bp
av. Bes 784 th oad ye
1917 184 2101
Com. Dab, 20 35 55
Gurnard, 16 16
Thornback, 2 4 6
Angler, 3 3
1950 259 2209
14. Same | Nov. 13 6 toll) 5.15 | 10.15} Codling, .. 1 1 2 | Wind §S.;_ fresh
Locality. a.m. | a.m, Bade Bs OE . breeze ; squally.
: 2), ¢ : 3
a AO): 197 ; -
a (4). 169 5 xe
— 581 53 634
Brill. a U7 |e 17
Plaice (1), .. 3 ere fs
Rat C) aioe 331 le res Be
(3): Di eels th
fy (Nee 756 2 +
1661 320 1981
Com. Dab, 71, 300 371
Lemon Dab, (od 6
Gurnard. 20 20
Angler, | 2 2
2337, 696 | 3033
t
84 Part [17 —Twenty-second Annual Report.
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. Tene el Fish Caught.
Depth :
Place. Date. g a in 3d No. Remarks.
g 6 | Fms x No. | thrown
e = = i) 2 Name. taken to| Over- Total
a RD faa) et Ed Market.| board. 3
15. Burg- |Nov. 13.] .. A .. |5t010] 1.25 | 6.25 | Cod, m fe Ale 4 | Wind S.; fresh
head Bay. p.m. | p.m. | Codling. .. le 33 6 39 breeze.
Haddock (1), fe 5 te
” (2), 26 .
» (3), 3 :
ei (4): 131 - i
—— 187 46 233
Brill, aia a 36|\amee 36
Plaice (1), ie 10 es Ye
pa(2) 5 316 ae
5 (dk 601 Bp
op 412 ie so
——1339} 215 1554
Lemon Dab, aye 3 as 3
Com. Dab. is 40) 156 196
Thornback Ray, .. 2 bee 2
Gurnard, .. Ee Ss 150 150
Angler, .. ae ae 3 3
1644) 576 2220
16. Same |Nov.13] .. fe x », | 7.10 | 12.10} Cod, ‘ as 3 3
Locality. & 14. p-m. | a.m. | Codling, .. ae 24 25 49
Haddock (1). ws 3 50 53
Whiting, : 50 7 7
Turbot, . = 5 xs 5
Brill, ats Be £3 |e 43
Plaice (1), .. a6 22 ts 5
Pa (2) bide <e) \OOL te
ee (B)Sa weal S i
on (CDR ce He |) tes) 23 a
——1103 150 1253
Lemon Dab, cy 3 2 5
Com. Dab, ie us 320 320
jurnard, .. i ws 105 105
Thornback Ray, .. 3 5 8
Angler, - .. fe an 7 7
17. Same | Noy. 15) .. ok ts » |7a.m.| 11 | Cod, a ae HY 77
Locality. a.m, | Codling, .. oe 30 3 33
Haddock, .. Hs 2 2
Whiting, .. as 3 il 1
Turbot, .. we 2 oa 2
Brill, oe ie 15 23 15
Plaice (1), .. se 12 os if
(2) oe en 20D ae
Pen 6) rote Ser [paisnl bo
valde ealosd ne -
—— 832 99 931
Lemon Dab, at os 1 1
Com. Dab, ‘rs 30 124 154
Gurnard, .. ne oa 67 67
'Thornback, ae a 5 5
Angler, .. ow ae il 1
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
85
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Place. Date.
1903.
1, Aberdeen|Dec. 11.
Bay, off
Black Dog.
2. Same 5
Locaiity.
|
3. Same a
Locality.
Temperature.
®
°
, &
5 5
< a)
83 | 96
Bottom.
Time Trawl
Down.
Depth
in rd
Fms ¢ 2
3
Shad ae
<i
72) ian)
43 to | 10.15
10 | a.m.
2
p.m.
5 6.30
p.m.
1.15
a.m.
p.m.
11.40
p.m.
Fish Caught.
No. Remarks.
No. | thrown
Name. taken to| Over- Tora!
Market.| board. ‘
Cod, 28 28 | Wind S.; strong
Codling, 118 118 breeze; sea rough;
Coal-fish, .. ye 1 1 rain.
Haddock (1), {142 i sf
is (2), 45 é -
—169 ae 169
Whiting, 13 8 21
Brill, 1 a 1
Plaice, 1 a 1
Com. Dab, 4 oe 4
Starry Ray, if 1
334 10 344
Cod, ae 77
Codling, 105 105
Coal-fish, .. sx 2 2
Haddock (1), 19 F
” (2), 4
— 23 ee 23
Whiting, il 13 14
Plaice (2), .. 2 bs 50
Se ae 4 Re
— 6 6
Starry Ray, E 16 16
212 31 243
Cod,
Codling,
Coal-fish, ..
Haddock (1),
Plaice (3), ..
” (4), Os
Com. Dab,
Starry Ray,
53 Bo 53
75 se 75
sks 2 2
13 a 13
7 de be
5 ws Sc
ee i co 12
3 30 3
on 33 33
156 35 191
86 Part IIL—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature. ere raw Fish Caught.
Depth y
Place. Date. o q in ; ] No. Remarks.
3) =| KS}
Ss g |Fms.| |; x) No. | thrown Total
Ba 5 3 2 3 Name. taken to} Over- + “yo
— D faa) Rm jes} Market.| board.
a - _—— ee | ——-_ —_- | ———___—_—_—___@———__
1903.
1 Aberdeen] Dec. 23.} 87 | 96 | 89 |10to] 38 7.20 | Cod, a ie 77 ss 77 =| Net split.
Bay, off 30 | p.m.} p.m.| Codling, .. Se 3 3
Stains Haddock (2), 5 2 7
Castle. ! Whiting, Ss oe 1 1
Plaice (2), .. ae [t 2 : =<
mm AG) ae Boe |P te:
— 66 66
Com. Dab, e 1 ae 1
Starry Ray, ae 30 Be 30
Conger, .. ie me 1 1
Sand-eel, .. a ae 20 20
182 24 206
2. Same > a oe at a) 8 | 11.30] Cod, ae ae 23 ee 23 | Net split.
Locality. p-m. | p.m. | Codling, .. a 8 8
Haddock (1), < 1
” (2), a 4
a 5
Whiting, .. os = 2 2
Plaice (2), .. Bea | Wee: oe id
py (Rese Somes
ne OR ae Be) be
oO ney) 23
Com. Dab, Be es 1 il
Starry Ray, By 46 ae 46
105 3 108
3. Same | Dec. 24. is ae 59 2340)" 9 4 Cod, ts as 26 bs 26 | Net again split.
Locality. a.m. | a.m. | Codling, .. ee if oe 1
Haddock (1), oe 8 ae 8
Plaice (2), .. Ps 3 ea a There were none
op (BE oe ae 8 es Be unmarketable.
— ll 11
Starry Ray, bs 24 se 24
60 ie 60
4, Moray | Dec. 25.) .. ey -. |8to11) 1.15 | 6.20 | Cod, : = 4 a 4 | Wind S.W ; light
Firth ; p-m.| p.m.| Codling, .. = 9 9 1s | breeze.
Burghead Haddock (1), .. | 3 ie
Bay. ” (3), ee 120 S58.
—-123 604
Whiting, .. oe 76 120
Brill, ats : 2 ;
Plaice (1), .. a 2
» (2), .. .. |
» (8),.. .. | 64
—139
Com. Dab, ig es: 52
Long Rough Dab, 40 7
Gurnard, .. Bc Bs 4
353 796 1149
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
87
Place. Date.
.: 1903.
5. Moray | Dec, 25.
Firth ;
Burghead
Bay.
6. Off
Tarbetness.
Dec. 26.
7. Dornoch 3
Firth.
8. Off Dec. 27.
Lybster.
Ternperature.
2 g
= 8
x I 3
2/ala
|
74 9 9°2
6:2 | 75 | 83
Time Trawl
Down.
Depth
in a]
Fims ee x
3
& 3
nm et
6.45 | 11.55
p-m. | p.m.
16 to| 9.30 | 11.15
25 | a.m. | a.m.
7toll| 4.40 | 8.40
p-m. | p.m.
18 to} 12.45] 5
22 | p.m. | p.m.
Fish Caught.
* Hele Remarks.
0. rown
Name. taken to} Over- Tous!
Market.| board. o
Cod, 8 as 8 | Weather foggy.
Codling, .. - 17 17
Haddock (1), 3 am Be
aaa)! 23 = “a
(3) 346
5 c a ae
—372 2086 2458
Whiting, 120 108 228
Turbot, 2 Be 2
Brill, Pe 19 ah 19
Plaice (1), .. 7 ; ate
onl Ohare 134 : Be
yy (Cen 86 wa we
—-227 14 241
Lemon Dab, 1 7 ul
Com. Dab,.. 25 39 74
Gurnard, .. Aid 7 7
784 2271 3055
Codling, .. 13 4 17 | Thick fog. Net
Haddock (1), 129 Le i split.
Sm)! 36 - ie
S (8), 150 a ro
—315 23 338
Coal-fish, .. 5 ae 5
Whiting, 27 15 42
Brill, ws 1 <a 1
Plaice (1), .. 9 : 3
” (2), O40 23 C a
5 (3), -- 10 . “:
— 52 18 70
Lemon Dab, 6 us 6
Com. Dab, ual 52 63
Witch, il Bis 1
431 112 543
Cod, 8 oS 8 | Thick fog.
Codling, .. aye 4 4
Haddock (1), 160 : ie
pa m2) 498 3 a8
a4 (3): 112 vi e
—770 55 | «| (825
Whiting, : 23 23
Turbot, 2 e2 2
Brill, 4 4
Plaice (1), .. 15 Sc
sh (2)j a: 70 ee
ot Coe 46 aa
” (4), 17 ore.
—148 148
Com. Dab, 2. = 54 54
Long Rough Dab, Ae 26 26
Flounder, .. ay 1 : 1
933 162 1095
Cod, 2 2 | Net badly split.
Codling, .. 2 2 No offal
Haddock (1), 38 -
” (2), 6 Cue
— 44 44
Whiting, 9 9
Phaice(1), .. 3 ‘
PO) ane 1 Ls:
— 4 4
Witch, 1 ; 1
62 x 62
88
Place.
9. Burghead] Dec. 28 |
Bay.
10. Same
Locality.
11. Same
Locality.
Date.
1903.
Dec. 29.
»”
Part I1L.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE I.
Temperature.
ante
(3)
OU malic
R= 3 6
<q n aa
|
|
i
|
|
URS Ty) GO | 33
Time Trawl
Down.
Depth
in ro
Fms. 5 a
ae le
a | ke
5t013| 2.30 | 7.45
p.m. | p.m,
5 to12| 4.25 | 9.25
a.m. | a.m.
43 to} 12 4
10 | p.m. | p.m.
Fish Caught.
No.
No. | thrown
Name. taken to} Over-
Market.| board.
| Cod, 9 .
Codling, .. 25 7
Haddock (1), 4
ba 2)5 | 9
5 (3), 160 he
—173 540
Whiting, ae 22
Turbot, 3 :
Brill, ae 37
Plaice (1), .. 21
By \(2)avee 198
5 (G5 oe 87
—306
Lemon Dab, 3 ne
Com. Dab,.. 10 54
Gurnard, .. Me 8
Cat-fish, 1 ‘
567 631
Cod, 7 ae
| Codling, ce 6
| Haddock (1), 3 117
Whiting, ae 13
Turbot, af 2
Brill, 9
Plaice(1), .. ed
3» (2), -- 41
3 (3); «+ 15
— 63
Com. Dab,.. od 27 14
Long Rough Dab a 2
Gurnard, .. a if
110 156
Cod, 2 os
Codling, A 3
Haddock, .. 56
Whiting, 4 5
| Brill, aia i :
Plaice (1), .. 3
” 2 2isis 84
», (8); -- 12
— 99
Com. Dab,.. ea 11
Cat-fish, 1 ae
Gurnard, .. : 7
Thornback, 2 Pe
111 82
Remarks.
Weather fine ; calin.'
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLH II.
Giving particulars as to Boxes of Fish brought to Market.
LARGE HADDOCKS.
Length—Cm.
Fish
Range Average.
142 33 °2-67°5 36°7
114 33 4—-67°3 41-4
128 276-486 38'S
7 36 8-576 45-4
85 36°1-60°5 45°3
114 37-542 er
111 361-545
110 37 -60°1 ae
28 50 -71°4 61-6
117 36°7-59°5
127 34:2-64:0
87 38 -62
94 36°5-56
87 39 ‘0-64
87 38'2-58'8
115 33-53 he
135 34 -51 40°7
lll 36 -52°3 :
132 31°7-54
148 33 —37
130 36°2-49°5
134 33°5-50°7 ane
122 33 -66°3 42°0
120 34°2-51 42-0
103 36°3-52°3
95 35 °5-54°3
90 34°6-57
96 35°d-52
101 29°5-51°6
102 36°9-54°5
95 35 -54°7
102 35 -06°7
95 36 -59°7
94 371-57 °4
95 34°8-60°5
97 35°8-55'6
30 50°5-70°8 59°2
30 52°7-73°5 60°3
35 51°4-72°8 60-1
37 51°6-68°8 58°7
38 50°7-66°9 58°5
35 50°3-70 59°7
83 34°7-63'1 44°9
Weight.
In Bulk.
Lbs.
140
127
143
149
134
127
129
127
135
136
132
136
137
130
130
137
127
106
106
112
110
136
134
131
127
130
121
135
140
137
144
131
130
127
131
122
128
133
132
127
122
131
Oz.
a
“10 © He He GO H= ©1 00
—
Ca)
1
—
DH Or cr
Remarks.
Separately.
Lbs.
132
126
139
148
126
134
135
133
14 | From Farée.
10 > ”
10 | From Iceland.
12
Extra L.
90 Part I1.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE II.
MEDIUM HADDOCKS.
Length—Cm. | Weight.
‘ee Remarks.
Range. | Average. | In Bulk. | Separately.
| Lbs. Oz. | Lbs. Oz.
186 30°3-37 BRI Ane ie
180 31 =38 SBS ie 118 114 | Also 1 codling 36°9.
180 28 ‘8-41 °3 34°5 121 4 DU gs
175 28 6-39°5 34°5 119 8 118 8
209 30°9-38'1 34°1 OSs 126 10
209 31°3-37°6 34:0 126 12 12 se:
159 31°6-40°6 118 «4
233 29 °8-35'1 te 120 12
221 29°6-37°1 33:1 118 «8 Wily? 13
223 B10) S8ijay 34°3 124 6 122 14 | Also 1 whiting 28:0
cm., 4 oz.
185 32°6-38'5 TsO =
179 30°3-40°3 126 8
180 28'9-44°9 129 4
169 301-40 121 10
190 26°7-40°6 PAL a
184. 295-382 126 8
176 32° —39°4 14S
173 29 -8-39°7 1245 a5
168 30°4—41 1207
207 31:0-38°5 124 12
195 28 -39°4 IPR}
158 27 ‘8-532 36°4 L232 12139
151 32°2-48°5 1ZZeIS of
226 27°3-40°6 32°6 128 11
167 26°8-38° 108 4
192 28°4—40°6 126ee 9
230 30°2-39°6 19a
181 31°4—41°3 12o
212 29°5-37°5 PAL ibe
209 26:9-40°1 4S
222 29°6-43:°9 126 9
189 2553-39" 12 3tG
177 28°7-40°2 129F > 3
182 276-38 °9 AS) Ne!
148 32°4-48°4 124 19
No. of
Fish.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 9]
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE II,
SMALL HADDOCKS.
Length—Cm.
Range.
bo
WS
Rae
bo bo
t
bo bo
i
aH oR D>
LO bo bo
"Oo Oo~I
bo bo
=O
ORG SCG Ba
Perr e
bo bo bo
me OOO
Tees.
© 0 wwe www
oO
RES Roe
Lonoro porwr
Tu) Bo
— Oo
ADA GWT ~WWH Ryn WAG
ppp nnn
THE Ot
ob P Bro Sand We
Nooo]
He nwnw
Oem D~I10
bo
=I
Ne
(Jt)
Weight.
Remarks.
Average. | In Bulk. | Separately.
Lbs. Oz. | Lbs. Oz.
103. - Also 5 whitings and
6 codlings.
30°3 110 13 1054
ae i 4: *
31:0 120. - 120 2 | Also 1 whiting 30:1
and 5 oz.
119 +6
112 15
32°5 114 15 aa
B95) IG: +16 4
31°6 122s 122 4
31°9 128 12 126 12
S31 134 — ie
he PAL Be
39°2 114 8
pile Lies
30°4 106 12
30° Wii no
30° 103) 12
30°3 108 +5
29°9 Wish ts
bs 103 12
30 101 10 Also 2 whitings 41°1
and 46°3 cm.
LOS 12 ae
110 4 109 «8
Ns; 2 Hee
30°2 108 8 107 12
29 °4. PB} 122 aes
i, 104 12
ae 108 2
31.5 102° 15
a hee
30°7 127 4 127
314 109 12 Also 1 whiting 43°5
cm.
32°5 TGy | oe iis} &
LO) 4:
LOZ bes
Hike =
OSS 7
106 14
105
104 10
107, ==
92 Part ITI.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE II.
CODLING.
Length—Cm. Weight.
ag of Remarks.
Fish.
Range. Average. | In Bulk. | Separately.
Lbs. Oz. | Lbs. Oz.
39 38 :2-66°8 56°6 114 154 | Also 1 cat-fish, 2 lbs.
Sk OZ.
85 36°1-60°5 453 149 9 148 10
51 30°4-73 49°6 17 6 Ey G
47 30°3-69°6 48°] 124 13 118 14 | Alsolling, 73°6cm.,
5 lbs. 2 oz.
77 29°5-71°9 133 - Also 1 ling, 53 cm.,
and 1 whiting.
30 34 -77°5 1255 a=
35 41°5-74°9 156 «4
492 28 -68°8 125 6
39 412-73 128 9
36 38 -74 ABO 132 13 ; Also 1 ling, 58 cm.
70 28:5-66'5 aN Wey 5) sats
44 30°3-76 51-2, 17/110) 125 9 | Also 1 ling, 1 Ib.
12 oz.
34 36 7bel 122 2
74 29 -70°4 Wb =
40 28 5-72 1B =
7 34:9-71°'8 131 14
26 50°4-78'3 125 a8
68 VA. So et het) 13%)
51 Sirs 50°4 136 12 135 8
68 31:2-65°1 43°5 132 12) T3laeLO
53 34°4-71°9 50°6 139 a= 138 2
58 33°2-80°8 45:7 13 = 134 8
35 aio 7/111 54:0 125 4 121 1 Also | ling, 60°6=
2 Ibs. 8 oz.
40 34°8-71°6 51:5 128 9
26 42°4-70°4 590 116 — | Ungutted.
56 28 °3-62°6 39°6 iB) 9
99
ee ———
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 93
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE II.
WHITING.
Length—Cm. Weight.
Range. Average. | In Bulk. | Separately.
Lbs. Oz, | Lbs. Oz.
155 30°3-53°5 38° 125722
180 28°1-45°5 35°9 131 3 130 11
157 30 -52°4 128 12
192 28 °6-46°3 129 4
216 24°2-48°1 34°3 91 5 91 5
260 Pl mt wt a LOST
218 222-46 '7 94 6
183 273-43 33°2 117 4 113. 10
123 322-44 °2 36°6 106 - 97 12
183 27°9-34°7 31:0 Sir 7 86 5
138 | 29-2-45 349 | 103 - | 101 9
85 31°9-46°2 37'2 90 9 86 10
225 27 °3-40°2 321 LISh 5 116 12
Remarks.
Also 1 haddock, 1 lb.
10 oz.
Also 1 haddock, 34:0
=6 oz.
Also 1 haddock, 32:0
and 1 codling, 43:2.
Also 2 haddocks,
31°8, 28°8, and 1
codling, 38°3.
Line, ungutted.
Do. do,
Do. do.
Do. do.
Do. do.
Also 4 haddocks 25°5
—27:2—=1 lb. 4 oz.
94 Part ITT.—Twenty-sccond Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE II.
SMALL WHITING.
Length—Cm. Weight.
eet Remarks.
Range. Average. | In Bulk. | Separately.
Lbs. Oz. | Lbs. Oz.
279 24°3-33°5 29'5 106 5 103 13 | Round, ungutted.
Also 3 haddocks
—= 007.
351 20°6-32°6 26°4. 97 13 96055 Line, gutted.
415 20:8-33°9 bad ioe) 4 ree Also 1 haddock 21:0
cm.
274 24°7-33°7 28°5 Ue 90 2 | Line, gutted.
257 23°1-36°5 27°3 91 14 89 14 | Line, ungutted.
LARGE PLAICE.
Length—Cm. Weight.
nee f Remarks.
Range. Average. | In Bulk. | Separately.
Lbs. Oz. | Lbs. Oz.
60 40 -56°'8 Ways) 15)
24 55°7-13'5 _ 140 11
24 51:0-69:3—; i 14 2
27 55°1-64:0 144 4
26 50°8-66:0 sot 150 o4
Parl 53°4-68 2 a 140 12
35 47 -59°7 a 129 4
24 55°3-72 wed 139 8 Q
25 52°8-69°7 60°4 18) AL
42 33°7-67°9 Ae 135 9
11 57°9-87°6 74:8 138 6
17 52°6-80°8 64:0 132,13
15 55°9-78'8 66°2 132 12
21 56° —73°3 63°1 147 10
23 55°1-68°3 60°4 139 14
D4 54°7-68'°4 60°1 144 —
23 55°7-68°7 60°7 isi; 1
23 54°3-70'1 61°4 146 12
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 95
TRAWLING INVESTIG ATIONS—TABLE II.
MEDIUM PLAICE.
Length—Cm.
Range.
32°4-51
33°1-54'6
35 —51
32-2-51-4
33°5-57'1
33°1-54
30°4-44°9
30°5-56'8
31°5-48°1
Average.
He Go GO He Oo GO
LO 00 OD me He OF
orion) Ww boo
39-0
40-0
43°3
46-0
35°6
me, ,
WI 8
o
: Sab
ne
Weight.
Remarks.
In Bulk. | Separately.
Lbs. Oz. | Lbs. Oz
131 4 if
135 13 =
129) = 125
126: 8 ain
131 5 fe
1A 55 1255 tO
1383 oe Be
te eae
137 15 137 12
127d 126 12
ane PAE 183
119 4 7 el
128 8 128 1 | Small, medium.
V48) = =
Wiss
135 -
i
147 8
137) 12
139 12
S35}
143 «6
137 14
144 12
140 7 ve
142 Be
130 13 129 8
128 15 128 14
129 8 129 6
140 3 So
138 13 "
96 Part L1I.—Twenty-second Annua Keport
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE II.
SMALL PLAICE.
Length—Cm. Weight.
Nee : Remarks.
Range. Average. | In Bulk. | Separately.
Lbs. Oz. | Lbs. Oz.
205 223-36 °2 29°4 pe 126 7
215 24°1-35 29°4 131 13% Fle
210 23°4-35°6 oe 128 -
PAL?| 228-36 36 129 8
150 26 °3-39°6 32°5 129 10
107 31°4-40°2 a 118 10
145 24°7-38°4 Sh 33
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 97
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE II.
LARGE WITCHES.
Length—Cm. Weight.
nce SS a le REE ee Remarks.
Range. Average. | In Bulk. | Separately.
Lbs. Oz. | Libs. Oz.
133 32°7-47°8 39°7 Bat 125 14] Also 3 megrims=3
Ibs. 104 oz.
143 33°6-49°7 39°4 se 121. 8 | Also 1 megrim=1
lb. 7 02.
113 32°5-49 3 43-2 > 134 4
119 32 -50 42-7 roe 137 12
129 31°8-53 39 125 4 123 7 | Alsol megrim=8 oz.
131 33°5-49°6 sil 121 13 er
115 31:0-50°3 38°3 136 13 136 4
143 29°8-48°1 pe 142 7 ant
137 30°1-48 sa 132. -
152 30°8-47°5 | on 128 8
161 33 -45°7 oe 133 3
156 31:°3-47°55 | 38-7 186 10 135 12
160 32°3-50°1 ae 127 13 es
125 2°4-49 41°6 123 8 122 15
99 32°8-53°6 40°7 122 6 121 1 | Gutted.
98 Part I1I.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE II.
SMALL WITCHES.
Length—Cm. Weight.
No. of Remarks.
Fish.
Range. Average. | In Bulk. | Separately.
ibs: (Oz. Libs: ‘Oz:
292 22 6-352 29°8 103 8 ss Also 12 megrims and
2, lemon dabs=
6 lbs. 7 oz.
323 19) =35°2 107 +4
44] 19-8-34°6 116 10
423 18°1-33°7 106 13
315 24°0--40°6 list) © 2
240 28 2-40 114 O
298 21°6-36°9 106 «8
304 19°7-36'2 2
302 24 -2-37:9 104. 6
378 21°1-34°6 93 5
407 19°1-37°3 122 14
SMALL LEMON DABS.
Length—Cm. Weight.
No. Oe a ee ee Remarks.
Fish.
Range. Average. | In Bulk. | Separately.
Lbs. Oz. | Lbs. Oz.
193 17 2
256 20°6-34°
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. NS,
TRAWLING INVESTIGATIONS—TABLE ITI.
LARGE LEMON DABS.
Length—Cm. Weight.
Ne. of Remarks.
Range. Average. | In Bulk. | Separately.
Lbs. Oz. | Lbs. Oz.
115 28 5-443 35°3 142 - 138 12
99 29-9-45°7 37°6 145 4 145 8
100 28°7-46°0 , 134 - we
93 29-746 °7 38 147 15 145 3
104 28°1-48 ‘2 Rate 147 12 bt
115 28 8-47 °6 35°8 TOL 6 150 (O
89 264-47 °7 135 «6
91 269-452 se 134 11 oa
| 97 27 0-45 37°6 142 7 141 5
88 28-1-48°1 375 127 15 126 11
93 31 -44°7 ae 140 1 set
85 305-466 141 2
88 26°4-46°3 at 140 14 bet
84 276-46 °7 39:0 141 9 140 12
110 29 -46°4 369 142 4 141 13
83 28 °8-47°4 382 129° "6 129° 0
114 "29 -46°0 360 149 5 146 10
84 32°1-45°9 Be 146 13 i
COMMON DABS.
Length—Cm. _ Weight.
No. of
Fish, Remarks.
Range. Average. | In Bulk. | Separately.
Lbs. Oz. | Lbs. Oz.
115 21:9-40°6 270°7 59 15? | Also 1 megrim and
4 lemon dabs=
1 lb. 6% oz,
109 21-7-38°6
100 Part I1I--Twenty-second Annual Report
II.—CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LIFE-HISTORIES OF THE
EDIBLE CRAB (CANCER PAGURUS) AND OF OTHER
DECAPOD CRUSTACEA:—IMPREGNATION: SPAWN-
ING: CASTING: DISTRIBUTION: RATE OF GROWTH.
By H. Cuas. Witcramson, M.A., D.Sc., Marine : Laboratory,
Aberdeen. (Plates I.-V.)
CONTENTS.
PAGE
The Impregnation of Cancer pagurus, 101
The Muscular System of the Abdomen of the Male
Crab, ; 103
The Action of the Penis, : 2 : ; 104
The Condition of the Spermatheca, . . 5 105
The Impregnation of Carcinus menas, : : c 107
The Spawning of Cancer pagurus, . 108
The Mode of Attachment of the | Eggs: to the
Swimmeret, : : 108
The Swimmeret, ‘ . : : : 110
The Endopodite, : : : : ‘ 110
The Exopodite, : : : 2 4 iti)
The Ripe Egg, : : : 112
The Attachment of the Eggs, c : : 115
The Sloughing of the Empty Egg-capsules, . : 116
The Attachment of the Eggs in other ‘Decapod Crustacea, « 116
The Spawning of Carcinus menas, . 120
The Casting, Distribution, and Rate of Growth of Cancer
Pagurus, : : ; : 121
The Migrations of Cancer pagur U8; - 6 135
The Changes in the Carapace of Cancer pa yur Uy b : 136
Literature, . ; . ‘ : 11837/
Explanation of the Plates, : : : : : 138
In the Eighteenth Annual Report of the Fishery Board (1900) I
published a paper dealing generally with the life-history of the crab.
Since then I have, as occasion offered, continued my observations on this
form, and on other Decapod Crustacea. Attention has been directed
specially to the phenomena of Impregnation and Spawning. While the
fact of the impregnation was well evidenced by the presence of the
internal spermatheca liberally stocked with sperms, the exact mode in
which the sperms were transferred to the female was not very apparent.
With a view to elucidating the process a detailed examination has been
made of the copulatory organs of the male, and the spermatheca of the
female. While every stage in the process of impregnation has not yet
been determined, still a considerable advance towards the full description
of it has been attained.
In connection with the spawning of the higher Crustacea the attach-
ment of the eggs to the endopodite branches of the pleopods has been
variously described. The secret of the attachment has been ascribed to
various agencies, the principal of which has been the assistance of a
strong cement which glued the eggs to the hairs. This I have been able
to show is not the case. The stalk of the egg is really formed by the
* Contributions to the Life-History of the Edible Crab (Cancer pagurus).” Highteenth
Annual Report of the Fishery Board, Part III.
yA
of the Fishery Board for Scotland 101
outer envelope of the egg. The chorion of the egg is pierced by a hair
of the endopodite. The hair skewers the eggs on one after the other
until it is filled.
Observations on the distribution of the edible crab, and additions to
the list of the labelled crabs which have been recaptured, are also
included in this paper.
IMPREGNATION.
The act of impregnation is not very easily studied. It takes place
immediately after the female crab has cast. The conjunction of the male
with the female is so close, and at the same time so readily broken, that it
is not possible to follow the act completely by direct observation. The
study of the anatomy of the parts, however, enables one to understand the
operation in a satisfactory degree. While it is probably the case that in
the Brachyura impregnation takes place in a similar way in each species,
still the great variety in the form of the intromittent organ,* and also of
the vagina, of different species naturally infers a certain amount of
dissimilarity in the details of the operation.
An attempt was made to observe the fertilisation in Cancer pagurus, but
actual coition was not seen. The female, which had just cast, was put in
beside a hard male crab. The female was so soft that it yielded to the
pressure of the fingers in every part. It lay a plump, almost inert mass
when it was withdrawn from the water. The male was in a box a little
more than 1 ft. cube. The female was introduced at the corner farthest
away from it. The female immediately made its way towards the male,
and when it came within reach of its chele it remained perfectly still :
the male then gathered the female up with its legs and tucked her under-
neath him. Sometimes the female was right side up, at another she was
turned upside down beneath the male. In the case of Carcinus menas,
the male, on seizing hold of the female, immediately introduces its penes
into the vulve. This did not happen in the case of Cancer pagurus.
This species appeared less at home in the boxes: the quantity of light
was probably too great. The male and the female were accustomed to lie
perfectly still. The former does not injure the female except by accident,
as for example when it is interfered with. The crab is extremely quick in
noticing a shadow cast on the water, and throws its chele wildly about
to find the foe whose presence has been thus heralded. On one occasion,
when the two crabs had been separated in order to be examined, the male on
being released blindly striking out seized the chela of the female and
destroyed the limb. Impregnation was effected in the case of the crabs
(C. pagurus) in the Laboratory, but probably at night, as it was not
observed.
The male sexual organ consists of three parts. First, the genital
papilla (fig. 47), which contains the external opening of the vas deferens,
v.d.; second and third, the appendages of the first and second abdominal
segments. Each of these organs is paired, so that there is a double male
organ, consisting of three parts. The female genital organs are also
paired.
The genital papilla (g.p., figs. 39, 41,47) is situated on the coxopodite
of the fifth pereiopod.t The vas deferens issues through a hole (0., fig. 55a)
in the coxopodite, and is protected externally by the wide sac-like genital
papilla, the wall of which is strong though soft. The papilla is capable
of distension, and in the living crab is usually turgid. This condition
appears to be due to the introduction of fluid into the space surrounding
* Brocchi.
+ Cf. Grobben and Brocchi.
102 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
the vas deferens. The hole in the ccxopodite round which the base of the
papilla is attached is situated close to the proximal edge of the bone, and
when the limb is drawn forward the base of the papillla is pressed up
against the edge of the sternum of the thorax (c.p., figs. 39 and 41). The
effect of this is to render the papilla more tense and erect. The outer
skin is invaginated into the end of the vas deferens. Withinthe papilla there
is on the vas deferens a valve (v., fig. 47) surrounded by a white mass,
probably muscular. The genital papilla has been termed the penis
(Duvernoy*). It is not the penis in Cancer pagurus ; it is a physical
impossibility for the genital papillae to reach the vulvee of the female.
The sperms have to be transferred from the papilla by means of the
abdominal appendages. The remaining genital organs are the abdominal
appendages. They are attached to the first and second segments and are
very dissimilar in form. They are in fact complementary. The first
appendage is of tapering shape, and is tubular. The tube is formed
by the involution of its sides. The second appendage is a long rod,
bent, and jointed about the middle of its length. Different authors have
ascribed different functions to these appendages. Thus they have been
regarded as “ exciting organs,” which were introduced into the vagine of
the female, and on being withdrawn their places were taken by the genital
papille. Duvernoy described the first abdominal appendage as a duct
for transferring the sperms from the “penis” (genital papilla) to the
spermatheca ; the second abdominal appendage he supposed to be a sort of
strut, which rested on the thorax of the female and thus formed a sort of
prop between the male and female when in cottu. Neither of these
descriptions meets the fact. The first and second abdominal appendages
together form one organ, the penis. The second or rod-like appendage is
during copulation inclosed within the first penis and moves up and down
in it like the plunger of a pump.
It is first necessary to describe the abdominal appendages in detail.
The first appendage, which will be hereafter referred as the first penis
(while the second abdominal appendage will be denominated the second
penis), is the more complicated.
The First Penis.
The first segment of the abdomen bears a large chevron-shaped
expansion on its ventral surface (fig. 65). This chevron is really
double; a small chevron (é.ch.), which is united with the larger
(0.ch., fig. 46) posteriorly, is hid beneath the latter anteriorly. The double
chevron is continued backwards on either side as a broad wing-like plate,
at the end of which is attached the first penis(1 p.). The first penis
consists of two parts, a short basal joint and a long tubular distal part
(fig. 37). The basal joint consists of a peculiarly shaped bone (0., figs.
7b, and 59) to which is attached some loose membranous tissue. The
membranous tissue is shown in the sketches by dotted areas. The
involution of the two sides of the distal portion forms a single tube open-
ing by the separation of the two sides at the top. The opening is
towards the median line. Fig. 25 shows a transverse section of the first
penis near the tip, with the second penis zz situ. The outer skin of the
penis is hard bony chitin, but lining the tube the inner surface is soft
flexible membrane. The latter is shown in the sketches by a thick
black line. Fig. 16 shows an intermediate section, and fig. 4 exhibits a
transverse section near the base. It shows the sides of the penis drawn
* Duvernoy, ‘‘Fragments sur les organes de génération de divers animaux.”
Mémoires de V Académie des Sciences de (Institut de France, t. xxiii., p. 105, Pl. I.-IX.,
Paris, 1853.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 103
apart, throwing the second penis outside, but at the same timea longitudinal
septum (m., figs. 37, 59, 60) has appeared which continues the tube. It is
merely a continuation of the side of the penis by a soft flexible membrane
instead of by the hard chitin wall. The second penis is situated behind
the first, and when it is introduced into the first penis it crosses over this
membrane, which yields readily to pressure. In length the membrane is
short ; it is united below to the basal bone and forms the tissue binding
that bone on one side to the tubular part of the first penis. In fig. 10 is
shown a transverse section through the base. The basal bone (0., fig. 59),
has a large segment cut out of it, leaving its proximal part simply a
narrow rim to which the membranous septum is attached. The membrane
stops just a little beyond the point where the inturned edges of the penis
meet and form the tube.
The tube of the penis opens in the base on the anterior side. The
posterior side of the beginning of the tube is formed by the membrane.
The genital papilla is inserted in the beginning of the tube. When
the second penis is inthe first, its broadened base lies on the posterior
surface of the basal joint. Any pressure of the second penis due
to its movement is transmitted through the membrane to the genital
papilla (fig. 60). Moreover, as will be shown later, the second penis moves
up and down in the first in a manner similarto that of the plungerofa pump;
so that sperms or spermatophores ejected from the vas deferens into the penis
tube will be pumped up and out of it. The groups of hairs that are found
on the wing of the chevron and round the basal joint act as valves or
packing round and in the beginning of the tube.
The Second Penis.
The second penis is rod-like. It consists of three main parts, first an
arm from the end of which the rod rises at right angles (ar., figs. 65, 61,
etc.). This arm, which is fused to the ventral edge of the second joint, is
formed in its lower half of chitin and in its upper part of soft membrane,
in figs. 65 and 68. The arm is the immovabie part of the second penis.
From its posterior extremity rises the movable penis. It consists of two
parts, viz., a base and the rod. The base consists of two bones, a. and 6.,
figs. 53,54, and 56, loosely connected together and to the proximal end of
the rod with soft membrane. The largest bone is of a tooth-shape. It
consists of a rather broad tooth rising from an expanded base. The other
is a narrow somewhat bow-shaped bone. The loose integument between it
and the other basal bone permits of the former folding over towards the
latter to a considerable degree.
The proximal end of the rod is expanded and cut obliquely off (7d.).
Distally the rod tapers, at first rapidly then gradually, up to about two-
thirds of its length, where there is a joint permitting a slight amount of
movement. The loose part of the rod is curved, with the convexity forward.
At the joint there is on the anterior side a little tuft of long spine-like
teeth (fig. 104). Above the joint the rod tapers more, and it is curved
in the opposite sense to the proximal portion. The tip bears a depressed
oval cap set obliquely on the end ; it is fringed with teeth (fig. 105). The
top of the rod is cast slightly in towards the median line.
The Muscular System.
Tur Aspomen.—The posterior edge of the carapace has attached to its
under surface on each side a membranous plate directed forward into which
a muscle is inserted. This plate is attached by a strong membrane to the
edge of the outer chevron, and the muscle is inserted into the posterior
104 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
edge of the epimeron. The truncated membranous tip of the first abdo-
minal segment is attached round its sides to the inside of the carapace.
The inner chevron is attached by a long jointed rod (r., figs. 52 and 65) to a
delicate muscle inserted on both sides of the bottom of the thoracic cavity.
A small muscle arises on the under surface of the outer chevron and joins
this bony rod. The outer chevron is fastened to the posterior edge of the
thoracic cavity by means of a membrane attached to its anterior edge.
The muscular system of the abdomen of the Brachyura has been briefly
described by Duvernoy. Fig. 52 shows a median longitudinal section of
the abdomen of the male Cancer. Half of the abdominal muscles only
are of course shown. The muscles consist of flexors and extensors.
There are two very long flexors, arising on the thorax, and being
inserted one into the telson, the other into the skin covering the ventral
surface of the united third, fourth, and fifth joints. The abdomen is flexed
or extended as a single structure. The telson has movement independent of
the remainder of the abdomen ; thus it may, when the abdomen is flexed
on to the thorax, be bent backwards from the thorax to permit the escape
of the feeces, while the abdomen itself remains fast. Between the second
and third joints and between the sixth joint and telson there are pairs of
muscles (a flexor and extensor on each pair). At each of these joints
there is a larger movement than at the other abdominal joints. Between
1 and 2, and between 2 and 3 the action of the joint is extension and flexion :
the latter joint is freer than the former and affords more extension than
any of the joints: between 5 and 6 there is flexion alone practically: and
between the sixth and the telson there is flexion mainly, but also extension.
First Penis.—In the first penis there is a muscle which, arising on the
surface of the basal bone (0.) and also from the side of the tubular part, is
inserted farther up the same, mv, fig. 59, and 7, fig, 48. The muscle will
have the effect of tending to cause the bending of the two parts of the
penis towards one another. There are in addition two muscles, 2 and 3,
fig. 48, which arise from the outer half of the chevron and are inserted
into the basal bone. The upper muscle draws the first penis forward :
the lower tends to rotate the penis.
The two sides of the double chevron are connected by membrane.
The chevrons, although fixed to the first abdominal segment, are not
absolutely rigid. They are elastic.
Szeconp Prnis.—Just as in the first penis, there is also in the second
penis a muscle connecting the terminal part with the basal joint. In
this case the muscle, mz., arises on the tooth-like basal bone, figs. 61 and
66, and is inserted a little way up the rod. Another muscle (mu.', ib.) is
inserted into the same basal bone: it arises from the side of the fixed
arm of the second penis. A third muscle arises from the downward-bent
end of the arm and is inserted into a bony button-like prominence on the
ventral skin of the third joint (m.'", fig. 46). A long muscle arising from
the front of the chevron is inserted into the third joint (m.’, 7b.) ; and a
broad muscle, 7.”, that rises from the base of the fixed arm is inserted on
the anterior border ot the inner chevron.
The Action of the Penis.
If the genital papilla of a hard male crab is pressed spermatophores
may be extruded. When the abdomen of a male crab is examined the
genital papilla is sometimes found inserted into the tube of the first penis,
but oftener it is lying on the posterior surface of the base of that organ.
But if the first penis is drawn backwards into the position it occupies
when in the vagina of the female the papilla usually slips into the tube,
and if the fifth pereiopod is brought forward in such a way that the
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 105
genital papilla is pressed up against the edge of the sternum the intro-
duction is aided. The coxopodite of the fifth pereiopod abuts into the
narrow neck of the abdomen at the first and second segments, and the
genital papilla lies just beneath the first penis.
Occasionally a male has been found in which the second penis was
inside the first, but usually they are separate. When the united penes are
inserted into the vaginz, the abdomen is fixed at both ends. The telson
lies on the thorax of the female, and the beginning of the abdomen is
fixed at its proximal end by its connection to the thorax. The first penis
is then held firmly, but is capable of retraction and re-insertion. The second
penis is, however, free to work up and down in the first penis quite
independently of it. See figs. 44 and 45. In fig. 44, which is intended
to represent the position occupied by the abdomen of the male during
coition, A and B are the fixed points, B being the thorax of the female,
A the carapace of the male crab. The abdomen of the female is outside
and closely applied to the abdomen of the male. The drawing shows the
condition in which the second penis is completely entered into the first,
and its tip appears projecting outside the tip of the first. In this position
it is to be noted that joints 2 and 3 are extended, z.e. the joint between
them is depressed. In the drawings they are shown upside down.
Now by the flexing of joints 2 and 3 the second penis is withdrawn
partly from the first, while the first remains stationary (fig. 45). By
each movement the second penis presses on the genital papilla, and
therefore probably causes the issue of spermatophores into the tube.
The efficacy of the pumping arrangement was demonstrated experi-
mentally. A small quantity of a thin carmine paste was introduced
into the bottom of the tube, and by alternately pushing in and
withdrawing the second penis the carmine was pumped out at the top.
By the flexion and extension of the portion of the abdomen, then, the
sperms (spermatophores) would be gradually transferred to the spermatheca,
into which the first penis penetrates.
The Condition of the Spermatheca.
If the soft female crab after it has been impregnated is examined, it
will be found that the mouth of the spermatheca and the vagina is filled
up by a large plug of white material (pi., fig. 49). This plug may be usually
split into two halves, as was shown in a previous paper.* The sperma-
theca is globular in shape and is filled with an amber-coloured fluid, and
a more or less extensive white patch of sperms, situated in the proxi-
mal and external part of the organ. The top of the plug which extends
just within the spermatheca is soft and pulpy, being in contact with the
fluid, whereas in the vagina the plug is hard and fibrous in appearance,
It has been noticed that the top of the plug has been grooved or scored
as if a thin body had been repeatedly impressed in it.
In a hard female crab which has been impregnated the spermatheca is
of much smaller size than in the soft crab (fig. 67). It is then
flattened, shrunk, disc-shaped, and contains a quantity of sperms (sp.) and
some amber-coloured hard material (s/.), which is the solidified remains of
the fluid which filled the spermatheca at the time of fertilisation. The
inner wall of the spermatheca (sp.w.) and the vagina (v.w.) are con-
tinous, but that of the spermatheca is much the thinner (fig. 38).
In my previous paper on Cancer pagurus I stated that the inner lining
of the spermatheca and the contents of the latter were thrown off with
the cast integument during the moult, an opinion held also by Cano.
* “Contributions to the Life History of the Edible Crab (Cancer pagurus).” Eighteenth
Ann. Report of Fishery Board for Scotland, Pt. I11,, 1900.
106 Part ITI.—Twenty-second Annual Report
This I find is not the case, with adult crabs at least. Each crab
which I have examined after it had cast, and before it had been in
contact with the male, was found to have a spermatheca resembling
in general that of a hard crab, 7.e., it contained a quantity of sperms
and some amber-coloured solid. If a soft crab which has been with
the male, and is plugged, be dissected, no amber solid will be found
in the spermatheca, and there is usually a large quantity of sperms
with a large quantity of amber fluid. When does the crab get rid of
the old sperms and amber solid? The inner lining of the spermatheca,
although it does not come away during moulting, is nevertheless
very loosely attached, and I have drawn out the inner lining and the
contents of the spermatheca, along with the lining of the vagina, through
the vulva, in a dead hard crab. On casting only a very little of the inner
lining of the spermatheca is shed ; that is, the part round the mouth.
Just inside the spermatheca the lining thins out quickly. The mouth
of the spermatheca is surrounded by a sphincter muscle, mu., fig. 38.
The break between the lining of the vagina and that of the sperma-
theca takes place near the point where the thick layer of the vagina
thins down to that of the spermatheca (fig. 38), In the newly cast crab,
moreover, there was no fluid in the spermatheca. The spermatheca of
the crab has a glandular secreting surface. It is probably the case that
the secretion of the fluid causes the loosening of the inner layer, and on
the introduction of the penis the amber solid and the old sperms may be
expelled with the outflow of fluid. The secretion of fluid in the sperma-
theca is possibly stimulated by the presence of the male. The vulvze are
always tightly closed except when they are kept open by the plugs. On
the introduction of the penis the fluid will flow out round it in the vagina
and will prevent the entrance of sea-water into the spermatheca. Vide
diagram, fig. 55. This fluid coagulates with sea-water, forming a whitish
precipitate. The plug in the vagina is of a hard fibrous structure and
of white colour. During the time the male and female are in conjunction,
a period of probably several days, the piston-action of the second penis
would transfer the sperms to the spermatheca. The crab, then, on casting
does not get rid of the remains of the old stock of sperms until it has
the opportunity of being impregnated afresh.
Some experiments were made with certain crabs which cast during
1902, August 31st to October 15th, and the results are of interest. A
female, measuring 52 inches across, was put with the male crab as soon
as it was seen to have cast, and four days later pieces of plug were seen
projecting from the vulve. Another measuring 5 inches was separate
from the male two days after, and at that time a plug projected from the
vulva. A female crab, measuring 62 inches across, was kept for four
days after casting. It was not in contact with a male crab. It was then
killed: no fluid was found in the spermatheca. Six days after casting
the soft crab which measured 6, inches across, and which had not been
in contact with a male crab, was dissected. The spermatheca contained
sperms and a row of hard amber-coloured solid. A small soft crab, viz.
4} inches across, was put with a male crab. Twenty-four hours after,
no plugs were seen, but they were visible two days after the introduction
of the female.
It is to be noted that while in the male crab the sperms are contained
in spermatophores, in the spermatheca the sperms are loose ; in very few
cases was a spermatophore seen. According to Duvernoy, sea-water
causes the spermatophores to burst.
The extrusion of the spermatophores from the vas deferens is no doubt
aided or effected by the following circumstances. The vas deferens of
the hard male crab is usually in a swollen condition, and therefore the
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 107
opening of the valve in the genital papilla would immediately be followed
by a free issue of spermatophores. The opening of the valve may be
due to the pressure of the second penis as it moves in the first, aided
possibly by the forward movement of the fifth pereiopod, which will result
in increasing the turgidity of the papilla.
A portion of white plug material has been found on the penis in more
than one crab. One case calls for special mention.
A large male crab, 6 inches across, hard, was examined at the beginning
of June. The second penis was inside the first, the genital papilla was
inserted into the beginning of the tube. Projecting from the aperture
in the tip of the first peuis there was a narrow rod-like white body. At
the inner side of the base of the first penis there was a small white mass.
On examining the rod with the microscope it was found to be a tube
crammed with spermatophores ; on its outer surface there were sperms and
spermatophores. The tube was formed of parallel fibres. It was found
in one penis only. No spermatophores were found in the lower white
mass, which had the same fibrous appearance that the plug has. In no
case were spermatophores found in the spermatheca packed in a tube.
The tube, if it is the normal condition, may act simply as a sheath inside
of which the spermatophores travel. It is formed simply by the intro-
duction by the base of the penis of some of the fluid of the spermatheca
which had flowed out from the vagina. By working the second penis
in piston-fashion the tube was gradually pushed out of the first penis. It
had apparently been connected to the white mass at the base.
Tue IMPREGNATION OF CARCINUS M&NAS.
The structure of the intromittent organs and of the spermatheca differs
considerably from those of Cancer pagurus. It is not, however, proposed
to deal with these differences, but to describe the act of fertilisation so
far as it was possible to follow it with the naked eye. It is not likely to
be strictly homologous to that in Cancer.
Carcinus menas is not apparently incommoded to any considerable ex-
tent by captivity, and it is possible to observe the act of impregnation. . In
the following case the male was put into a glass jar, and a female which had
cast the previous night was then introduced beside it (September 16th).
The male immediately turned the female, with the assistance of the latter,
upside down. The female raised (or extended) its abdomen and brought
it outside the abdomen of the male. The male then extended its abdo-
men, and rested its telson (bent at right angles to the abdomen) on the
thorax of the female between the vulve, immediately thereafter inserting
its penes into the two apertures. These operations took place in a few
moments. The male then pushed the penes into the vagine and drew
them out slightly, about once every two seconds, but while under obser-
vation intermittently. The male carries the female about with it, and
the female is attached to the male simply by the hooked penes. The
legs of neither crab are used for attachment. The penis appears to be
inserted only a short distance.
On September 18th the two crabs were still im coitw, but on the 20th
they were separate.
The female was now fairly hard. It was killed on the 20th.
There were no externally projecting plugs. Thespermatheca was filled
with a large irregular plug which projected a little way into the vagina.
In the vagina from the end of the plug just mentioned to the vulva there
was another short plug with a rounded upper extremity; along its
length it showed a slight groove. Round the external end of the
spermatheca and along the vagina there is a layer of gelatinous-like tissue,
108 Part IT[.—Twenty-second Annual Report
probably glandular. Some spermatophores were found on the plug inside
the spermatheca. In the vagina of the other side the short plug was
absent.
A female which cast between the 22nd and 23rd October, and which
had not been in contact with a male, was dissected on the latter date. It
was already fairly hard, the integument resembling in feel stiffish brown
paper. The spermatheca was large, with thick walls; it had a little
white mass at its mouth. There was a certain amount of fluid in both
spermathece, but the latter were nut globular.
Tur SPAWNING OF CANCER PAGURUS.
The Mode of Attachment of the Eggs to the Swimmerets.
The external eggs of the edible crab are, like those of other decapod
crustacea, carried, during incubation, on the hairs of the inner
branches of the swimmerets of the female. They are arranged on the
hairs from their bases to the tips as thickly as they can lie. When the
hair of a berried crab is examined, a condition similar to that shown in
fig. 21 is seen. The eggs are attached by independent stalks to the hair,
and they are moreover so closely set together that their stalks intertwine.
As, however, the egg is not always attacbed to one hair alone, but some-
times to two, we have the hairs grouped in bunches which correspond to
their whorl arrangement on the endopodite, e.7., cf. fig. 26. The inter-
twining of the stalks of eggs also tends to bind the hairs together.
How do the eggs become attached so closely and regularly and in a
manner so economical of the space at their disposal ?
Several agencies have been invoked to explain this. Cano* and
Herrick have each given an historical resumé of the theories held with
regard to the mode in which the attachment of the eggs to the pleopods
was brought about. It is not necessary to recapitulate it nor Cano’s full
discussion of the egg-membranes of the decapods. According to Lere-
boullet{ certain zoologists had explained the attachment of the ova to
an extension of the primary egg-membrane.
There has, however, been general agreement that the fixation of the
egg is due to a cement with which it is coated; that the egg becomes in
one way or another covered with a cement which on exposure to sea-
water hardens, after having glued the egg to the hair of a pleopod.
The cement was supposed to be derived from the ovary or oviduct by
Milne Edwards and Rathke ; from the spermatheca by Cavolini and
Cano,$ and in the case of Astacus from the integumental glands found
on the pleopods and ventrum of the abdomen by Lereboullet and Braun.
While in the case of macrurous decapods this explanation might
not be dismissed on a priori grounds, it is impossible to accept it as
applicable to the Brachyura. It matters not how the cement is produced,
the question reduces itself to this position—Given an egg coated with a
cement strong enough to form the stalk of the egg, which resists rupture
for a period of eight or nine months, a period during which time the
swimmerets are being continually agitated in order to aerate the eggs, is
it at all likely that it would always attach itself to a hair, and never to
another egg similarly coated? If we examine the eggs of a Cancer
*Cano, ‘‘ Morfologia dell’ apparecchio sessuale femminile, glandole del cemento, e
fecondazione nei Crostacei Decapodi.” Mittheil. Zool. Stat. zu Neapel, ix. Bd., 4
Heft., 1890.
+ ‘The American Lobster.” Bull. U.S. Fish Commission for 1895, p. 127.
+ Herrick, ‘‘The American Lobster.” Bull. U.S. Fish Commission for 1895.
§ Cano, op. cit.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 109
pagurus, Carcinus manas, Portunus sp., Hyas sp., etc., we will find the
eggs attached by their long stalks to the hairs of the endopodites. They
are closely set together, but in no case do we find two eges stuck together.
If the eggs had been coated with cement, they could not have avoided
sticking together, and also to the exopodites. What special affinity can
there be between the cement and the hair which does not exist between
the cement of two eggs? If the cement on being acted upon by sea-
water hardened, what is to prevent the two eggs from sticking together?
When the eggs are extruded they lie in the incubatory chamber formed
by the curved abdomen in a semi-fluid mass, and they are there retained
by the overlapping exopodites. The latter prevent the eggs flowing out
over the edge of the abdomen. Now if each egg were coated with a layer
of cement, we should have the eggs concreted into a solid mass, and
while the endopodites would be imbedded in it, the exopodites would
be probably glued to the outside. The eggs never attach themselves to
the exopodites with which they are in close contact.
No cement is supplied by the spermatheca. When the eggs are
extruded the spermatheca is dry except for the pasty white mass of
sperms; the solid remains of the spermatheca fluid are present. This
solid is the consolidated residue of the fluid which was secreted by the
spermatheca just after the crab cast and when it was impregnated.
Cano evidently supposed that the cement was secreted by the sperma-
theca.
The egg does not derive a coating of cement from the ovary. The
ripe eggs, if taken out of the ovary, sometimes have a slight coating of an
albuminous substance ; ; lt is derived from the yolk of ruptured eggs,
which is somewhat sticky, for by it an egg may become attached to ‘the
bottom of the vessel in which it is; but the union is of the slightest, and
a touch from a camel-hair brush is enough to dislodge the egg. That the
attachment does not result from an external coating of cement is there-
fore apparent.
An opportunity which I had of observing the spawning of Cancer
pagurus has enabled me to describe the manner in which the attachment
of the eggs is effected. The fact that the eggs are attached to the hairs
of the endopodite, which are smooth, and not to the hairs of the
exopodite, which are plumose, necessitates a condition in which an attrac-
tion or affinity exists between the egg and the endopodite hair which does
not exist between it and the exopodite hair.
The conditions which are necessary to the regular attachment of the
eggs to the hairs of the endopodite, and to them alone, are the following—
(1) the eggs themselves must not be coated with a fluid which is of itself
sufficient to cause it to adhere to anything when it is extruded, or other-
wise we should have the eggs adhering to one another ; (2) the hairs must
not likewise be coated with an adhesive cement, or they also would be
glued together ; (3) after extrusion a condition must arise which will lead
to the attachment of the eggs to the hairs of the pleopods, and the
relation is one which acts between each egg and some particular hair.
The intimate relationship between the egg and the hairis due to the
hair acting as a skewer upon which the eggs are impaled and strung.
On extrusion the ripe egg has two investing membranes, the outer or
chorion and the very delicate vitelline membrane, the ‘“‘ dotterhaut ”
of Rathke. The hair perforates the chorion and enters the “ perivitel-
line chamber,” and passes out again without piercing the vitelline
membrane which is so closely applied to the yolk-sphere, and is more-
over so delicate that it is not readily recognised. The process is
more easily followed when the structure of the abdominal appendages is
examined,
110 Part IT1.—Twenty-second Annual Report
The endopodite and exopodite of the pleopod are very different from
one another, and their different functions are very evident from a minute
examination of their forms. They will therefore be described below in
detail.
In addition to the discussion of this question in the case of Cancer
pagurus, observations on the spawning of Carcinus menas, and on the
manner of egg-attachment in Homarus, Nephrops, Munida, and other
forms, will be added.
The Swimmerets.
There are four pairs of swimmerets, attached to the second, third,
fourth, and fifth abdominal joints respectively, fig. 15. Each consists of
an outer, the exopodite (ex.), and an inner branch, the endopodite (en.).
The description of the swimmeret of Carcinus menas by M‘Intosh*
applies very well to Cancer pagurus :—‘‘First pair of Abdominal Feet.—The
internal limb [endopodite] is clothed for the most part with long, delicate,
silky hairs, which are simple throughout, with the exception of some
branched hairs at the base, best seen on the anterior surface of the fore-
most limb. The former are pale and translucent, and come off in distinct
bundles all the way up from their commencement. The tufts above the
middle joint arise from the upper part of each of the pseudo-joints that
compose the flabellar extremity, being situated, likewise, only on the
posterior surface and sides of the limb, the anterior surface being free.
The hairs themselves are very beautiful, presenting externally a brownish
or yellow outline, within this a pale streak, and then a more or less
granular central portion . . . The external limb is covered with
branched hairs from base to apex along both outer and inner edges, the
hairs on the outer row being rather longer than those on the inner. <A
few short, smooth bristles are distributed over the general surface of the
limb.” ‘‘ The ova, when present, are attached solely to the inner limb of
each abdominal appendage.”
The Endopodite.
The endopodite (Cancer pagurus) is long, cylindrical, tapering to a blunt
point ; it is bent slightly in bow-shape, the concavity being towards the
anterior side. Over its whole length it bears tranverse rows of long,
stiff, slender hairs. These rows are not set at right angles to the long
axis of the endopodite, but run obliquely downwards from the inner
(next the median line of the abdomen) to the outer edge, en., fig. 20a.
They are moreover confined to the posterior surface, their ends appearing
at the edges only of the anterior surface. On the outer edge they come a
little further on to the anterior surface than on the inner side, en., fig.
200, and fig. 63, which gives a plan of one of the rows. The tips of the
two endopodites of opposite sides meet in the middle line, and the hairs
on their inner surfaces are together bent forwards, fig. 13. The hairs
are thus pointed in every direction. The arrangement of the hairs on
the posterior surface of the tip is shown in fig. 62.
The hairs from their extreme thinness are very flexible. They are
perfectly smooth, except near the tip. The latter ends in a sharp process,
and close to the extremity of the hair there are anumber of delicate
cilia (fig. 23a). The tips of the hairs do not all conform to this type.
Considerable diversity of structure was found in different hairs, vid. figs.
22, 23, 31, 33; they usually, however, end in a more or less acute
point, and the cilia are generally to be made out. It is probable
* M‘Intosh, ‘‘On the Hairs of Carcinus menas.” Trans, Linn. Socy., vol. xxiv., p. 97.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 111
that the variations are due to the delicate terminal spine being broken off,
and the different conditions noted and drawn in the figures may be stages
in the regeneration of the extremities of the hairs. This repair would
appear to be continuous.
The hair is tubular, and in the central cavity or core there is a large
quantity of minute oval corpuscles,
The shell of the hair consists of two main thick layers, viz., an outer,
o.l., and an inner, 2.1., figs. 30 and 32. They are laminated in structure ;
the outer layer shows a division into one, sometimes two, thin cuticular
layers ; and the inner layer usually shows a separation into one thin layer
on the outer side, and sometimes also a thin layer next the core. The
internal surface of the inner layer is uneven, corrugated in appearance.
The inner layer varies in thickness in different parts of the hair: at the
base it is especially thick, fig. 30. It is practically a replica of the outer
layer. The two layers are to some extent independent, or at least
separate easily from one another. This is seen when a hair is broken.
It often happens that when the outer layer is snapped, the inner layer
remains intact, and the two parts of the outer layer become separated
by an interval, vid. fig. 6. It does not appear that the separation of the
broken halves of the outer skin is due wholly to a sliding over the inner,
but rather also to the fact that the inner layer expands on the release
afforded by the rupture of the former.
The anterior surface of the endopodite has scattered over it short, stiff
hairs, fig. 50.
The endopodite is jointed at about a fourth of its length from the base,
and at this point there are muscles for moving the distal portion. The
latter bears the greater mass of the hairs.
The Exopodite.
The exopodite resembles somewhat the endopodite in form. It is,
however, more flattened in its proximal part than the latter. With the
exception of the fourth, the exopodites are more or less twisted on their
axes in such a way that the edges bearing the hairs are brought into
an obliquely antero-posterior position, wd. fig. 13.
The exopodite is furnished on either side from base to tip with a very
thickly set row of plumose hairs. These are of various length, wid. figs.
11, 12, 35, and 36. In the case of the shortest hairs, the ciliation
commences close to the base, while in the others it begins further along
the stem in proportion to the length. In the case of the longest hairs
almost the whole of the proximal half is bare of cilia, fig. 36.
Through the closely set arrangement of the hairs of different lengths, the
short hairs supply the ciliation which is absent from the stems of the long
hairs. In this way there results the formation of a thickly-set hedge,
with no unnecessary overlapping of structures. The ciliation is at first
sparse, but quickly increases in amount.
The cilia are all long, stiff, terminating in fine points ; they are more-
over serrated. On the shortest hairs they are long and slender, fig. 8; on
the longer hairs flattened, lanceolete in shape, fig. 7. They are arranged
all round the stem of the hair, recalling generally the structure of a test-
tube brush. At the extremity of the hair, in consequence of the
shortening of the nodes, the cilia are packed closely together round the
falcate tip. ;
The stem of the hair is tubular. The core is narrow, the wall thick
and composed of several layers, fig, 9. Fig. 17 shows an ocular section
at the base of the hair. The tube of the hair is continuous with a canal
in the exopodite.
112 Part ITI._—Twenty-second Annual Report
The plumose hairs are not confined to the two edges of the exopo-
dite, but are also found on the outer surface, vid. fig. 42. They do not,
however, run round the stem in rows as do the hairs of the endopodite ;
they are simply scattered over the outer surface.
The inner surface of the exopodite, fig. 51, is provided with scattered
short hairs, which are serrated.
The Ripe gq.
The eggs of Cancer pagurus are ripe during October, November,
December, and January,* and spawning may take place in each of these
months. The eggs are extruded in a short space of time, probably within
a period of twenty-four hours.
In my former paper, ‘‘ Contributions to the Life-History of the Edible
Crab (Cancer pagurus),” I described the ripe ovary as follows :—“ The ripe
ovary is of a turkey-red colour, ... All the eggs are not of one size.
The diameter of the yolk-mass may vary from -3—'4]1 mm.; in some eggs
the yolk-sphere is as small as ‘24 mm. The diameter of the Zona
radiata varies greatly from the fact that the egg in the ovary has a large
perivitelline space. ... The diameter of the capsule may vary from
‘4-7 mm.; the eggs attached to the swimmerets measure ‘45 and ‘5d
mm. in diameter.” IJ have, however, come to the conclusion that the
condition just described, where the ovarian egg shows a large peri-
vitelline space, is a pathological one. I have since then only found it in
crabs that died during the spawning season; the dropsical condition of
the ovary having possibly been the cause.
The ripe ovary, however, sometimes exhibits a condition which
suggests the presence in it of eggs with large perivitelline space. Ina
crab measuring 7+ inches across (17 November, 1903) the ovary was full
and of a crimson-red colour. When its outer surface was examined with
a lens, a clear area was seen surrounding the egg. This clear area is a sort
of fluid space in the follicle, and is not a perivitelline space; it is
outside the ege.
The ripe egg has éwo envelopes—the inner, the vitelline membrane
(v.m.), is clearly applied to the yolk-sphere ; the outer, the chorion (chr.),
is separated from the former by a very narrow space when the egg is
in ovario. Fig 5 shows a section of the ripe ovarian egg. It is contained
in the follicle (f). The yolk-sphere is composed of large corpuscles.
Mayer was of the opinion that fertilisation took place in the ovary
before the egg was invested with the chorion.
Rathke ¢ described, on the egg of Astacus, three egg-membranes, viz.
“die Dotterhaut” [the vitelline membrane], “die Lederhaut,” and “die
aussere EKihaut” [the chorion]. In the egg, previous to the commence-
ment of the development of the embryo, there is a space between the
“ Dotterhaut” and the ‘“ Lederhaut,” which contains a transparent fluid ;
the quantity of this fluid diminishes as the development proceeds. In
this way the “ Dotterhaut” and the ‘*Lederhaut” come to he closely
together. The ‘‘aussere Eihaut” is that by which the egg is attached to
the swimmeret. This description does not apply to Cancer pagurus,
where there are only two egg-membranes.
A section of a dropsical ovarian egg is seen in fig. 34. These eggs
can be made out with the naked eye scattered over the surface of a lobule
of the ovary when few in number; when the majority of the eggs are
* Heath's observations lead to a similar spawning-period for Cancer magister on the
coast of California, American Naturalist, 1902.
+P. Mayer, Jena, Zeit. Naturwissen, 11 Bd., 1877.
+ Rathke,
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 113
thus distended the ovary is swollen and contains a considerable quantity
of an amber-coloured albuminous fluid. In the dropsical ovarian egg the
perivitelline space is filled with an amber-coloured fluid, which is some-
what granular in appearance. Some of the eggs had heen preserved in a
one per cent. solution of formaldehyde in sea-water, and the perivitelline
fluid was found to have solidified into a whitish substance resembling
coagulated albumen. This substance cut easily, being of a cheese-like
consistency, and it formed round the yolk-sphere a thick rind which
could be removed in two hollow hemispheres, The dropsical eggs when
fresh are rather dull in colour, in contrast to the bright normal egg.
The ovarian eggs, and also those which are lying on the abdomen of
the crab before they become attached to the swimmerets, show under the
microscope no trace of cement on the outside; the chorion shows a sharp
clean surface. If the ripe eggs be taken from the ovary and put into sea-
water a perivitelline space of more or less extent begins soon to appear.
The egg imbibes water, and the chorion or outer envelope is distended,
and stands out all round clear of the inner, the vitelline membrane (vide
fig. 95).
Aa ripe eggs were extracted from the vagina of a female that had
been spawning, by means of a pipette introduced by the vulva. They
were practically identical with the ovarian egg, there being practically no ©
perivitelline space (fig. 94).
If the eggs which have been extruded, and which are found in a semi-
fluid mass lying on the abdomen of the crab, be examined, some will be
found to be attached to the hairs, while others are loose. The latter show
large perivitelline spaces, but not so large as in the dropsical eggs. A
large quantity of eggs which had been extruded a week previously, and
which had not become attached, but were lying in a heap in a corner of
a box in which a spawning female was confined, had very large peri-
vitelline spaces ; they were stuck together, but were easily separated.
The essential for the attachment of the egg to the hair of the
endopodite is the large perivitelline space, to which the great ductility
of the chorion contributes materially. In each of the eggs, from that
showing practically no perivitelline space, viz. the ovarian egg, to the
egg which has been a considerable time in water and in which the
perivitelline space has reached enormous dimensions (fig. 96), the chorion
always shows a sharp definite outline without wrinkles, 7.¢., as long as
the chorion is unpierced by the hair.
Certain experiments bearing on the formation of the perivitelline
space were made on the eggs from apparently ripe ovaries during
‘November. A portion of the ovary was teased out in sea-water. It is
to be noted that the space does not begin to form in all cases—and even
if it does form it may be only slight in extent—although the eggs may be
indistinguishable from others which do so. Whenever the vitelline
membrane is ruptured (as may often happen in teasing the ovary), the
egg immediately forms a large perivitelline space, and the fluid in the
latter becomes amber-coloured or pinkish, whereas in the normal egg it is
colourless. .
On November 17 a female measuring 71 inches across was dissected.
The ovary was friable, and the eggs, which measured °37 and ‘4 mm. in
diameter, separated out easily in water. There was no perivitelline
space visible. At the end of three minutes a distinct perivitelline space
had appeared.
In another crab the ovary was full and of a crimson-red colour.
After being in sea-water for about an hour the eggs showed perivitelline
spaces of considerable amount.
A crab measuring 7} inches across on November 9th had an ovary
H
114 Part ITI.—Twenty-second Annual Report
which was large and full. The eggs measured about ‘4 mm. in diameter.
Some were a little less; others larger and narrower. Certain of the eggs
were put into fresh water: others into sea-water. They began to form
spaces in a few minutes. In the fresh water the eggs which had been of
a bright red colour imbibed the water so much that the inner egg (yolk-
sphere) became disorganised, and the fluid in the space became red or
amber-coloured. ‘The whole egg, moreover, became whitish-pink to the
naked eye—the condition seen in dead eggs. A considerable peri-
vitelline space formed in the eggs in the sea-water in about ten minutes,
and the eggs were not disorganised.
The rapidity with which the perivitelline space is formed depends on
the stage of development of the egg. Minute differences occur between
egos of an apparently similar stage of ripeness.
In another case the eggs were examined twenty minutes after they
were put into sea-water, and they then showed perivitelline spaces.
Several days afterwards, the perivitelline spaces had increased in extent,
but the eggs retained the fresh normal colour.
In none of the experiments did any of the eggs stick to the glass.
On October 30th a crab was found to have spawned, probably during
the preceding twenty-four hours. A large quantity of eggs was lying in a
heap on the bottom of the tank, while a large amount of eggs was
contained on the abdomen. Some of the hairs of one of the endopodites
were snipped off, and on examination the attached eggs showed an early
condition of the process of attachment. In some the zona was not yet
completely collapsed: some of the eggs were however already stalked.
There was a number of dead eggs attached to the hairs. On one of the
hairs the little cilia were seen to be turned back, as if they had been bent
over as the hair was pushed through the egg membrane. ‘The eggs that
were lying on the bottom of the box were quite separate, and they showed
under the microscope no coating of cement, as did neither of the ovarian
or attached eggs.
An experiment was made with the view of testing whether or not the
perivitelline fluid had adhesive properties: this fluid was found to be
sticky. Some ripe eggs were put into sea-water and left there until the
perivitelline spaces were well developed. Four of these were transferred
to a watch-glass. The chorion of one egg was pierced by means of a
needle, and the egg began immediately to show an adhesive property.
Under the microscope a slightly refractive fluid was seen to have flowed
out of the puncture and to have stuck to the glass. On the following
day the egg was attached to the glass, while the others were freely
movable. It was, however, detached by a puff of sea-water from a
pipette, although it resisted gentle suction by the same instrument.
The egg then having the large perivitelline space is pierced by and
skewered on to an endopodite-hair. The chorion collapses, and being
extremely delicate falls round the hair clinging to it. The perivitelline
fluid being somewhat sticky no doubt helps to glue the chorion to the
vitelline membrane, to other parts of the chorion, and to the hair.
The eggs which escaped piercing, and which lay on the bottom of the
box, showed large perivitelline spaces: they grow dull in colour and die.
It is probable that the pressure set up within the chorion by the osmosis
is sufficient to cause the death of the egg, unless it is relieved by the
piercing of the membrane.
In certain ovaries degenerating eggs were found. They were usually
of a dull pink colour, and their contents were disorganised. The ovaries
were sometimes full of these eggs, eg., in some of the crabs kept in
confinemsnt-—spawning having in some way been prevented.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 115
The Attachment of the Eggs.
On being expelled from the ovary the eggs are received into the so-called
“‘incubatory chamber” formed by the curved abdomen. The perivi-
telline space rapidly develops in each egg. The abdomen is withdrawn
from the thorax, and the sixth abdominal joint and the telson are turned
upwards, giving a quadrant shape to a longitudinal section of the
abdomen, adb., fig. 14. The thorax forms the anterior end, the
abdomen the floor and posterior end of the chamber. The two sides are
formed by the exopodites, which by means of their plumose edges overlap
and prevent the eggs flowing out over the edge of theabdomen. The con-
dition is shown semi-diagrammatically in fig. 19. The eggs are apparently
extruded continuously until all are expelled. They then lie in a semi-
fluid mass in the “ chamber,” and embedded in the mass of eggs are the
endopodites with the flexible sharp-pointed hairs. The endopodites have,
independenily of the exopodites, two distinct movements, of small extent,
one in an antero-posterior plane, viz., a.—a., fig. 19, and the other in an
oblique direction across the abdomen, indicated by the arrow, p. — p.,
and p,.'—p.' ; p.—p. referring to the endopodites of the right side, p.'—p.'
to the endopodites of the left side. This oblique motion belongs to the
distal parts of the jointed endopodites. The hairs reach every portion of
the receptacle. The continued double movement of the sharp slender
hairs through the mass of eggs confined in the incubatory chamber
results in the eggs being impaled and thickly skewered on to the hairs.
This condition is shown in fig. 1, which represents a hair taken from a
crab which had extruded its eggs only a short time, probably not more
than twenty-four hours, previously. In the drawing the perforations
in the zona are exaggerated. ‘The hair avoids piercing the yolk, simply
passing through the zona into the perivitelline space, and then issuing
at a place near the point of entrance. Some dead eggs which were being
devoured by Nematodes and Acarinze were found on the hairs. How far
the death of the eggs was due to the accidental piercing of the yolk by
the hair, or to the unfavourable conditions under which the crab was
living at the time (viz., in confinement in a small hatching-box), is open
to question. The hair on striking and entering the zona will almost of
necessity force the egg to turn round in such a way as to bring the yolk-
sphere off the line of impact. The yolk-sphere would naturally tend to
keep at the lower pole of the egg.
Ina short time the zona collapses, and it becomes glued to the hair by
means of the perivitelline albuminous fluid. The stalk or pedicle is
formed by the adhesion together of the parts of the zona which meet.
This condition was found when the eggs were examined twelve days later.
Figs. 3a, 3b, 3c. An interval of that duration is, however, possibly not
necessary for this change to occur. The stalks vary in breadth, and they
are now more or less wrapped round the hair. All the crabs under
observation tbrew off their eggs shortly afterwards, but in a crab which
had spawued in a tank, and which was examined in January, the stalks
were now found to be rope-like in many cases. The stalks of the eggs
were also intertwined. The movement of the swimmerets, which is
probably continuous in order to afford aeration to the eggs, will, by
tending to throw the yolk-sphere as far away as possible from the point of
attachment, result in the formation of the long rope-like stalk, fig. 21.
Some of the eggs are pierced by two hairs, aud through this it happens
that the hairs are bunched together, This takes place not only with the
hairs of one row, but also with the hairs of adjacent rows. The grouping
of the hairs is, however, no doubt mainly due to the interlocking of the
eggs attached to different hairs.
116 Part ITL.—Twenty-second Annual Report
Sometimes a hair is seen to be fixed in a position in which it is bent
double.
The egg in the condition last described, firmly attached to the hair, is
seen on sectioning (figs. 18a and 180) to have three layers, which are the
three layers noticed by Rathke in the egg of Astacus, but this author
regarded the outer investment (“Aussere Kihaut”’) (the chorion) as derived
from the ‘“‘cement.” The three layers of the egg-shell are, (1) outermost,
the chorion (chr) ; (2) next the yolk, the delicate vitelline membrane, m,
(“ Dotterhaut ”); and between the two a thicker layer which appears to
have been formed simply by the solidification of the perivitelline fluid, s/.,
fies. 18a and 18) (“Lederhaut”). ‘This results in gluing the two
primary layers together, in that way forming an efficient protecting enve-
lope to the egg.
The Sloughing of the Empty Egg-Capsules.
A point of some interest is the manner in which the crab gets rid of
the empty egg-capsules after the hatching of the brood. This is effected
by sloughing off the outer layer (0./., fig. 32) of the wall of the hair along
with the attached capsules, fig. 43. The slough of the hair is shown of
greater diameter that it ought to be in proportion to the rest of the
figure.
The minute oval corpuscles found in the cavity of the hair probably
function in forming a new inner layer of the hair, and in repairing
injuries which the hair may receive,
Tue ATTACHMENT OF THE EGGS IN OTHER DEcAPOD CRUSTACEA.
A number of species have been examined with a view to determining
whether or not the condition of the attached eggs was such as would lead
one to infer that the mode observed in the case of Cancer pagurus was a
general one or not.
The spawning of Carcinus mcnas was observed, and it will be treated
below. In the following species of Brachyura and Anomura the berried
females were examined, viz., Maia squinado, Portunus sp., Hyas sp.,
Stenorhynchus sp., Hupagurus sp., Lithodes maia. In these the condition
of the endopodite and the attached eggs was similar to that of Cancer
pagurus, and the mode by which the eggs become attached is the same.
In Maia squinado (42 inches across the greatest breadth of the cara-
pace) the spermatheca is very large, and it differs much from that of
Cancer. In the latter the solidified remains of the fluid secreted by the
spermatheca are got rid of at the next impregnation ; in the former they
are retained, and as a fresh secretion of fluid takes place with each
impregnation the spermatheca attains enormous dimensions.
The berried females of certain Galatheide and Macrura were also
examined, and the details will be given below.
In the Macrura the pleopods differ much from those of the Brachyura.
In some cases the exopodites afford attachment to the eggs, while also
hairs on the sternum of the abdomen attach to themselves eggs. Both
branches are more or less thickly furnished with densely plumose sete
which function for swimming. The egv-hairs, usually ciliated in part,
are short, and so there are not many eggs on one hair. The eggs are in
large measure attached to the protopodite of the pleopod. The conclusion
reached with regard to these also was that the attachment of the egg was
effected through the piercing of the chorion by the egg-hair.
Munida rugosa.—The eggs are much larger than those of Cancer,
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 117
The pleopod has no exopodite; it consists of a single-jointed proto-
podite and a 2-jointed endopodite. The endopodite is furnished with a
great quantity of fine egg-hairs (fig. 27).
The eggs have very long stalks and are not arranged along the hairs as
in Cancer, but the tips of one or of many hairs are inserted into the stalk
of the ege ; and they sometimes pass up the stalk for a considerable
distance (figs. 28 and 29). In this case, then, there is never more than
one egg to each hair, but very often only one egg to a group of hairs. Its
position on the extremity of the hair gives occasion to much rotary move-
ment of the egg, and through this the stalk becomes tightly twisted like
a rope.
Some of the hairs of this species are setose over the whole of their
length, the cilia being long: the extremity of the hair is bare for a
greater or shorter distance. The short egg-hairs are setose on the middle
of their length (fig. 27). The cilia are longer at the distal end and
become less as they are more proximal. ‘This probably prevents the hair
entering the egg very far on its piercing the chorion.
Galathea dispersa.—In this form there does not appear to be more
than one egg to each hair; and a group of hairs sometimes enters
one-egg stalk, A cluster of eggs is sometimes found on one fascicle
of hairs,
A condition similar to Galathea dispersa is apparently present in
Calocaris macandrec.
Homarus vulgaris.—-The pleopod is short and paddle-like. The endo-
podite is 2-jointed. The two branches are provided with the usual
setose hairs round their margins, and on the posterior or concave surface
of the endopodite there are arranged round the margin the egg-hairs.
They are not nearly so numerous as the plumose sete. On the exopo-
dite at its basal outer corner there isa fascicle of egg-hairs. There are
several fascicles of the same on the protopodite and also on the sternum
of the abdominal segment.
The egg-hairs are extremely delicate. The tips only are ciliated, and
the cilia are directed forward along the extremity of the hair (fig. 58).
The eggs are not attached to the distal parts of the endopodite and
exopodite. In this form they are attached in two ways—(1) by the usual
stalk attachment to the hair, a condition brought about in a way similar
to that of Cancer ; (2) eggs are attached to one another by stalks and
without the intermediary of an ege-hair, vide figs. 56 and 57, The stalks
which these eggs show, and which may be two or three in number, exactly
resemble the stalks of the eggs attached to hairs ; they are without doubt
formed by the chorion. In no case were two eggs found to be sticking
together in the way in which the demersal eggs of a fish, e.g. Cyclopterus
lumpus, stick together. In the latter case the two eggs form at the point
where they are glued together a flat common wall. In the lobster, on
the other hand, the eggs are all stalked, and the fact that each egg usually
has more than one stalk gives some apparent ground for the theory of the
cement-covering of the egs.
Scott* has recently described the spawning of the lobster. The
female lay on its back, and the eggs flowed down into the incubatory
chamber formed by the flexed abdomen. When the -eggs, just after they
emerged from the genital openings, were placed in a glass of sea-water
and collected into a heap they all became attached one to the other, “and
also to the glass. | Moreover, the adhesive material only remains soft for
a short time, as when the individual eggs were isolated and prevented
from adhering to the glass it was found that at the end of half-an-hour
* Scott, ‘‘On the Spawning of the Lobster.” Report of the Lancashire Sea-Fisheries
Laboratory for 1902, No, xi, Liverpool, 1903, pp. 20 et seq.
118 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
the adhesive property had completely disappeared.” The stickiness is
not a true cement, it is merely an albuminous substance, not a fluid
‘chitin” capable of forming an outer envelope.
While it is not easy to say exactly how the stalked attachment between
the eggs is produced, it is still possible to describe a process by which
the same might be arrived at.
I have not seen the newly-extruded egg, but assume that on passing
out of the oviduct it will show little if any perivitelline space. The
egy in gaining contact with sea-water would immediately begin to deve-
lop a perivitelline space. The extruded eggs lying on the abdomen
would, by the mutual pressure due to their weight, tend to cause the
expulsion of some of the perivitelline fluid by the micropyle (which,
although it has not yet been described, very probably exists), Through
this the now flaccid chorion might be glued to an egg, which in a similar
way might attach itself to a third or to the first egg. Again, these eggs
may have been pierced by the hairs without actually becoming attached
tothem. The eggs that are attached to one another are close to the
base of the pleopod, where they are not subjected to any very violent
movement. They are often found on the outside of the eggs which are
attached to a fascicle of hairs.
The weight of the egg tends to stretch out the ductile chorion into long
thin stalks. Two attachments may sometimes be seen to one broad stalk.
Nephrops norvegicus.—The pleopod is short and paddle-like ; the endo-
podite is 2-jointed. Both branches are fringed with densely plumose
sete. The egg-hairs (fig. 64) have sharp points, and are ciliated near
their extremities; the cilia are small, soft, and blunt. Sometimes the
fourth of the length of the hair is ciliated. The egg-hairs are arranged
round the periphery of the hind surface of the endopodite; they are
also found on the protopodite. At the joint on the endopodite the
projecting corner of the proximal segment bears a fascicle of egg-hairs.
The egg-hairs do not carry nearly so many eggs as they do in the
Brachyura.
Crangon vulgaris.—The egg-hairs are short, but more than one egg is
strung on one hair. The eggs are attached to the protopodite, not to the
endopodite or exopodite.
Pandalus Montagui.—In this form also the eggs are attached to the
inner surface of the protopodite, and not to either the endopodite or exo-
podite. The egg-hairs are short.
The eggs are also attached to one another as in the lobster.
The duty of bearing the eggs is not allowed to interfere with the swim-
ming function of the pleopod. In Crangon and Pandalus, where the
pleopods are important swimming organs, the eggs are attached to the
protopodite.
In Homarus, where the swimming function of the pleopod is prac-
tically in abeyance, the eggs are attached to the endopodite and exopodite,
but not to their distal parts.
In the Brachyura, in place of a pleopod which performs both functions,
viz. of swimming and of carrying the eggs, we have an organ which is
suited solely for bearing and protecting the eggs. The endopodite is
provided with special hairs to which the eggs become attached, while the
exopodites function in protecting the attached eggs during the period of
incubation.
Carcinus moenas.
The writer had the opportunity of observing part of the spawning
process in Carcinus. Four females extruded their eggs at the Laboratory.
+ P. Mayer
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 119
The ovaries of these and of a number of other crabs were examined. So
far as could be made out, little difference exists between the process of
spawning in this form and in Cancer,
The Formation of the Pertvitelline Space in the Egq.
Ovartan Ecaos.—A number of non-berried impregnated female crabs
(C. mcnas) were examined in October, at a time when other individuals
of this species were spawning. They measured in greatest breadth 1,% in.
and upwards. Of these, some had orange ovaries containing eggs which
were practically ripe: others had pale, white, immature ovaries, The
two classes differed in external appearance. The shells of the crabs
which had orange ovaries were darker coloured than in the others. In the
former the thorax and third maxillipedes especially showed some brown
colour. In the crabs having immature ovaries the legs and thorax were
of a light green colour, which indicated that they had cast more recently
than the former (probably during the summer just past).
The ripe egg, on being extruded, soon shows a perivitelline space. In
several instances when ovarian eggs, which were apparently ripe, were
put into sea-water a small separation of the chorion from the vitelline
membrane began to show itself, but although the eggs were kept in the
water till next day no large cr, in many cases, even distinct perivitelline
spaces developed, except in those eggs in which the inner (vitelline)
envelope had been ruptured, when large perivitelline spaces were rapidly
(in half-an-hour) formed.
The formation of the perivitelline space would then appear to be due
to the osmosis set up through the chorion by the presence between the
chorion and the vitelline membrane of a fluid derived from the yolk.
The non-formation of the perivitelline space in the above-mentioned eggs
was possibly due to the fact that the complete ripening of the egg, viz.
withthe occurrence of this fluid between the two envelopes, had not yet
succeeded.
A few ripe eggs were found in the spent ovaries of certain berried
crabs. The spent ovary is a colourless empty sac, and shows here and
there usually one or two ripe orange-coloured eggs which have not been
extruded. In two cases examined none of the ovarian eggs showed a
perivitelline space, but on being transferred to sea-water the spaces
began to develop, and in a short time were large. In some cases the space
was distinctly reddish-coloured. It would therefore appear that a change
which makes the egg more favourable for osmosis takes place in the
ripening, probably just before extrusion.
SpawNep Eaas.—Some eggs which were taken by means of a brush
off the thorax of a spawning female were found to have a very slight
perivitelline space, but after they had been left in sea-water for a little
they showed large spaces.
One female which was found spawning, or which had just finished that
process, had surrounding it a thick layer of eggs on the bottom of the
box. A small quantity of eggs only was attached to the endopodites.
The crab was transferred to a glass vessel, and in the course of that
operation a considerable quantity of eggs rolled off the abdomen. These
eggs showed large perivitelline spaces, and most had a peak-like eminence
on the exterior of the chorion.
The eggs lying free on the bottom of the box round the crab also
showed large perivitelline spaces, but the little prominences were not seen
on the chorion.
As was concluded in the case of Cancer, the perivitelline fluid is of
a sticky nature,
120 Part ITI. —Twenty-second Annual Report
Eggs picked off the bottom alongside the spawning female had large
perivitelline spaces, with perfectly smooth chorion; there was no trace of
any sticky fluid outside the egg.
The eggs which were displaced from the abdomen in transferring the
spawning female to a glass jar from the box in which it had previously been
kept lay on the bottom of the dish, and were with few exceptions
emptied out of the dish by gentle rinsing. The few which remained
attached to the glass were dislodged by the touch of a brush or with a
pipette.
AWhen the pipette was crowded with eggs, and in one case where the
eggs were allowed to accumulate in a compact mass, on forcing them out
some remained sticking to the glass. These were the eggs which showed
the little prominences on the chorion mentioned above. On examining
the end of the pipette with the microscope, at nearly every egg a little
refractive globule was seen attached to the exterior of the chorion.
This is without doubt the perivitelline fluid which has been squeezed out
and which served to glue the egg to the glass in this case.
In another case the eggs which lay on the bottom of the box were
found the next day to be stuck together in masses, which, however, readily
broke. The attachment of the eggs to one another was probably due to
the perivitelline fluid which the mutual pressure of the eggs would no
doubt tend to press out. A similar condition was observed in the case of
the unattached eggs of Cancer pagurus. After several days the eggs
which lay on the bottom of the box had become attached together in
masses.
The Spawning of C. menas.
A crab which had just extruded its eggs on September 28th was sur-
rounded by a quantity of eggs which looked like red dust on the sand.
It was removed to a glass vessel and examined in water. It was
then seen that the abdomen of the crab was being held away from the
thorax and that it formed a kind of basin. The points of the
endopodites lay on the openings of the vulve. A small quantity of eggs
were attached to each endopodite, and eggs were noticed in the openings of
each vagina. The endopodites were moved forwards, backwards, and
outwards, widely separated laterally, inwards, and forwards. The
independent movement of the distal part of the endopodite was seen,
The exopodites move a little in unison with the endopodites in certain of
the movements.
The crab gradually threw off the eggs that were attached to the
endopodites.
On the endopodites a similar condition to that seen in Cancer pagurus
was found. The chorion of the egg had been pierced by the hair and it
was in a collapsed condition.
On October 16th a crab was examined which had spawned since
the previous day. The eggs on the endopodite showed their outer
envelopes (chorion) all wrinkled, but the yolk-sphere was not pushed to
the pole away from the hair: it lay simply in the middle of the irregularly
crinkled envelope. The stalk was not yet formed.
A considerable number of dead eggs was found attached to the endo-
podites of a berried Carcinus (October 14th) which had just spawned in
the Laboratory. The inner or vitelline membrane had been ruptured and
the yolk-sphere was broken up. It is possible that the yolk sphere may
have been pierced by the endopodite hair, though other agencies may
have been the cause of their destruction.
Spawning seems to be completed within 24 hours.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 121
Notes on Casting, Distribution, etc., of Cancer pagurus.
Tae Periopiciry or SPAWNING AND Castinc.—Certain berried crabs
were obtained during the summer of 1902, Their eggs hatched during
August, September, and October. None of these crabs spawned again
until the end of October 1903, when two did so. None of the crabs
cast during the period.
In February 1904 two of the crabs were berried, and two were found
dead. In the two latter the ovary was spent in one, and in the other
was ripe but dropsical.
THE CoLour oF THE Sorr Cras.—When a crab has just cast it is a
plump inert mass, which yields in all its parts to the slightest pressure of
the fingers. It is of a dark purple colour all over the dorsum and dorsal
surfaces of the pereiopods: the ventral surface is yellowish white. As
the shell hardens the dorsum gradually becomes of a lighter hue, turning
into a brick-red colour. Meantime the third or white layer of the shell
is thickening.
In the paragraph dealing with the migration of crabs the question of
the abstention from casting is discussed in connection with one of the
labelled crabs,
Castine.— During the autumn of 1902, 3lst August to 15th October,
a number of female crabs cast in the tanks at the Bay of Nigg. With
the exception of the first, all the females recorded in the following Table
cast at this time. The size of the crab before and immediately after
casting is shown in parallel columns opposite the date when the cast took
place.
| TABLE.
122 Part ITI.—Twenty- second Annual Report
TABLE I.
CRABS THAT CAST IN THE MARINE LABORATORY, BAY OF NIGG.
Hard Crab Soft Crab Increase— Ratio of
Date. —Inches. —Inches. Inch. Increase.
August 16, . TEMS. 13 ea 1/5°5
ae Lid 13 $5 1/4°6
a5 28 33 8 1/3°5
£ FRESH A 4z 2
Septemberl, . : 41 2
eduecg gba ilae 44 2 5 * z 1/4:7
as eM go 42 2 5g z 1/5°5
pots 5t 63 S 1/62
oe ik) 5k OD 62; 18 1/574
nD 43 9 5} 8 1/7°8
Soke, SESEaTiS Se 43% PS 1/4:8
ey riplG, 18 18 } 1/5°5
aye) 0 3¢ 2 3g § k
October 5, i 1} 3 3
Sie kg Re Te 11d 24 ah, 1/3'8
» 9, 3g 2
» 18, 2132
on 48 Q
Rel tee te vo des 42 9 5i% 8 1/7°8
* Measured several days after casting.
As was previously* shown, the ratio of increase at each cast varies
greatly. In the Table then given the ratio varied from 4 to 1. - In the
present case, in only one instance was the ratio greater than 3, and it was
as small as }.
The histological changes that accompany the ecdysis of the crab have
been dealt with by Witten.
At the time when the crab casts, the shell of the three proximal joints
of the chela becomes absorbed along certain lines, thereby allowing of
the expansion of these joints to permit the withdrawal of the large claw.
In fig. 100, Plate IV., is shown the cast chela. The absorption-lines
are on the coxopodite, basi-ischiopodite, and meropodite, viz., abs. The
part of the shell lying between the lines is movable. Similar absorption
areas appear in the lobster (Herrick).
2 Disrrisution.—In discussing the question of the distribution of the
crab, I was of the opinion that a group of crabs measuring from 22 to 4
inches would be found to inhabit the shore waters just outside low-water
mark, This group was distinct from the beach group, which is consider-
ably smaller, viz. from 4 to 24 inches, and is itself smaller than the adult
group, which measures from about 4 inches upward ; it is required to fill
up the very considerable gap which separates these two groups. (Vide
JE OO EV
* “Contributions to the Life History of Cancer pagurus.”
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
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Part III —Twenty-second Annual Report
124
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3029 CREEL CRABS (3+) Ordinary Crab-Fishing, IV.
1523 CREEL CRABS (+2) Creelts shot clpse ta the Beach_ Groupill.
2336 BEACH CRABS (o'+9 ) IT.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 125
With a view to testing the theory respecting this group (III.) a number
of creels were shot during March to August in 1900 and 1901. They
were set just outside low-water mark and were occasionally left dry by the
ebb. Some of the creels were at times shot in 2 or 3 fathoms. One or
two of the creels were covered with small-meshed netting. The number
and sizes of the crabs got in.each month are set out in Table IT.
In March and April very few crabs were got. This was in part due
to the fact that at that period of the year it often happens that bad
weather prevents fishing for a considerable time, but this does not account
for the small catches. Because even when the creels were fishing, it very
often happened that no crab was caught. Their absence from the creels
does not necessarily mean their absence from the region. They may not
then feed eagerly. Crabs that are kept in the Laboratory during winter
became very inactive. The cold has a much more paralysing effect on
the edible crab thanit has on Curcinus mcnas, so that it is possible
that the inshore crabs may not move about much before the month of May.
In this month (May) a considerable number of crabs were got in the creels
shot in the same place as in the preceding months. (Vide Table II.)
An examination of the catch of crabs shows that it consists of a large
number of crabs which fall into the gap between the Beach and the
Adult groups, but it also contains a large proportion of adult crabs. The
adult crabs appeared in the catches all through the summer.
The curve formed by the measurements of these crabs has been intro-
duced into a chart along with the curves of the Beach and Adult crabs,
The latter are taken from my previous paper (Yables VIIa and LX.)
A reference to the chart shows that the new group (red curve) tends to
fill up the gap between the twoformer groups. The curve overlaps both
groups. It measures from about 2 inches to over 7 inches. The examina-
tion of the shore waters was not carried on during the whole of the year,
and the inshore migration of the adult crabs introduces larger crabs
than actually belong to the group under consideration.
We then have in the summer in the shallow inshore water a double
group, consisting of the III. and IV. groups. In the autumn and winter,
investigation will very probably show that the adult group will be entirely,
or almost entirely, absent, and in these seasons, therefore, a better defined
Group III. should be found.
Rate or GrowTH.—As material for the study of the rate of growth of
the crab, I have introduced here the measurements of the monthly collec-
tions made on the beach at Dunbar (Table III.), and also the details
of the individual catches which were measured (Table V.), The totals
were given in my former paper, and the regions where the catches were
made are in certain instances given in Zable V. I have also introduced
three additional collections made on the beach, Dunbar, in 1899 and 1900
(Table IV.).
Mr H. 'T. Waddington, Bournemouth, has kindly furnished me with
particulars of two series of casts of this form. The various ecdyses
which the two specimens underwent have been carefully recorded by him,
and he has permitted me to publish them here (Table VI.). The
measurements of the successive casts of a third crab, which were presented
by Mr. Waddington to Professor Howes, were kindly supplied to me by
Mr. William Wallace, B.Sc., Lowestoft.
Specimen A. when captured, viz., in August, measured 3:25 mm.; it
had probably been in the megalops stage not more than a month
previously. When one year old it measured 30:75 mm., 7.c., 1} inches ;
when two years old it measured nearly 46 mm., 2.e., a little less than
2 inches across. Assuming that the rate of growth in nature approxi-
mated to the data here given, we should conclude that the beach group con-
sisted of crabs in their second year, and that a crab of 44 inches across
would be not less than three years, nor probably more than four years old.
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of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
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of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
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of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 135
TABLE VI.
WADDINGTON’S SERIES OF Cancer pagurus.
6S | So so | So
No. Date. 3 E 3 2 : 2 No. Date. 3 g g : : zB
we es esl Boe 9) Peet he
A 2 B
1| 4 Aug., 1899,- | 3°25 9-25
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3| 7Sept., ,, -| 5°75) 1/4:7 De leeprAteyy 55) e=8|| Lorde) d/Or2) |Z
AD Gr Qetssa % 55, =7\) Sco 4 3 | 30-Oct., ,, - | 18°75) 1/47) 66
Dal) SeNovey 5), = LOson W327 4] 9 Feb., 1901,- | 20°75] 1/6°5| 102
G) | La Wee tesse = | 4s5e | 2:8 — ee
7 | 27 Jan., 1900, - | 19°5 | 1/2°9 € 2
Si) Setiprilia gs 24:5 | 1/3'9 1| 7 Sept., 1896,- | 12
9} 4June, ,, - | 80°75) 1/39 DPB) INO spp 4) AG 4
10 | 30Sept., ,, - | 36°5 i 3 | 20 Mar., 1897,- | 19 | 1/5°3} 115
11 | 19 Mar., 1901, - | 45°75 | 1/3°9 A 26eMays ie Fath a2 SiS OF
a eORNOV=,8 a5. = || O0"0 t ES |) Pale reas wae leat) 4 87
‘ Gule 4s Novew esa eal Of aR L/4e2i) 70
(|| cil abyre pg ce || ek NY tay
The Migrations of Crabs.
TABLE VII —ADDITIONS TO THE LISTS OF LABELLED CRABS RECAPTURED.
Ser FREE. ~ RECAPTURED.
PP ve Piedes) Place (B 5 3; | Dist g
_ ace . ace (5). oa os istance 2
ae ae att bet A A ae Sree ahd %
25 Date. Date. : ge | S93) 8 £ Bearing | Sex.
ae ‘ - oS £ BO |e & of Place |
He Distance and Distanceand | 34 | 8s | 9o/#8 (B) from =
Bearing from Bearing from Be Sa|se| 3s Place (A) 2
Dunbar. Dunbar. Q S) Dav 6m Pi wa
Ss) ays| Oo
1072 | Oct. 24, 1899. | Mouth of Har- May 12, 1900. | 3}m. N.W. gs | Ss. | 200] H. | 34m. N.W. ie | 22
bour.
_ | igpeen 8 » 14, ,, |1}m. N.W. g | s. | 202] H. | 1jm. N.w. 53 | o
894 | Sep. 23, ,, 1 anes 59 et a are gs | s. | 233] H. | 7m. 8.S.E. az | oO
943 ae es - 3 » 15, ,, |3im.N.N.W.| 8 | 8. | 234] H. |3Im.NNw. | 54 | CO
| | ee Nitin, » 21, ,, |4m.N.w.byN.| 10 | s. | 240] H. |4m.N.wobyn.| 54 | 2
1121 | Oct. 26, 5, | 14m. E. byN. oy oe As 4m. E. 7 SS) VAlre | Melee |p brrcish\ Wie
1159 | Nov. 4, ,, Mouth of Har- si tae IER ee 7 | s. | 208| H. |4m.E
our.
999 | Sept. 25, ,, | 24m. E. by N. June 4, ,, |NearCove,7m.| 11 Ss 252 | H. | 7m. S.S.E.
from Dunbar.
963 a Mee ” a July 12, ,, | 14m. N.W. 6) aS 290 | H. | 3m. W. 43 | 6
1100 | Oct.26, ,, | 14m. E. by N. A AL cy, «| aeeaaC RAE 7 s 268 |} H. | 2m. W.
1147 | Nov. 4, __,, Mouth of Har- aye eae sy a = 7 SS) 259 | H. | 1m. N.W.
our.
1119 | Oct. 26, ,, | 14m.E.byN.| 17 | Oct. 20, 1902. |14m.off D’nb’r} 15 S. |3yrs.| H. 64 3
.B.—The following contractions are used in the above Table, viz. :—‘‘m,” mile ; ‘‘yrs. ” years; ‘‘S.,’ Soft ; “‘H.,’ Hard.
156 Part I1T,—Twenty-second Annual Report
A number of labelled crabs which were received after the publication
of the previous paper are recorded in Table VII. One of these crabs (the
last in the Table), which is a male measuring 64 inches across, is especially
interesting. It was recaptured after an interval of three years very near
the place where it was set free. When liberated it was a soft crab, and
it had not cast its shell during its period of freedom. The abstention of
the large crabs from casting has been exemplified by a number of
instances, but the time of abstention has only been determined by
secondary proofs. For example, acrabis captured with an oyster attached
to its back. Since the age of the oyster may be more or less accurately
judged from its size, a part of the period that has elapsed since the
ecdysis has been determined. Thus Buckland recorded two crabs which
had on their backs three-year-old oysters: they could not have cast for
three years. Another, now in the Ipswich Museum, is said to have a
four-year-old oyster on its back.
The present case gives a definite abstention for three years at the time
of capture. At the beginning of 1903 it had not cast, and would not
probably cast then till the summer. This would make the abstention
from casting four years. There, of course, comes a stage when the crab
ceases altogether from casting.
Meek gives* a list of the labelled crabs set free on the coast of
Northumberland and which have been recaptured at various times during
1902 and 1903. One of these is of special interest. Set free in October
it was captured in the following July at Portlethen (near Aberdeen), a
point about 80 miles to the north of the place of liberation.
The Changes in the Carapace of Cancer pagurus.
Cunningham in his paper on the early post-larval stages of this
Crustacean drew attention to the great difference between the early and
the adult form of the carapace. In the adult the carapace is broadly oval
in shape, and is crenate at the edge. In the very young crab the edge is
toothed. In his opinion the general resemblance of the carapace, in this
stage, to that of Atelecyclus heterodon, along with certain other points of
similarity, indicated a closer affinity between the two species than had
previously been recognised.
I have had the opportunity of examining one of the series of casts
belonging to Mr. Waddington (A, Table VI.). They are, with the excep-
tion of the first, shown in natural size in figs. 71-81. The changes which
take place in the shell are well seen. In fig. 103 an enlarged drawing
of the second of the series is shown; it measures 4°75 mm. across
the broadest part of the back. The carapace has five main lateral
teeth, of which the first forms the hind edge of the orbit, while the
fourth projects laterally farther than the others. The main teeth are all
serrated ; between each two a secondary tooth is found. The rostrum
consists of three dentate lobes, The edge of the orbit is serrated ; and on
the surface of the carapace and on the limbs there are numerous small
teeth.
In the next stage (fig. 102)—5:75 mm. in greatest breadth—a very
considerable advance on the preceding is noticed. The secondary teeth
have increased in proportional size, and with the main teeth are now more
lobate or rounded. All of the lateral edge and the margin of the orbit
is minutely dentate. On the rostrum the three lobes show merely a
minutely notched anterior edge—the serrations being rounded, not tooth-
like. The chela is furnished with tooth-like tubercles.
* Meek, ‘‘The Migrations of Crabs.”—Northumberland Sea-Fisheries Committee. Report
on the Scientific Investigations for the year 1903. Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1904.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 137
Fig. 101 shows the stage immediately following, viz., 8°5 mm. The
lateral teeth of the carapace are now lobes having minutely notched
edges; the secondary lobes are almost as large as the primary. The
margin of the orbit and rostrum is minutely notched. The tubercles on
the chela are rounded.
In the succeeding stage, 10°75 mm. (fig. 98), a condition closely ap-
proaching the adult is to be noted. The notched edge of the lateral lobes
of the orbit and rostrum is still more prominent than in the adult. The
tuberculated chela is very noticeable. A distinction in size between the
primary and secondary lobes is still to be seen. The edge of the carapace
shows a triple row of tubercles. The dorsum also is tuberculated.
The sixth cast, 14-5 mm. (fig. 76), is represented in figs. 99 and 97,
the former showing the frontal region. The lobes of the edge of the cara-
pace are on the whole very similar to the adult condition. The chela is
still tuberculated, and the triple row of tubercles which has succeeded
the notches is very prominent.
In the cast shell shown in fig. 77 (19°5 mm. across) the tubercles are
prominent but smaller.
They are further reduced in the next stage, viz., 24°5 mm. (fig. 78),
and in that immediately following, viz., 30 mm. (fig. 79), the tubercles
are practically reduced to the condition in the adult.
Fig. 81, the last of the series, was not made from the actual specimen,
but is a drawing of a crab of the same size.
LITERATURE.
Braun.—* Zur Kenntniss des Vorkommens der Speichel— u. Kittdriisen bei den
Decapoden.” Arbeit a. d. Zool. Instit. in Wiirzburg, iii. Bd., pp. 121-166,
Taf. viii.-ix., 1875.
Broccut.—‘‘ Recherches sur les organes génitaux males des Crustacés décapodes.”
Annales des Sciences naturelles, Zoologie et Paléontologie, t. ii., 1875.
Cano.—‘‘ Morfologia dell’ apparecchio sessuale femminile, glandole del cemento e
fecondazione nei Crostacei Decapodi.” Mittheil. u. d. Zool. Stat. z. Neapel,
ix Bd., 4 Hft., 1890, pp. 503-532, 1 tav.
Curnor.—* Etudes physiologiques sur les Crustacés décapodes.” Archives de
Biologie, t. xii1., 1895.
CunNINGHAM.-—‘‘ On the Early Post larval Stages of the Common Crab (Cancer
pagurus), and on the Affinity of that Species with Atelecyclus heterodon.”
Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, March 15, 1898.
Duverernoy.—‘‘ Fragments sur les organes de génération de divers animaux.”
Mémoires del’ Académie des Sciences del? Institut de France, t. xxiii., Paris,
1853, p. 105, pl. i.-ix.
GROBBEN.—‘‘ Beitrige zur Kenntniss der miinnlichen Geschlechts-organe der
Dekapoden.” Arbeit a. d. Zool. Instit. d. Universitdt, Wien, 1 Bd., pp. 1-94,
Taf. i.-vi., 1878.
Heratu.—‘‘ The Breeding Habits of Cancer magister.” American Naturalist,
Xxxvi., pp. 501, 502, 1902.
Herrick.—‘‘ The American Lobster: A Study of its Habits and Development.”
Bulletin, U.S. Fish Commission, for 1895,
LEREBOULLET. —‘‘ Recherches sur le mode de fixation des ceufs aux fausses pattes
abdominales dans les écrevisses.” Annales des Sciences naturelles, sér. 4e
(Zoologie), t. xiv., 1860, p. 359.
——— ‘‘De la maniére dont les Ciufs des Eicreviases sattachent aux fausses
pattes abdominales.”-—L’ Institut, t. xxi., No. 998, p. 64. 1853.
M‘Inrosu.—‘‘ On the Hairs of Carcinus menas.” Trans. Linnean Society, vol.
XXiv.
Mayer, P.—‘‘Sur Entwicklungsgeschichte der Dekapoden.” —- Jeoa. Zeit
Naturw., 11 Bd., 1877.
138 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
MeErk.—Various Papers on the Crab in the Reports of the Northumberland Sea-
Fisheries Committee—1898-1903.
RatHKE.—‘“‘ Untersuchungen ueber die Bildung u. Entwickelung der
Flusskrebses,” folio, Leipzig, 1829.
SABATIER. —‘‘ De la Spermatogenése chez les Crustacés décapodes.” Travaux de
Institut de Zoologie de Montpellier et de la Station maritime de Cette
(Sabatier et Rouzaud), nouvelle série, mémoire No. 3, Montpellier, 1893.
Scorr.—‘‘ On the Spawning of the Common Lobster.” Report of the Lancashire
Sea-Fisheries Laboratory for 1902, No. xi., Liverpool, 1903, p. 20.
TULLBERG.—‘‘ Studien iiber den Bau u. das Wachsthum des Hummerspanzers u.
des Molluskenschalen,” 12 taf. Kql. Veternsk. Akad. Handl., 19 Bd. Stock-
holm, 1882.
Virzou.—‘‘ Recherches sur la Structure et la Formation des Teguments chez les
Crustacés décapodes.” Archives de Zoologie Hxpérimentale et Générale, t. X.,
Paris, 1882.
WiLLIAmMson.—‘‘ Contributions to the Life-History of the Edible Crab (Cancer
pagurus).” Highteenth Annual Report of the Fishery Board for Scotland,
Pt. III., 1900. ,
-—— ‘On the Larval and Early Young Stages, and Rate of Growth, of
Carcinus menas.” Twenty-first Annual Report of the Fishery Board for
Scotland, Pt. III., 1903.
Witson.—Northumberland Sea-Fisheries Committee. Reports on the Crab
Fishery, 1893 and 1895. Newcastle-on-Tyne.
WirtrEn.-—‘‘ On the Structural Changes accompanying the Ecdysis of the Crab.”
Northumberland Sea Fisheries Committee. Report on the Scientific Investiga-
tions for the year 1902, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1903, p. 53.
—— ‘On the Structural Changes accompanying the Ecdysis of the Crab‘
Cancer pagurus.” Northumberland Sea-Fisheries Committee. Report on the
Scientific Investigations for the year 1903. Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1904, p. 42.
LETTERS USED.
A.—antenna. mu.—muscle.
a.—basal bone. o.ch.—outer chevron (lst abdom. seg.).
ab. —abdomen. o./.—outer layer.
an.—anus. lp.-2p.—first and second penes.
ant. —antennule. p.—p.—plane of movement of distal
ar,—arm of second penis. parts of endopodite of right side.
b.—basal bone. p .—p'.—plane of movement of distal
c.—core. —czcum, fig. 38. parts of endopodite of left side.
car, —carapace. p.f.—perivitelline fluid.
chr.—chorion. r.—rod.
dis.—egg with distended chorion. sl.—solid in spermatheca.
€.— eye. s.e.—secondary envelope.
en. —endopodite. sp.—sperms.
ex.—exopodite, sp.w.—wall of spermatheca.
J.-—follicle. th.—thorax.
g-p.—genital papilla. v.—valve, vulva.
2.ch.—inner chevron (lst abdom. seg.). v.d.—vas deferens.
2./.-—inner layer. v.m.—vitelline membrane.
j-—joint. v.w.—wall of vagina,
m.—membrane. yk.—yolk.
EXPLANATION OF PLATES.
Pirate II.
All the drawings are of Cancer pagurus, with the exception of Figs. 27, 28, and
29, which are of Munida rugosa.
Figures 1, 3, 5, 11, 12, 18, 21, 23), 24, 34, 35, and 36 were outlined by aid of
the camera lucida.
Fig. 1. Eggsimpaled by hair of endopodite. November 30, 1900, =) ORO
Fig. 2. Lobule of ovary, showing a few distended eggs, dis. magnified, x 57
Fig. 3. Eggs in later stage of attachment than Fig. 1.
Fig. 4. Transverse section of first penis near base, magnified.
——— ee eee
Fig.
Fig.
Fig.
Fig.
Fig.
Fig.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
5. Section of a ripe egg (in ovary).
. 5a. Envelopes of egg, . : : : : AK
6. Hair of endopodite, magnified.
7. Part of long hair of exopodite, magnified.
8. Part of short hair of exopodite, magnified.
9. Ocular section of hair of exopodite, magnified.
ig. 10. Transverse section of first penis at the ase, magnified.
11. Hair of exopodite, . < : : : : mS
. 12. Hair of exopodite, . 2 : x
ig. 13. Abdomen, showing relation of the swimmerets.
. 14. Side view of the abdomen, showing the overlapping of the
exopodites.
. 15. Abdomen.
. 16. Transverse section of median part of first penis, magnified.
ig. 17. Ocular section of hair of exopodite, near its base.
. 18a. Longitudinal section of an egg which had been attached toa hair
of the endopodite. January 11, 1901, ‘ é be
. 18b. Section of envelopes of 18a. :
ig. 19. Shows the eggs retained in the ‘‘ incubatory chamber,” formed
by the abdomen.
. 20a. Third swimmeret, left side, posterior surface.
. 20b. Third swimmeret, left side, anterior surface.
. 21. Group of eggs attached toahair. January 11,1901, . oe
22. Tip of hair of endopodite, magnified.
. 23a &b. Tip of hair of endopodite, magnified.
. 24. Tip of hair of endopodite, oc. 2, obj. 2 mm. O.I.
ig. 25. Transverse section of the first penis, close to tip, magnified.
. 26. Group of hairs of endopodite bearing eggs, magnified.
ig. 27. Tip of hair of endopodite of Munida rugosa, magnified.
. 28. Ege of Munida rugosa, attached to hairs of endopodite, x
. 29. Attachment of egg-stalk to hairs of endopodite (Munida ru gosa),
magnified.
. 30. Ocular section of the base of hair of endopodite, magnified.
. 31. Tip of hair of endopodite, magnified.
. 32. Ocular section of hair of endopodite, magnified.
. 33. Tip of hair of endopodite, magnified.
. 34, Section of dropsical ovarian egg with lar ge perivitelline space.
. 35. Hair of exopodite, . : ; ; : 5 &
. 36. Hair of exopodite, . : : : ‘ 5 Bano.
Puate III.
The drawings, except where otherwise stated, belong to Cancer pagurus.
Figures 56, 57, 58, and 64 were outlined by means of the camera lucida.
. 37. First penis, posterior view.
. 388. Longitudinal section of mouth of the spermatheca of a hard
crab, 613 inches, showing three-layered wall of vagina and
spermatheca.
g. 39. Fourth and fifth pereiopods, with genital papilla on coxopodite
of the latter : fifth pereiopod posterior in position.
- 41. Fourth and_ fifth pereiopods, with genital papilla: fifth
pereiopod anterior in position.
. 42. Outer surface of tip of exopodite of third swimmeret, left side,
magnified.
. 43. Slonghed- off outer skin of hair, with empty egg-capsules
Fig.
Fig.
Fig.
Fig.
Fig.
Fig.
attached, magnified.
44, Abdomen, with first and second penes in one position.
45. Abdomen, with first and second penes in second position.
46. Muscles of second penis, magnified.
47. Genital papilla, magnified.
48. Muscles of first penis, magnified.
139
19
i)
57
19
19
19
49. Spermatheca of soft crab, 6 inches across. December Ist, 1899. jl. Plug.
50. Tip of endopodite, inner surface, magnified.
51. Tip of exopodite, inner surface, magnified.
52. Muscles of abdomen, view from median line.
53. Second penis, anterior view.
54. Second penis, posterior view.
55. Diagram of relation of penis to the spermatheca and the plug. jl. Fluid.
Fig. 55a. Coxopodite of fifth pereiopod, showing the perforation for the
issue of the vas deferens.
140 Part I1T.—Twenty-second Annual Report
Fig. 56. Egg of Homarus vulgaris, showing three attachments, .
Fig. 57. Egg of Homarus vulgaris, showing three attachments.
Fig. 58. Tip of hair of endopodite of Homarus vulgaris.
Fig. 59. Dissection of first penis, magnified.
Fig. 60. Longitudinal section of first penis, semi-diagrammatic, to show
the relationship of first and second penes and the genital
papilla, magnified.
Fig. 61. Longitudinal section of second penis, to show muscles seen from
median line.
Fig. 62. Tip of endopodite, posterior surface, magnified. The hairs ought
in proportion to be larger (viz., about one-third longer)
than they are here represented.
Fig. 63. Plan of a row of hairs of endopodite, magnified.
Fig. 64. Hair of endopodite of Nephrops norvegicus, :
Fig. 65. First and second penes, lateral (external) view.
Fig. 66. Muscles of second penis.
Fig. 67. Spermatheca of hard crab, 68 inches. December Ist, 1899.
Fig. 68. Second penis, lateral (external) view.
Fig. 69. First penis, lateral (external) view, shows relationship of genital
papilla.
Fig. 70. External (attached) egg of Carcinus manas. December 21st, 1897.
Pratt IV.
Figs. 94, 95, and 96 were outlined by means of the camera lucida.
Vigs. 71-81. Successive casts of a Cancer pagurus, Nos. 2-12 inclusive,
viz., A, Table VI. Natural size.
Figs. 82-93. Successive casts of a Carcinus menas, viz., No. 1 in
Table I. in ‘On the Larval and Early Young Stages, and.
Rate of Growth, of Carcinus menas.” Twenty-first Annual
Report of the Fishery Board for Scotland, Pt. III., p. 166.
Fig. 94. Egg of Cancer pagurus taken from the vagina of a spawning
female by means of a pipette, 30/11/00, : :
Fig. 95. Egg just extruded,. : : : : : :
Fig. 96. Egg found on bottom of tank beside a spawning Cancer pagurus,
PLATE V.
x X
10
48
The figures in this plate, with the exception of Fig. 100, were outlined by means
of the camera lucida.
Vig. 97. Edge of carapace of the cast represented in Fig. 75, . :
Fig. 98. Half of carapace do. do. 74,
Fig. 99. Frontal region do. do. 795,
Fig. 100. Cast chela of a Cancer pagurus to show the absorption lines
(abs.) on [the coxopodite, basi-ischiopodite, and meropodite
joints. Natural size.
Fig. 101. Half of carapace of the cast represented in Fig. 72, .
Fig. 102. Do. do. do. IE Rop ee 3
Fig. 103. Enlarged drawing of cast shell represented in Fig. 71, carapace,
Fig. 104. Joint on second penis, Cancer pagurus.
Fig. 105. Tip of second penis, do.
x
x
19
19
19
19
19
19
N.B.—The “arrows” which accompany certain of the figures serve to indicate
the antero-posterior median line; the point of the arrow is directed anteriorly.
PLATE Il.
i
7
2
:
:
$
PLATE Ill.
Cancer pagurus—Castixo, IMPREGNATION,
mh
7. B REPORT. 1904
PLATE V
pd
— . oS
> s
=
~3
~~
ee
a aes
Pa xs
~
py ee ©
H.C.W.
Fig 100 A H. Wareze.
Cancer pagurux—Casmina, Etc.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland 141
IIl.—THE RATE OF GROWTH OF FISHES. By Dr. T. Wemyss
Fuuron, F.R.S.E., Superintendent of Scientific Investigations.
(Plates VI.-XIT.)
ConTENTs.
PAGE.
1. Introductory, “ ; , 141
2. The Relation of Length to Weight, ; : ; 142
3. The Average Size at Maturity, ° : ‘ 150
4. The Influence of Temperature on Grow th, | : : 159
5. The Sprat, . : : : . : : 171
6. The Witch, . : 5 : . 5 f 186
7. The Norway Pout, . - . . : 195
8. The Sharp-tailed Lumpenus, ‘ 202
9. Tables showing the Relation of Length to W eight, : 205
1. IyrRopuctTIOoN.
The present paper contains the results of further observations I have
made on the rate of growth of fishes, and is a continuation of the investi-
gation on this subject as dealt with in some of the preceding Reports of
the Fishery Board. In that for 1901 I described fully the methods
adopted,* the collections being obtained by the use of a fine-meshed net
around the cod-end of the otter trawl, on the occasions when steam-
trawlers were employed in the trawling investigations in the Moray
Firth and Aberdeen Bay. It need only be mentioned here that the
fishes are measured in millimetres, the measurements tabulated, and
curves formed on the measurements as grouped into lcm. or ‘Sem.
groups. It may be stated that the method of collection with a small-
meshed net in the way described has now been adopted in some other
countries as well as on- the ‘‘Goldseeker,” the vessel employed in the
Scottish part of the international investigations of the North Sea.
In addition to the measurements of numerous fishes, only part of which
are worked up in this paper, viz. those dealing with the sprat, the witch,
the Norway pout, and the sharp-tailed Lwmpenus, observations were also
made on a large scale with the view of determining the relation between
the weight and the length of a considerable number of species, and these
are detailed below. I have found that the law which governs the relation
between the weight and dimensions of similarly-shaped bodies does not
apply with precision to fishes. They increase in weight more than the
increase in length would, according to the law, imply, and since the number
of fishes in which the relation between the length and weight has been
determined was large, viz. 5675, belonging to nineteen species, and in no
case has the law been found to apply exactly, it appears to be well-established
that on the assumption that the specific gravity of the fishes does not
change during growth they must increase in some other of their dimensions,
whether breadth or thickness, in greater proportion than they increase in
length.
* Twentieth Ann. Rep,, Pt. III, p. 326.
142 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
I have likewise carried on a number of experiments in order to ascertain
the relation which exists between the growth of fishes and the temperature
of the water in which they live. It is well known from previous observa-
tions that in the winter season the growth of fishes, at least in the inshore
waters, is slower than it is in summer; in the case of those living
in shallow water, subjected to the changes in the temperature of the air,
and where the extremes of heat and cold are at their maximum, growth
may be entirely arrested in winter. In the Annual Report of the Board
above referred to I gave particulars on this point with regard to the young
plaice living on the beaches, and exhibited a curve in which the relation
between the temperature of the water and the degree of growth of the
plaice was established.
The experiments, which are described in detail below, consisted in
keeping fishes of various species in tauks in which the water was arti-
ficially heated, and the result on the growth of the fish was very marked,
those in the water of a high temperature growing much faster than
those in the water at lower temperature. It was, moreover, shown, as
might have been anticipated, that the fishes in the warmer water ate much
more food than those in the colder water, the digestive ferments being
more active at the higher temperatures, and the fish being thus able to
digest a larger quantity of food in a given time. It was found that the
appetite of the fishes was in relation to the power of digestion, that is to
the temperature of the water, those in very cold water scarcely eating
at all, although abundantly supplied with food. In the same way, the
metabolism in the tissues was more rapid, and nutrition and growth much
accelerated.
Certain differences were found to exist in different species, which are
referred to below.
2. THe RELATION oF LENGTH TO WEIGHT.
In dealing with the rate of growth of fishes it is customary to take one
of the dimensions of the fish and compare the variations of this
dimension at different periods or in different collections. In some cases,
as with the rays, it is more convenient to take the breadth across the
pectorals than the length. The selection of one dimension for com-
parative measurement is very convenient, and it is accurate on the
assumption that the fish grows equally in all directions, increasing in
breadth and thickness in the same ratio as it does in length, It is
obvious, however, that the true criterion of growth is the increase in the
mass of the fish, and this can be determined either by the variation in
the volume or in the weight.
The determination of the variation in volume is a somewhat slow
process, and the methods are subject to difficulties in practice. With
small fishes a burette may be used with accurate results; with those
of large size the quantity of water displaced by the fish was measured
separately in a burette, the fish itself being placed in a convenient
vessel. In the case of fishes of moderate dimensions the method used
was to place them in a vessel provided with a syphon to draw off the
amount of water displaced, which was then measured in a burette; the
bore of the syphon being so adapted as to always remain full of fluid.
As a rule this mode of determining the increase in bulk was found to be
less satisfactory than the method of weighing the fish, and this was the
method chiefly employed.
According to the well-known law, that the volume of similarly-shaped
bodies of the same specific gravity vary directly as the cube of corre-
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 145
sponding dimensions—a law which was brought prominently forward by
Herbert Spencer in his ‘‘ Principles of Biology ”—a fish which has doubled
its length should have increased its weight eight times. This law is a
very convenient one in considermg the rate of growth of fishes, all that
is required, if the law holds true throughout, being to determine the
relation between the weight and one of the dimensions at a particular
size and then calculate the ratio between that dimension and the weight
at different sizes. The truth of the law has not, however, been proved
experimentally in the case of fishes, as far as I am aware, and it was
decided to actually measure and weigh a large number of fishes of
different sizes, and to construct curves in order to bring out the relation
between the length and the weight at different sizes. In the Twentieth
Annual Report of the Fishery Board* I described the method of
presentation I had adopted, the abscissee in the diagrams representing
length and the ordinates weight; and I pointed out that the curves
varied for different species, and that they did not everywhere agree with
the rule as to similarly-shaped bodies above referred to.
Since then many more fishes and observations have been added to my
lists, and I propose to discuss some of the results now.
In all cases, unless where otherwise stated, the observations have been
made at different times of the year, and on fish from different localities.
This method will give a better result as to the relations between length
for the species generally, although it is probable that the ratio varies
somewhat at different places and at certain times of the year-—at all
events in fish which have reached adult size. This is referred to at
greater length below.
In the observations made on this subject each fish was individually
measured in millimetres and then weighed in grammes, and the method
adopted in presenting the results was to collect the records of weight to
the nearest ‘5 centimetre, and take the mean of the lot. Thus the
number of observations under each ‘5cm. are often unequal in amount ;
but it was found, on testing the method, that this system gave practically
the same result as when the calculations were made for the observations
under each millimetre measurement—a very laborious process.
The mean weight under a given ‘Sem, was then tabulated, as well as
the number of fishes at that size and the greatest and lowest weight
among them, and this information for the various fishes dealt with is
given in a series of tables appended (p. 205), while the average weight is
represented in the series of diagrams (Pls. VI, VII). In constructing these
curves the average weight of the fishes at a particular length was not
itself taken, the series of averages being arithmetically smoothed, by
taking the mean of the averages immediately before and after; as a
rule only the one preceding and the one following was combined with the
average being smoothed, but in some cases where the number of
observations was small a number of the preceding and _ succeeding
averages were combined also and the mean taken.
The fishes in which the relation between the length and weight at different
sizes were determined were the following :—Plaice, common dab, lemon
dab, long rough dab, witch, brill, cod, haddock, whiting, herring, sprat,
Norway pout, and partly also the turbot, little sole, gurnard, halibut,
flounder, armed bullhead, and Lumpenus.
It will be seen from the tables and the curves of these fishes how very
greatly the weight for a given length differs in different species, and thus
how very different is the increment of growth for a given increase in the
length. Among the food-fishes examined by far the heaviest in proportion
* Page 334, 1902.
144 Part ITI —Twenty-second Annual Report
to its length is the turbot, and after it comes the brill; at the opposite
extreme is the witch, which is the lightest of all :—
a =| cH 2 3 ad “
Gees) fog Wg) Bg ae) seedy we aldah tal ee (egies aes
ER Poeus We S| SSH He altel a Wesel des ei/e] es | &
sie PRs es ile Pd cle tds fash De Posse? | 22
Be OPM PY OVE ear Baials OT Pitkea be es Gia 67
|. |. |. | 96] a7]. | 2 | Brlaos! 7-93) 7-81 alone
1 | . | . | 323 34 | 281] 31:3] 141] 21-6] . | 80-7] 28:3] 23:8 29-4) .
2 | . | . | 893 71] 747] 78 | a5-4]5e5] . | 711] 65-7] 54-2] 557
so | . | . | . | 2901 |2964| 279 |170-4] . | . | 271-8 | 243°8 |213-6/219°5|
35 | 922| 622] 561 | 484-6470 | 440 log35| . | - | 420 |3a1 |322
ao | . | 978| 798 | 708 | . | 93 |458 | .| . | 614 |502 518
45 | 2,000| 1,373 |1,076 |1,028 | . | . |ev7 | .| «| 907 | g28
BO. (|:2,706 | 2.1451? [tdee AON Seals Bei Reelin Ail aineg
60 al5;000 || tel) ny Ne age albee TR Tn CMa RSE Me: Ob7
Out 8/680)! 0 acl ie VOOR fe Hae Vee ole el te opel oR
BOIMNE Agua aceite le lh melita ncal sete poredd
100 . . . | . . . . . « {10,194
|
Among the other flat-fishes the lemon sole comes after the brill, then
the plaice, common dab, flounder, and long rough dab, but several of
them are very close together. Among the round-fishes the cod is the
heaviest in proportion to its length, with the haddock next, and then the
whiting, The sprat is, in proportion to its length, heavier than the
herring, which shows much the same ratio as the long rough dab. It is
noteworthy that the extremes in regard to the length-weight ratio should
be exhibited among the flat-fishes.
It will also be noticed that the variation in weight at a given size in
the same species increases very much as the fish grows in length, so that
at the larger sizes, of the cod or turbot for example, the variation in this
respect is most pronounced. For this reason the terminal parts of the
curves are less satisfactory than the lower parts, as may be seen in the
diagrams, and it would probably require a very extensive series of
observations on these larger forms to give the relation between the length
and the weight with high precision. Nevertheless, I think the curves
given will be found useful in dealing with many questions connected
with the fisheries.
The number of the various species which have been measured and
weighed for the purpose of this research are as follows :—
Cod, - - - 471 Little sole, - - 54
Haddock, : . 844 Turbot, - - - 29
Whiting, - . 507 Brill, . - - 100
Norway pout, - - 218 Flounder, - - - 48
Plaice, - - - 913 Halibut, - - - 38
Lemon dab, - - 165 Herring, - - - 482
Common dab, - - 541 Sprat, - . - 339
Long rough dab, . 335 Gurnard, - - 63
Witch, - - 426 Armed pullvont: . 59
Lumpenus, - - 43
—the total being 5675 fishes.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 145
An examination of the tables and curves shows that the law in regard
to the increase in weight according to the cube of the length, although
broadly true, does not accurately apply in the case of the fishes examined.
With scarcely an exception, the weight at a given length is greater than
the weight calculated from the law, so that if the speci‘e gravity of the
fishes remains constant they must increase somewhat more in other
dimensions than in length.
In the case of the haddock, the plaice, and the sprat, I have calculated
out the weights at the various sizes on the assumption that the law
referred to held true during the growth of the fish, and these are given in
the Table on pages 240, 241. It will be seen, by comparing them with
the weights actually observed, that the latter exceed the former in all
cases as stated. The datum for the calculation in each instance was the
smoothed average for the smallest sizes of which the relative numbers
were large. The salient features in this comparison may be given here
as follows, the weights being in grammes :—
PLAICE. HADDOCK,
Cm,
| Observed Weight. |Calculated Weight.] Observed Weight. |Calenlated Weight.
if — 009 — 008
3 — 252 — 213
5 Vets 1:167 — 984
8 4°78 4:78 — 4:03
10 9°62 9°34 7°8 7°87
15 34 31°51 28°3 26°56
20 77°10 74:70 65:7 62:97
25 161 145-90 140°2 | 122°97
30 299-10 252°10 243°3 212°50
35 484°6 406°45 381 337 °44
40 707°9 597°50 591°6 503°73
45 1,026 850°84 828-2 717°19
50 1,429 1,167°20 bly 983-80
55 1,820 1,553°44 [1,440] 1,309°47
60 2,371 2,016°79 [1,915] 1,700
65 [3,331] 2,564°17 [3,214] 2,162°14
70 [3,908] 3, 251°59 — 2,699°52
The figures in brackets represent individual fishes at or very near the dimension stated.
The comparison in the case of the sprat was as follows :—
Centimetres, Observed Weight. Calculated Weight.
1 — 005
2 — 043
3 —_ 149
4 — 343
5 67 ‘670
6 1d Bg 1°190
7 2°02 1838
8 3°05 2°744
9 4°63 4-015
10 6°71 5°36
11 9°48 C13
12 12°46 9°52
125 14°34 =
13 [16-4] 11-78
14 — 14°71
146 Part IlT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
A simple method of determining the relationship, without calculating
out the ratio at all lengths, is to compare the weights at twice the size ;
according to the law the weight should be eight times greater. This has
been done in all the possible cases throughout the tables, and, with a few
exceptions in individual instances where the numbers were us uallysmall,
it has been found that the weight at twice the size is greater, and some-
times very considerably greater, than the law implies.
Thus, among plaice of which a large number were weighed (913) there
is no exception to the statement made, from 45cm. on to 35-70cm.
In all cases the weight calculated in this manner is less than the weight
actually observed, and the excess over what is required by the law is in
some cases considerable. The following examples may be given :—
Observed Weight WEIGHT IN GRAMMES.
Cm. (Smoothed). Cray = ee ee eee Excess,
Ss,
rare Calculated. Observed.
5 ely) 10 9°36 9°62 "26
8 4°78 16 38°24 41 2°78
10 9°62 20 76°96 77°10 14
12 17°35 24 138°8 140°6 18
15 3B4 30 272 299-1 (pl
18 57°79 36 4622 52 64°8
20 TE 40 616°8 707°9 91°1
22 112°8 44 902:4 954 51°6
U5 161 50 1,288 1,404 116
27 207 54 1,656 1,802 146
30 209i 60 2,392°8 2,468 75:2
l
Throughout the tables of measurements for haddocks also the weight
thus calculated is always under the weight observed, except in a few
cases among the largest fishes. Whether this is due to the fact that the
number of the fishes at the larger sizes is too small to show the true
relation, or the difference is a real difference with age, cannot at present
be decided. I give the selected examples for haddocks in the accompany-
ing Table, with all the cases where the calculated weight is greater than
the observed weight :—
Observed Weight WEIGHT IN GRAMMES.
Cm. Cros Cm, |——____________________|_ Difference.
Calculated. Observed.
ae nis ares (ae |
10 7°93 20 60:4 65°7 +5'3
12 13°6 24 108°8 118°3 +9°5
15 28°3 30 226-4 243°3 +169
18 48:3 36 386°4 425°2 +388
| 20 65-7 40 535°6 591°6 +56-0
22 $1-4 44 731°6 777°6 +46
| 25 140-2 50 1,121°6 ea (al +494
| 26-5 165°6 53 1,324°8 1,379 454-4
28°5 205°5 57 1,645°0 1,635 —10
| 3 Pfalery 62 2,175°6 2,110 — 63°6
| 37 465°9 74 3,727 3,691 — 36
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 147
Among commou dabs the observed weights are always in excess also,
with one exception, where the calculated weignt for a fisn of 12cm. is
14°80 and the weight observed was 14:7 grammes. The difference in the
smaller forms here is not so great as in those of moderate size. At 6cm.
the calculated weight was 1°36 grammes and the observed weight 1°85 ;
at 10cm. the calculated weight was 7:76 and the actual weight
12°31; at 8cm. the calculated weight was 32°96 and the weight observed
34°3 grammes; at 20cm. the calculated weight was 69°76 and the actual
weight 74:7; at 24cm. the calculated weight was 117-6 and the weight
observed 142°3; at 30cm. the calculated weight was 224°8 and the
actual weight 296-4; at 56cm. the calculated weight was 403°2 and
the weight observed 487 grammes.
It was the same with the lemon dab, no exception being found. The
calculated weight at 15cm. was 26°8 and the real weight 32°3; at 3lem.
the former was 2888 and the observed weight was 354 grammes ;
at 36cm. the respective weights were 436°8 and 595 grammes, and at 40cm.
they were respectively 714-4 and 788 grammes. With the Norway
pout, the herring, the sprat, the long rough dab, the cod, the witch, and
the whiting the same method shows the same general result, an excess of
weight over that to be deduced froin the law. I append here some of
the figures where this appears :—
TABLE.
148 Part ITI.—Twenty-second Annual Report
Cod Whiting. | witeh. [/OE Hough) Herring, | Sprat,
LS 0c) (me mea A Oe RS feet toe NE Ee | |S TRE er | feeeee ne
I I er en pee MEM RS ne cee ne ene ney, a
ete 2) ek Dols ypels Gata o-64| Paige Sel eta | eng ee
lee a) anes a pany ea Re Soa el try [oa
10: ee ae ee ee cere etsy Meee Mere une ee Less aon
Tie = a a 7er6 | yeas eal ee coda (cee
Toga see ao aanc} uaa, iB a bt9d [tog ob ues ai Oeeil ole
= CBr sg Pg .g' | 20 | ates |e ott ce |e
14alpite® ehh Sear (TS. fl oe Oats eye MORE 16:6 halle
Toa ees aon P33 |40-5 | 14] 18-b |) 21-6 eee | | eee
lees ot i | e706 91 21:43) 97-21 13-8) Boe ale
17| 40 45-4] 34-4| 35-2] 12-8] 20 | 28-4] 324] 29 | 34a) — | —
18| 462] 54 | 40:8] 413] — | — |a1-2] 40-4] 342] 403) — | —
20/ 634] 711] 56-3| 542} — | — | 45-6] 585] 47-2] 551;— | —
24} 120 | 1934] 992/104] — | — |s4 |122 | s48l1061)— | —
95 | 188-4] 146:5|112-8/118 | 67-2| 861) —| — | 968|119-3]— | —
Bg 1968 || “210-71 1544/1781), = |) | = |) Hae aye ee
30 | 2456] 271-8} 190-4 | 210-6 | 1126 | 170-4] — | — |187-2/2195;— | —
Spalemeode'| S490 - 1805-61830 Mi |e as al kas pes
d0'|, 5688] 614-3. 498-6 |5138 1983 (458 | = | — | = | == ee
A WensO8n04. (O07 -p) Se Sh eek |) | ip eet A nee ee
48/985. |4,013. | 819 (984 "580 || 791 |) 8 a= een ee ee
BOARD | DRO Sees) Sool See ae age I ee
65 | 1,588°7) 1,608} cl ee ee ee
GO| B14. | ORF ee ee ee ee
70 | 8,860 | 3,380 _ = == = se = aa
76. \:3948> 14,000) — || 2) ee ee ee
441 7,888 hl 0,144 © |) ee ela | ee
100 | 9,192 180,194 | | a ee a ee ee
108110728 (12,089) | ee a Ee
Among the exceptions to the statement that the rule does not apply
the most common are to be found among the smail and young forms and
in the whiting. In many cases the weight of the smallest individuals
whose weight may be calculated by the method described is under the
ratio prescribed by the law, or in conformity with it, and thus differs from
what obtains among the larger individuals. It seems not improbable
that the explanation of this circumstance is that, in their early stages,
the fishes grow in length in a greater ratio than they grow in other
dimensions. This is specially observable among the whitings, witches,
and long rough dabs, although in the case of the two latter, at all events,
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 149
the tendency is markedly in the opposite direction later on. In many
cases in the very largest fishes a few exceptions also occur, and this may
be due to defective nutrition with age, or to the fact that the number of
the fishes of large size examined was much less and not sufficient to bring
out the true relationship. It is to be observed that the statement that the
law does not accurately apply is supported by that part of the tables and
curves where the observations are most numerous, and which, as a rule,
includes those fishes which are in adolescence.
Among cod the greatest number of exceptions were found to occur.
The observed weight continued to be greater than that required by the law
from 17cm. to 48cm., and then from that point to 69cm., with one or two
exceptions, it was less. The number of specimens of the larger sizes was,
however, comparatively small, and in the case of the cod many of these large
specimens were weighed in May, after they had spawned. In most of the
other cases it may be said, although spawning and spent fish are included,
the number of these is small ; and the sudden loss of weight immediately
after spawning is marked, although it appears to be rapidly regained.
I am not at present able to offer any satisfactory explanation of the
departure from the law of growth generally accepted in the case of fishes ;
and perhaps it may be said that the application of this law in biology has
not yet been experimentally tested ona sufficient scale among many species
of animals. In the growth of some animals there is no doubt that the ratio
between the dimensions does not continue constant, and that consequently
alteration of shape occurs in the course of growth. In the case of fishes
the relation between the length and the weight is in many, and probably
most, instances modified in connection with reproduction to a considerable
extent, and it may also be altered by the changes which take place in
certain of the viscera, as, for example, in the liver, and by the general
conditions of nutrition due to season and other circumstances. For
obvious reasons, variations in the quantity of food which may be in the
stomach or intestine may be neglected. It has to be noted, however, as
already stated, that the fishes at periods before reproductive disturbances
begin show a marked departure from the law, and that changes arising
from difference of season affect fishes at different sizes.
These tables and curves will also be of value in determining the
average weight of specimens of different species belonging to different
series or generations, and thus showing the increase of mass from one
generation to another as well as the mean weight when the reproductive
period is reached and the range of variation. An example may be here
given from the plaice to show the amount of growth which may take
place from one generation to another, and in the following Table I give
the particulars as based on the measurements of over 1800 specimens in
a haul in Aberdeen Bay in November : —
LENGTH (Mm.). WEIGHT (GRAMMES).
or Mean
eries, I
nerease.
Range. Average. Range of Mean, Average.
*
i [35—85 65] 2°5
Il. 91—162 118-1 6°9—42 17 145
III. 164—260 216°5 44—181 106 89
LI\ fe 261—369 315 183—676 343 237
V: 363—442 400 620—970 708 365
Vik 444—479 460 990—1, 280 1,092 384
150 Part L1I.—Twenty-second Annual Repor
From this it wiil be seen how very greatly the weight and therefore the
amount of growth in different members of the same series may vary.
The “range of the mean,” moreover, refers to the average weight for the
longest and shortest fish in a series; the actual or possible variation in
weight is much greater, as may be seen from the Tables for the plaice on
p. 205.
3. THe AVERAGE Size at Marourirty.
With regard to the size and age at which the males and females of the
various species of food-fishes first attain maturity, a great deal of infor-
mation is still required. Isolated observations have been made in a
considerable number of instances on several species, sufficient to give an
approximate idea of the limit between the mature and the immature, but,
as a rule, they are not of such a kind as to enable the average-size as
well as the extremes to be determined, and on the hypothesis that
reproduction takes place at a certain age this average-size should
correspond to the average for one or other of the yearly groups.
In one or two cases I have made a number of observations on the
subject, particularly with regard to the plaice, the haddock, and the
whiting, a number of these fishes being examined at the spawning time,
the sexes determined, the condition of the reproductive organs noted, and
the size of the fish measured.
A number were also examined at periods anterior to the spawning time
and the progress of the development of the eggs observed.
Thus, among twenty-four whitings caught in the Moray Firth on the
14th November, comprising sixteen females and eight males, it was found
that the former ranged in size from 242 to 418mm., and in weight from
108 to 517 grammes; the weight of the ovary varying from 0°2 to 38
grammes, and the diameter of the eggs from ‘189 to ‘294mm. The
following are selected examples :—
A : Weight of Diameter of
Length. NEN Organics Largest Eggs.
Mra Gr. Gyr Mm.
242 108 0-4 189
248 110 1:0 Joill
293 196 E74 2.94
298 198 1:5 D2,
304 223 2-1 Jol
ole 240 1:8 189
351 354 2°8 273
418 517 38:0 Soar (es)
=
The particulars in these examples show that the whitings, and probably
even the smallest, would spawn at the next spawning season ; and it will
be observed that the size of the eggs in some of the smaller specimens is
as large as in those of considerably greater size. In the males the weight
of the testes was also determined, and their weight did not always
correspond with the weight of the fish, as the following examples
indicate :—
Length.
Mm.
293
322
335
323
339
364
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
Weight.
Weight of Testes.
151
a
Swnmoro
ond or-o.-°
All these males would also in all probability spawn at the next season.
On the 27th December some others, also taken in the Moray Firth,
were examined, and the following shows the particulars in regard to some
of the females :—
Length.
Mm.
175
227
254
260
231
Weight.
Gr.
40
81
107°5
113
85
Weight of
Ovaries.
Diameter of
Kggs.
Mm.
063
"231
189
462
‘210
In the males the testes were as small relatively as in those examined
in November.
Several other whitings of smaller size were examined,
from 159 to 178mm., and in all cases the ovaries and testes were
extremely small, and the eggs minute, the largest being about ‘06mm.
On 28rd January another lot were examined, and it was found that
both the weight of the ovary and the diameter of the largest egg had
considerably increased, as shown by the following particulars of some of
the females :—
Length.
Weight of
Ovaries.
Diameter of
Eggs.
152 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
All these females would obviously spawn in the ensuing season ; and it
is noteworthy that some of the smaller fishes had the larger eggs. The
weight of the testes in the male had also increased ; in specimens from
227-232mm. they weighed 0:7—0°9 grammes, and in some from 253-267mm.
they weighed from 1°2 to 3°38 grammes. From these indications probably
all would spawn in the course of the next season, -
On the Ist April, that is after the spawning season had begun, some
others were examined. Females of 182 and 198mm. had small ovaries
and unyolked eggs which measured from 0:6 to O‘'8mm. Others at 225
and 227mm. (8% inches) had eggs measuring up to ‘672, and at 232 and
237mm, the ovaries contained ripe eggs. From the same collections 803
whitings were assorted into males and females, the condition of the
reproductive organs being determined ; the particulars are contained in
the following Table :—
‘ FEMALE. | MALE.
Cm. Ripe. Spent. ee oa Ripe. Spent. |Immature.
ee Bethe Siete weal: we ba oP eae
13 1 | ie
14 3 1
15 if a
16 4 6
17 4 We 4
18 1 1 3
19 i 2 1
20 1 1 16 2
21 G4 4 33 4
22 18 ~~ 58 2
23 33 3 cb 1
24 40 3 70
25 44 3 65
26 40 1 56
rat 38 1 28
28 27 21
29 13 9
30 13 8
31 10 3
a2 7 it
33 4 1
34 ]
5) 3
36
37 3
38
39 1 ee
40 Bd ae
In addition to these observations made on board the trawlers employed
in the Moray Firth, in which the collections included many whitings too
small to be marketable, the opportunity was taken to examine the sexual
condition of a number of whitings as brought to market. These do not
include the very smallest which may be mature, but they serve for
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 153
comparison, and they show, moreover, the very small proportion of this
fish which is brought to market in the immature condition.
FEMALES. MALgEs.
Cm. Ripe. | Spent. |[mmature] Ripe. | Spent. Immature.
23 os 3
24 1 1
25 1 6
26 3 3
27 28 14
28 45 16
29 43 19
30 50 16
31 29 16 1
32 23 18 |
33 29 “] 1
34 33 20
39 38 11
36 24 7 |
37 22 7 |
38 29 1
39 16 1 1 |
40 14 |
4] 12 1
42 3
43 8
44 +
45 1
46 2
From these observations it appears that the female whiting may attain
maturity when it is 20cm., or about 8 inches, in length, but that the
average size when reproduction first begins is approximately 25cm., or
about 10 inches.
This conclusion agrees with the previous observations made by me on
the rate of growth of the whiting and the size and age at which maturity
is reached. I stated in the Twentieth Annual Report* that the whiting
when two years old had an average size of about 97 inches, the range
being from about 72 inches to 12 inches, and that this was the generation
which commenced to spawn. The tables given above show that some of
the males may begin to spawn at a size less than that at which the
females spawn, but the difference is not very great, and I am disposed to
consider that the males also do not attain maturity till they are two
years of age.
A series of corresponding observations were made in regard to the
haddock, which serve to throw light on the size and age when maturity
is first reached. On the 31st October a number were taken in Aberdeen
Bay, the sexes determined, and the condition of the reproductive organs
ascertained. The following shows the main features among the females —
* Part III., page 400.
Size
of Eggs.
154 Part I1I—Twenty-second Annual Report
Length. Weight. en
Mm. Gr. Gr.
245 EGS a
246 134 5
253 141 2,
276 182 “i
341 412 2:5
356 496 Dull
387 616 ONr
428 814 10-1
525 1,600 14:0
On 12th November another series of observations were made on
haddocks taken in the Moray Firth,
and similar observations on
collections obtained in Aberdeen Bay on 24th December and 14th
January, and in the Moray Firth on 21st January. The particulars in
some of the cases are appended :—
5 Weight. | Diameter
oe Metens, of rats of Eggs.
Mm. Gr. Gr. Mm.
November 12 308 392 aD “42
333 oilal Be 5) °357
315 312 2°9 399
317 347 3°9 378
3090 490 30 coil
415 782 78 378
528 1,345 3:5 378
December 24 307 265 4°2 48
329 366 61 “42
341 365 53 48
390 637 43°8 63
416 (a7 14:7 46
518 1,387 30°3 "52
January 14 272 178 0-4 12
501 224 26 ‘14
313 254 1:2 ‘16
325 318 1:4 34
326 340 6:5 “Dit
348 367 7:0 “44
381 467 2°2 14
383 583 21:5 250)
432 738 17°6 ‘48
January 23 169 38 eis ‘O4
2a 96°5 05 273
257 13155 0-7 “12
271 158 0:6 “31
235 99:5 0:9 36
223 90°5 0:3 ‘18
287 182 1-0 sole)
|
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 155
Among those taken on 23rd January in the Moray Firth several at
from 146 to 170mm. which were examined had the ovaries quite small
and immature ; some of those of 257mm. and thereabout had only clear
unyolked eggs measuring up to ‘lmm., while others of the same size, or
even smaller, had eggs considerably larger, yolked, and would, no doubt,
spawn before the close of the spawning season. This difference is, I
think, to be explained by difference in age, the less matured individuals,
although larger, being younger and belonging to a later generation.
On the Ist April, among a number taken in the Moray Firth, quite
ripe females were got measuring 254mm. (10 inches) and 258mm. and |
weighing 134 and 141 grammes, or about 4# ounces; others almost mature
measured 256 and 258mm., while some quite immature were found
measuring 283mm., or more than 11 inches. On the 23rd April a few
females of 263mm. were ripe, and males of 255mm. and upwards and
females of 258, 273, 296mm. and upwards were spent.
In the collection procured on Ist April a number of the ovaries wcre
examined, with the following results :—
Cm Spawning ct Spent. Immature. |
nearly Ripe. |
16 1
ff 4
18
19 il
20 3
ai 10 |
22, 24
ps isi 30
24 8 py |
25 15 14
26 ial 4
TA 5 2
28 5 1 1
29 2 es 3
30 6 2
31 4
32 8 1
3a ff 1
34 1}
85 6
36 3
on 1 e
3 5
39 Wy
40 1
4]
The collection was a small one, and the larger fishes were for the most
part absent. It shows, however, that females as small as 24cm. may be
ripe and some as large as 29cm. immature, the average size at first
maturity in this case being approximately 30cm., or abont 12 inches,
which is rather under the size brought out by some other observations,
Out of a large number examined on a former occasion the smallest of the
156 Part IIT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
females obtained was 12 inches, and the smallest nearly mature 10 inches ;
and Holt from his observations at Grimsby placed the average limit
between the mature and immature at 13 inches.
Some observations were also made with regard to the size at which
maturity is reached in the plaice by the examination of the fish as landed
and also on board as brought to deck. In the latter case the examination
was only towards the close of the spawning season, when most of the
fishes were spent, and the information obtained in this way is therefore
of more limited scope.
On the llth and 16th February 259 were examined, of which 134
were females and 125 males. Among the former 50 were spawning,
or had the ovaries so far developed that spawning could be said to be
imminent. The largest immature female measured 440mm., the next
largest being 436mm. The smallest female found to be actually spawning
was 373mm., or about 14? inches, the next smallest being 382mm ; the
smallest nearly ripe measured 360, 360, 368, and 378mm. The
difference, therefore, between the largest immature and the smallest
nearly mature was 80mm., or 3L inches. The numbers are not very large,
but so far as they go they show that the average size when maturity is
first attained is about 43 or 44cm., that is, approximately, 17 inches, the
limit also found by Holt to apply to the plaice from the northerly part of
the North Sea, and confirmed by Kyle.*
With the males the largest immature specimens measured 370, 367,
and 366mm., and the smallest spawning males measured 306, 318, and
330mm. ; the smallest nearly ripe was 317mm. and the next 322mm.
The difference in this case between the smallest mature and the largest
immature amounts to 64mm., or 24 inches. Probably the examination
of a larger number of specimens would enlarge the difference both for
the males and females, but as they stand they agree very well with the
overlapping in length of the respective series or generations.
* Kighteenth Annual Report Fishery Board for Scotland, Part III, p. 190.
| TABLE
eS eS eee ee
7
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
MALES.
FEMALES.
ee... eee
*aINYVULUT 3 i pe rae C0 IGN Es 00) x ' . . ,
1
*TRIOL ' : re ot IS OA Or Os Se OS oH te rs ee ree NN ce et ' ' , ' '
re be Lomi re ret
“quodg ri A otis ho ate en a fee ne ie er oe a ee he Se ’ ’ oa aly te ok i itp eee ah mci eee an ea
‘adn AprvaNy
‘Suumedg
| ere ei ere rei
I
iar , ' ' ' ' ' ' ' Ge GY exh OG GeV tS SY en Ate Gay GR RS Ge ao '
quodg Ne aN en ce EC rn te eth kill aioe sis SOO he oe Se Bag : Me te dt, es i
i
‘ody Ayae9 NT ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' Oo re ' ' (NET Ya) rmGNG ns GNU nc GYD UN tpt GT nd GN OR CNT el ' ‘ ' re ‘ ‘
1
‘Surumedg ' ' , Fi ' ‘ ' ' '_ =e AN ' ' ' N Oo N SHS BS A A a oF ' ' ' ' ' '
.
q Fest (OSU esc Con y= Nie Co Ho eb SL OOl= Os) LQ) GICs lo, eo) nk Oo aA Oo oO Ht
5 CCU CGN Crain COME COME ICD RIGOR MEIC MeMCoMMCame Cor ceHich' <i <eHuemcH MEd ='chite Ceqh SHARC BSH my SO CUNO cS iecnraym sltCsien chm IO
c
158 Part ITI.—Twenty-second Anwual Report
Of those examined on the 30th of March towards the end of the
spawning time, two females were still spawning, their sizes being 43 and
53cm.; the number spent was 36, the smallest that was certainly
determined to have spawned being 45cm. The number immature was
51, the largest being 46°5cm., but it is possible it had spawned early in
the season. Among the males, of which 65 were examined, 11 were
still spawning, the smallest measuring 38cm., or nearly 15 inches. ‘Six
were taken to be spent, the smallest being 37cm. and the largest of those
immature was 38cm. Among the spent females it was, as a rule, easy
to determine their condition from the fact that a small quantity of ripe
eggs was still contained within the ovaries, sometimes amounting to a
few teaspoonfuls.
Some observations were also made upon the cod, and although they
were not very extensive, so little has been exactly determined for this
fish that they may be given here. At the end of March, when I was on
board a trawler, we hit upon a shoal of spawning cod in the Moray
Firth, some hundreds being caught in each haul of the net, and very
few other round fish were taken at the same time. They were actively
engaged in spawning, the ripe eggs and the spermatic fluid flowing from
them, and some were spent. I was struck by the fact that among these
fish there were none of a small size, and the great majority were cod of
the largest dimensions usually landed, Among the smallest measured
were the following :—Females 33, 35, and 354 inches; males 294 (quite
ripe), 334, 30, 343, 35 inches. Among the few codlings taken I found
one of 70°5cm. (274 inches) quite immature; one at 56-7cem, (224
inches) had an extremely small ovary. At Aberdeen on 18th April I
found one measuring 72°6mm. (284 inches) immature, and on the 11th
February of a number of large codling examined after they had been
landed I found males measuring 595mm. and 640mm. quite immature ;
in the latter the testes weighed only 5°3 grammes. The largest female
was 60°7cm., or about 24 inches, and it was immature, the largest eggs
in the ovary ‘measuring ‘18mm in diamever, and showing faint deposition
of yolk at the periphery.
From these facts I concluded that the size of the cod when maturity is
first attained was probably considerably higher than is generally supposed,
but in the Moray Firth on the very next day, viz. lst April, a cod was
takeu in 32 fathoms off Burghead with large and perfectly mature ovaries.
It was 65cm. (252 inches), in length and weighed 7lbs, 240z., the roe
weighing 432 grammes (15430z.). This fish had just begun to spawn, and
it was clearly “of quite a different class from the great spawning shoal
above alluded to, in which the smallest spawning female measured
84:0cm.
It may be added that on the 12th November codling taken in the
Moray Firth, and measuring from 535 to 610mm., had small ovaries,
weighing from 31 to 6:83 grammes, the diameter of the largest eggs
being ‘147 and ‘2mm; while cod of 92:7 and 102-9cem. had the ovaries
weighing 111°5 and 161.3 grammes respectively, the diameter of the
largest eggs being ‘22mm. On the other hand, a cod of 74:7cem., taken
in Aberdeen Bay on 31st October, with ovaries weighing 56°5 grammes,
had eggs up to ‘50mm.
The average size fixed by Holt for the cod on first attaining maturity,
viz. 25 inches, would therefore appear to be by no means too high; many
cod, as he points out, undoubtedly reach a considerably larger size before
spawning. The smallest ripe female obtained by him measured 263
inches; it was thus somewhat larger than the small one above recorded
from the Moray Firth. He, however, obtained one which was three
Ce
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 159
parts ripe and measured 223 inches, On the other hand, among those
examined during the spawning season he found females immature as
large as 36 inches.*
1V.—Tue INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON THE GROWTH OF FISHRs,
In one of my previous papers dealing with the growth of fishes I
referred to the important influence which the temperature of the water
exercises over the rate of growth, and gave examples from the observa-
tions made on certain species, aud particularly the plaice in its younger
stages when inhabiting the sandy beaches.t It was shown also that the
haddock and whiting and other forms increase in length much more
rapidly in summer than they do in winter, but from the want of a series
of periodic observations on the temperature of the deeper offshore water
in the various months throughout the year, it is not yet possible to bring
the observations on growth into exact relation with the temperature
variations in the water.
It appeared to me that some results of interest might be obtained
directly by keeping fishes in the wiuter in water which was artificially
heated, and comparing their growth with other fishes kept under similar
conditions but in water at the ordinary temperatures. This has been
done for over five months with the results described below.
Four different lots of fish were kept in separate and similar tanks,
which may be distinguished as No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No.4. Each of
the tanks is of concrete with the front and back of plate glass, and the
light from windows in the tank-house passes through them, but not very
strongly. The tanks are of uniform dimensions, measuring 54 feet in
length by 4 feet 4 inches from back to front, and the depth of water
during the experiments in Nos. 2, 3, and 4 was 254 inches ; the volume
of water in each of these tanks was therefore about 315°5 gallons, or 1433
litres. The other tank, No. 1, owing to a defect could not be filled so
full, and in it the depth of water was 15 inches, the volume being thus
about 185°5 gallons, or 842°5 litres. Tanks Nos. 1 and 2 were supplied
from the ordinary supply pipe to the tank-house, the water thus having
approximately the same temperature as the sea water on the beach,
Tanks Nos. 3 and 4 were supplied with sea water from the same pipe,
but it was first passed through a heating arrangement by which its
temperature was raised. Considerable difficulty was at first experienced
in raising the temperature of the water in these tanks sufficiently high.
It was soon discovered that the use of oil heaters was insufficient, and the
method adopted was to utilise an ordinary slow-combustion stove for heat-
ing the apartment, upon the top of which was placed acommon galvanised
iron hot-water tank, such as are used for supplying hot water, of forty
gallons capacity, and around it was placed an iron jacket with a space
between in which was enclosed the smoke pipe from the stove. This
arrangement has answered very well and with comparatively little atten-
tion or extra cost.
No arrangement was employed for the mechanical regulation of the
temperature, which varied considerably from time to time, as shown in
the tables, falling generally during the night; but a little experience in
firing enabled the variation to be to some extent controlled. The tem-
perature was taken every few hours daily, and the supply of hot or cold
water regulated accordingly, and maximum and minimum thermometers
were also used in order to ascertain the extreme nightly range.
*Journ. Mar. Biol. Assoc. I11., Special Number p. 377, 380, Zbid. III., No. 1, 79.
tTwentieth Ann. Rep., Pt. I11., pp. 335, 342.
160
Inflow. Tank No. I. Tank No. II.
Max. Min. | Mean. | Max. Min. Mean. | Max. Min. | Mean.
5:5 4:2 5:0 a — --- 54 46 52
6:0 4-0 53 6:3 4°8 5:6 6°4 3°8 5:0
6:0 3°8 Dal 6-2 3°8 ail 6°4 4:6 5
5:2 4°4 4°8 5:4 4-0 4-4 56 4:6 5:0
61 30 5:0 5:4 2°8 4-1 5:2 4:2 4-4
52 4°2 47 4:3 3°6 3°9 4:6 38 4:3
6°8 3°8 51 48 3°4 4:2 5:2 3°6 4°4
74 5:4 6:5 5°8 45 5:3 6:8 5:0 5'8
8-4 5:2 6:3 6:2 5:0 5:5 5:8 5:2 5:6
10°8 5°8 79 7'8 6°3 6°6 8°8 5:4 6-4
10°6 5 8:3 9°4 6°4 8°3 10°4 7:0 8°4
10°8 7°6 9°0 10:2 8:0 88 10:0 78 87
9:2 8-2 8°9 9°4 8-0 8-9 9:2 8:0 8°6
10°6 9°8 10:2 10°4 9°8 10:1 10:2 9-4 9:7
10-4 9:9 10°2 10°6 9:9 10:3 10°4 9°8 10'8
Tank No, III. Tank No. IY.
Average of Average of
Max Min. Min.
Max. | Min. | Mean. Max Min. | Mean.
—_ - a — — 16°4 7:2 12°6 9-4 10°8
10°6 74 9°3 8:3 9-0 14°2 74 12°7 8-0 10°9
11-4 6:3 9:3 78 vel 16°4 7°8 14°4 9°7 12:1
11-4 7:2 9-6 i) 8:9 172 10:0 15:4 11:5 13°5
10-1 5:0 8-0 6°8 76 21°0 96 172 U2 13:2
9:0 4:4 8°5 5°77 7:0 19°6 76 15:3 9°3 12:4
10°2 3°9 75 4:8 6:0 18°35 7'8 156 8°9 12:0
8°9 4:4 8:0 61 Al 18:9 7*4 14°5 9°9 12°3
9°5 4-4 (CUS 53 6:4 20:0 68 149 10°3 12:9
14:0 5:0 | 10°8 7:0 7°8 22°8 9:2 15:0 10:7 13:2
15:0 G7 | 116 8:2 | 10:0 17°8 10:0 15:9 11:8 13°6
12'8 ie0ea tO 85 9:7 16:1 8&3 15:0 10°6 12°8
13°9 70) 14: 81 oD 18°3 78 15°2 9-9 12°6
12°8 8:3 | 118 9:5 | 10°6 16:1 9:4 15:2 10°5 12°5
156 | 10°0 | 133 | 10°8 | 11:9 16:1 10°6 14°98 Ikey/ 131
Part III—Twenty-second Annual Report
eo
af the Fishery Board for Scotland. 161
IT have tabulated the temperature observations in the accompanying
tables for each of the tanks, and for the supply as it came to the
apartment. Tanks Nos. 1 and 2 were not supplied with hot water; Tank
No. 3 got a partial supply, and Tank No. 4 the largest supply, and it is
this tank which was looked to to give the best results.
The temperature observations are tabulated in ten-day periods for the
155 days over which the experiment extended, each showing the
maximum and minimum temperature recorded, the mean for the ten
days ; and for Tanks 3 and 4 the mean of the maxima and minima have
also been calculated.
It will be seen from the tables that the mean temperature in No. 1
varied from 3:9 C. to 10°3 C. during the 155 days, the mean for the
whole period being 6°5 C. (43:7 F.); the extremes of temperature
observed at any time were 2°8 and 10°6. The mean temperature of No.
2 varied from 4:3 C. to 10°8 C., the mean for the period being 7:0 C.
(44:6 F.); the slightly higher temperature was owing to this tank being
nearer the stove that No. 1. In No. 3 it was desired to maintain a
temperature intermediate between that of No. 4 and the other tanks, but
greater difficulty was found in this case in adjusting the supplies of hot
and cold water. The ten-day means ranged from 6 C. to 11:9 C., the
mean for the period being 8°6 C. (47°5 F.). The extreme individual
temperatures were 3°9 and 15:6, a difference of 11°7 C., but these
variations were of short duration. In No. 4 the range of the ten-day
means was 10°8 to 13°6 C., the range of the mean maxima was from 17-2
to 12°6, and of the minima from 8:0 to 11°8; the extreme temperatures
recorded were 6°8 C. (44:2 F.) and 22°8 C. (73-0 F.), a difference of 16 C.
or 28°8 F. The low temperature as a rule occurred when the stove or
some part of the apparatus required to be overhauled, and the high ones
for a short period, when the fire had been too strong; they sometimes
occurred during the night. The mean temperature for this tank for the
whole period was 12°5 C. (54:5 F.), which approximates to the mean
bottom temperature in the sea off the East Coast in July, August, and
September ; in depths of from ten to fifteen fathoms the mean temper-
ature for these mouths is about 52:9, and a little further out, in thirty
fathoms, it is 50°7 F.
The fishes used in the experiments were young whitings, codlings, and
haddocks, a few dabs, a plaice, a small starry ray, and an armed bull-
head. They were procured in the small-meshed net used around the
otter-traw] in the investigations made on board trawlers, and were first
kept for a few weeks after being brought to the laboratory before they
were placed in the experimental tanks. Each fish was measured, but
not weighed, nor was its volume determined ; trial showed that the risks
might be too great.
With regard to the general conditions and behaviour of the fishes a
little may be said. They were fed daily, or several times a day, and in
all cases they got as much food as they were willing or able to take, but
they were not fed during the night. Their food consisted almost
entirely of the ordinary edible mussel, chopped up, varied occasionally
with a few limpets, and still more rarely with live shrimps; on one or
two occasions they got fragments of herrings or parts of the roe or milt,
and sometimes the mussels were not removed from their shells, but were
broken up and crushed. An attempt was at first made to weigh the
quantity of food given to them daily, but the conditions of the experi-
ment showed that this might be misleading and it was discontinued.
All the fishes did not by any means thrive to alike extent. The
haddocks, in particular, proved to be excepticnally delicate as compared
L
162 Part ITI1—Twenty-second Annual Report
with the codlings and whitings, and most of them died at one time or
other during the course of the experiments. They did not appear to
make themselves at home, so to speak, as the codlings and the whitings
did, and they were obviously, under the conditions of the experiment,
more stupid fish. When the fish were fed the chopped mussels were
dropped gradually into the water, and the moment the fragments began
to sink the whitings and codlings rushed at them and, eveti when replete
of a previous meal, took them into their mouths and put them out again,
or smelt them ; their movements were thoroughly purposive in relation to
the food. The haddocks, on the other hand, excited by the commotion,
or it may be by the odour of the mussels also, rushed aimlessly about at
such times, snapping at the other fishes and missing the fragments
although often quite near them and themselves quite hungry. The
haddocks, it was also noticed, kept closer to the bottom, and looked for
their food there rather than in the course of descent through the water.*
The fact has to be taken into account, because, although food was
supplied abundantly, it is pretty certain that the haddocks, as a rule, got
only what the others left.
It is probable also that the haddocks suffered more than the other
fishes from not getting a more natural food. With reference to tempera-
ture they were also more sensitive than the others. When the water got
comparatively warm, say about 60° F., the haddocks first showed signs of
distress and went round the tank near the top gasping or tried to jump
out, and I attribute the deaths of most of the haddocks to this cause.
On one occasion I transferred a haddock of 19°9cm. from water of a tem-
perature of 7:4 C. (45°3 F.) to water of 15 C. (59 F.) and it was killed in
about two minutes, as if it had been poisoned ; it rapidly became paralysed,
swayed about a few moments and then sank with its mouth open. A
small whiting (15-0cm.) transferred at the same time appeared to be doing
well, but was found dead the next morning. The haddocks, moreover, were
observed to seek the coolest parts of the hot-water tank, while, unless
when the temperature was very high, the whitings and codlings in that tank
seemed to enjoy themselves and were active and alert. It may be said
that at first the hot water was run in on the top, but it was found that
there was a difference of two or three degrees under these circumstances
between the surface and bottom water; thereafter it was carried towards
the bottom by a pipe, arrangements being made for air passing 1n with the
water at the same time and thus the temperature was nearly equalised.
During the cold weather in winter a great contrast was shown between
the fishes in the warm tanks and those in the tanks where the temperature
was low, the differeiice in temperature being about 9 C. In the
former they moved about actively and were keen and alert and, if the ex-
pression may be used, were happy; in the cold water tanks the fish, on the
other hand, were sluggish, remaining a long time at one spot, and gently
swaying their fins: the movement and activity in the one tank offered a
marked contrast to the comparative lifelessness in the adjoining tank. It
has already been said that the fishes in the warm water had a far better
appetite than those in the cold water and ate much more; it was, more-
over, observed that at times when the temperature was low, down to about
3°8 C., or a little above the freezing point of fresh water, the fishes in
these tanks gave up feeding altogether, while in the adjoining heated tanks
the fish were fighting eagerly for the food. In the former at such times the
mussels would be left untouched at the bottom of the tank. This confirms
* Tt may be here stated that the haddocks, as a rule, swam nearer the bottom than the
codlings or the whitings, and this was especially noticeable at first when the fishes were
introduced into the tanks. While the haddocks grovelled about the bottom, the
whitings were dispersed upwards to near the top of the tank. The observation as to the
difference in habit may have reference to the fact that whitings and codlings are caught in
far greater proportions than haddocks by the otter-trawl compared with the beam-traw]
of the Fishery Board for Scotlond. 163
my experience at Dunbar in former years, when it was found that plaice
and dabs kept in small tanks lost weight in winter and gave up feeding.*
In tank No. 1, which contained as we have seen about 185°5 gallons
(842°5 litres), seven whitings, five codlings, one haddock, one common
dab, and one sand-eel were placed; the latter soon disappeared, and was
probably eaten. The fish were measured on two occasions, (1) at an
interval of 100 days, and (2) after 155 days. It would, as it turned out,
have been better to have measured them more frequently, since, with the
exception of the sand-eel, all the fishes survived in this tank; but from the
mortality in the other tanks it was deemed advisable to disturb them as
little as possible. In measuring them, they were first transferred to
convenient dishes, seized cautiously with a loose cloth, and when laid on
the measuring board care was taken to free the under surface of the fish
from the cloth. A little practice made the process easy, the only forms
requiring extra care and promptness being the haddocks. In the
accompanying Table I give the particulars regarding these fourteen fishes
which were kept in water at the ordinary temperatures.
Tank I.
Mean Temperature Mean Temperature Mean Temp.
4°5° C, (401° F.). 9°3° C. (48°7° F.). | 6°5° C, (43°7° F.).
: ; Increase in the
100 Days Later. 55 Days Later. 155 Days.
FIsH. Length.
Increase. Increase.
Mean
Length. per 10
Total.|per 10 Days.
Days.
Mm Mm Mm Mm
Whiting.
209 226 17 2°26
2 170 191 21 2°58
3 160 173 13 1:74
4 157 172 15 1°55
5 152 169 17 1°68
6 152 164 12 1°61
7 142 159 17 2-06
Average, 16314) 179°14; 16 : 193°0 | 13°86} 2°52 : 1:93
Codling.
1 147 185 38 5:1
2 [148 184 4] 37
3 132 169 o7 49
4 129 163 34 4°58
5 123 160 37 4°58
134°8 | 1722] 37°4 vas
Average, < |_——__|__ a tr | ee
132°7 | 169:2 | 36:5 : (ENT 4°88
Haddock. 183 210 27 3°55
Common Dab,| 237 243 6 0:04
* Eleventh Annual Report Fishery Board for Scotland, Part III., p. 193.
164 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
Among the seven whitings the growth in the first hundred days when
the mean temperature was 4°5 C. (40°! F.) was not great, the increase in
different fishes, as will be seen from the Table, varying from 12 to 21mm.,
the mean increase being 16mm., and the mean for each ten days on the
average being [6 mm. ‘The fishes were of different sizes as shown, and
the increase per ten-day period varied from 1:2 to 2:1 mm. In the
succeeding 55 days when the mean temperature of the water was 9°3 C.
(48-7 F.) the actual increment of length in different fishes ranged from
9mm. to 19mm., the mean per ten days ranging from 1°64 to 3-45mm.
The average increment was 13°86mm. and the mean for the lot per ten-
day period was 2:°52mm. Over the whole period of 155 days, the mean
temperature being 6:5 C. (43°7 F.), the actual increments varied from
24mm. to 40mm. (from about one inch to an inch and nine sixteenths) the
mean increase was 29°86mm., or about 1,3 inches, and for the ten-day
period the mean increase was 1°93mm. There is no doubt that the
greatest amount of growth was in the latter part of the second period,
when the temperature was highest; at this time it was a common remark
how fast the fish were growing, but for the reason above stated they were
not more frequently measured. The whitings, it may be said, appeared
to be in good condition and health.
The codlings grew more rapidly than the whitings. One of them
(No. 2) which grew fastest during the first period developed a diseased
growth or tumour in the second period when its rate of increase was
therefore very slow. It has been accordingly left out of the calculations
of the means in the second period, and the other four fishes have been
also dealt with separately throughout. In the first hundred days the
increments varied from 34 to 41mm. (12 to 13 inches), the means for the
ten days being from 3-4 to 4:1mm.; the mean increase was 37°4mm., and
the ten days’ mean 3°‘74mm. In the second period of fifty-five days the
actual amount of growth was a little greater, so that under the difference
of temperature indicated the codlings grew about twice more rapidly.
Omitting the diseased fish the increments varied from 34 to 4lmm.—
precisely the same as in the first period— the average was 37°8mm. and
the mean for 10 days 687mm, Over the whole time of 155 days the
amount of growth in the four healthy fishes was respectively 79, 79, 71,
71mm., the average being 75°‘7mm., or about 34, inches—a very con-
siderable rate considering the temperature of the water. On the other
hand the fishes were supplied with abundance of food, and the codlings
were the greediest of them all, and no doubt got more food in a given
time than they would under natural conditions in the sea. With the
exception of the one referred to they all remained healthy throughout
the experiment.
The growth of the single haddock was also fairly rapid for the
temperature. In the first hundred days its increase amounted to 27mm.,
or a little over an inch, the mean for ten days being 2°7. In the second
period, like the codlings, the actual growth was about the same, although
the time was only about half; it amounted to 28mm. (14 inch), the ten-
day mean being 5:lmm. Over the whole period the actual increase in
length was 55mm. (2;%, inches), the average for the ten-day period being
355mm.
The growth of the single common dab in this tank was slow and
presented a contrast to the round fishes} it was an adult female. The
increase in the first period was only 6mm. (3 inch), the mean for ten days
being O‘6mm. In the second period it did not increase at all. Two
circumstances may have affected this, the first that four spawning
flounders were put into this tank early in the second period, and it is
possible that the greater competition for food prevented the dab getting
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 165
a full share; the second that it was a female of adult size and may have
spawned. It was unfortunately omitted to provide apparatus in the
overflow from the tank to obtain evidence as to this.
The observations in Tank No. 1 refer to growth under the ordinary
temperature of the season.
Tank II.
a a Ee
MEAN TEMPERATURE | MEAN TEMPERATURE, | MEAN Temp.,
5:2° C, (41°4° F.). 9:2° C. (48°6° F.). 7° C. (44°6° F.).
Increase in the
100 Days Later, 55 Days Later. 155 Days.
FIsH. Length.
Increase. Increase.
Mean
Length. ee Length. | Mean Total. ret 10
Total.|per 10 Total. per 10 ee:
Days. | Days.
per tee a ere | OPE EE =
Mm. Mm. | Mm. | Mm.|. Mm. | Mm. | Mm.] Mm. Mm.
Whitings. |
1 179 193 14 1-4 207 14 | 2:54 28 1°81
2 178 192 14 10 | 1°82 24 155
3 170 185 15 Il | 2:0 26 1°68
|
4 160 179 19 13 | 2°36 32 2°06
|
5 151 173 22 14 | 2-54 36 2°32
|
6 151 171 20 13 | 2:36 ish3) 2le
7 148 164 16 17 | 3:09 33 2°13
8 145 160 | 15 17 | 309] 32 2:06
9 140 | 159 19 17 | 3:09 36 2:32
10 138
1 134
12 134
13 [131
14 [130
15 [109
Average -| 152°3
Haddock. .
1 193
2 180
3 178
Average, - | 183°7
Com. Dab.
1 241
2 146
Average, - | 193°5
Starry Ray. 198
166 Part I1I.—Twenty-second Annual Report
The same is true of Tank No. 2, except, as formerly explained, the
temperature here was generally slightly higher owing to its being nearer
the stove. Into this tank were placed fiteen whitings, three haddocks,
two common dabs, and a starry ray ; a sand-eel was also present at first,
but, as in the other tank, it soon disappeared. The particulars of these
fishes are given in the accompanying Table. Three of the whitings are
not included in the final column and averages ; No. 13 was found in the
second period to have the tail and one of the eyes diseased, and its
growth had been thus interferred with, No. 14 was transferred to the
warm tank as already described, and No. 15 was found dead when thirty-
five days of the second period had elapsed, and it then measured 134mm.
In the first hundred days, with a mean temperature of 5:2 C., the
increments varied from 14 to 22mm., the mean being 17:‘7mm., or
1-7mm. above that for Tank No. 1, a difference probably related to the some-
what higher mean temperature (‘7 C.). As a rule the greatest increase
was among the smaller fishes. In the second period of 55 days, with a
mean temperature of 9:2 C. (48°6 F.), the increments ranged in different
cases from 10 to !7mm., and the mean was 14mm., as compared with
13°86 in Tank No. 1, the mean for ten days being 2°55, as compared with
2°52—almost precisely the same. It will be seen from the tables that
the mean temperature of the two tanks in the second period were also
practically identical, differing by only :1 C., but the difference was in
favour of Tank No. 1, into which the sunshine entered more freely.
The haddocks did not thrive so well compared with the one in Tank No. 1,
and they all died early in the second period. The mean increment in
the hundred days was 18°6mm., as compared with 27mm. in Tank No. 1,
the mean for the ten days being 186mm. against 2°"7mm. One of these
haddocks, 199mm. long, perished by being placed in warmer water as
previously described ; it was well nourished, its weight being 67°5
grammes, while the mean weight of haddocks of the same size is 65°7
grammes (see Table, p. 226), One of the others died 18 days after the
measurement recorded, and it was then 216mm. long, an increase of 5m.
Of the two common dabs, the smaller grew quickly and the larger
slowly. In the first period the former increased by 22m. and the latter
by only 7mm.; in the second period the smaller increased by 22m.
again, and the larger by only 3mm., the growth as with the round fishes
being about twice quicker in the higher temperature of the second period.
The small one increased in the hundred days by 44mm., or 1¥ inches, the
mean rate being 2°84mm. per ten days, while the increase of the larger
one amounted in the 155 days to only 10mm., or 2 of an inch, the mean
for ten days being only 0‘O7mm. ‘They were both females.
The starry ray did not grow at all; during the first period it just
maintained its breadth, and in the second it lost about 3mm. in the same
dimension. Its loss of weight must have been relatively greater because
it became very attenuated, and it was no doubt owing to lack of proper
food.
In Tank No. 3 an endeavour was made to maintain a temperature
intermediate between that of Tanks Nos. 1 and 2 and Tank No. 4, but as
previously mentioned the variations were considerable, and the results in
this tank were not so satisfactory. It appears moreover probable that in
the endeavours to adjust the supply of hot and cold water the circulation
was diminished. For some reason or another four of the whitings and
five of the codlings put in died a short time after the experiment was
begun, and these are not included in the accompanying Table, which
gives the particulars regarding the rest of the fish. Two haddocks which
were placed in the tank also died; the autopsy revealed no apparent
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 167
cause of death, which was possibly due to the variations in the tempera-
ture of the water, but one of them, 202mm. in length, which should have
weighed about 67 grammes, weighed only 63°8 grammes.
Tank ITI.
MEAN TEMPERATURE, j MEAN TEMPERATURE. | MEAN TEMP.,
77°C. (45°9° F.). 10°3° C. (505° F.). {8°G° C. (47°5° F.).
100 Days Later 55 Days Later Increasplinithe
ct apa ay ‘ 155 Days.
FISH, Length.
Increase. Increase.
Length. Woon
Total.| per 10 Tctal.
Days
Mm Mm Mm. |} Mm Mm.
Whiting.
162 186 24 2°4 18
2 160 180 20 2°0 10
3 153 176 23 2°38 12
4 152 170 18 18 15
5) [147 158 11]
6 [146 155 9]
Average, 1567 | 178 21°3| 2:18 13°7
Codling.
1 161 209 48 4°8 47
2 158 198 40 4:0 48
3 141 168 27 27 44
4 135 163 28 2°8 47
5 128 158 30 3°0 36
6 118 137 24 24 11
7 [149 189 40 4:0
140°7 | 1746 | 33:9] 3:39 .
Average, < |———__. —____|____ ee
139°3 | 172°2 | 32:9) 3°29 38°8
Common Dab.| 261 276 15 1:5 10
The particulars in regard to the whiting show that the increment in the
first period varied from 9mm. to 24mm., but the fish showing the small
increase and another showing au increase of only 1lm., were found to
have the tail badly ulcerated and they were killed. Omitting these two,
the mean increase was 21‘3mm., or an average per ten days of 2:13mm.
as compared with 16mm. and 17-7mm, in the cold tanks. In the second
period the increase was on an average 13°7mm., and therefore under the
average for the cold water tanks in the same period, which shows, as well
168 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
as the mortality alluded to, that the conditions in this tank were not
satisfactory. The mean increase over the whole period was 35mm., or 13
inches, the ten-day mean 2:°26mm., a little higher than that for the two
tanks referred to in the similar period.
Among the cod the increase ranged in the first period from 24mm. to
48mm., the average mean being 33° 9mm., and the ten-day mean 3°39mm.,
and therefore a little less than Tank No. il, One of the codlings, No. 7,
was transferred to Tank No. 4 after this, and died four days later, like
the haddock and whiting above mentioned ; in this case the interval was
longer. In the second period the remaining fishes increased from 11mm.
to 48mm. in different cases, the average being 38°8mm., or about
13 inches. Omitting the smaller specimen, in which the increase was clearly
anomalous, the average increase of the others was 44:4mm., or 8:1 per ten
days. The increments in the length over the whole time varied from
35mm. to 95mm., the mean increase being 71‘7mm., or omitting the
anomalous form, 79mm. ., or 3g inches, the mean for ten days being 5° Imm.
The single common dab in ‘this tank increased by 15mm. in “the first
period and by 10mm. in the second, the increment over the whole time
being 25mm., or 1 inch, and the average per 10 days 1°61mm.
In tank No. 4 there was at first some mortality owing to the vicis-
situdes in the temperature which, as already stated, affected different
fishes in different ways.
Of three haddocks put in none survived the whole period, and only one
the first. One died after fifteen days ; it was 285mm. and had increased
to 287mm. Another died after eighty-three days, and it had increased
from 279 to 295mm. The third at the end of the first period increased
from 262 to 279mm., an increment of 17mm., the average per ten days
being the small one of 1‘7mm. It died from the high temperature a
few days later without having increased in length.
Among the whitings there was less mortality, nine surviving the whole
time and other two for the first period. In the first hundred days the
variations in the increase were from 19mm. to 34mm., the mean being
27'5mm., or a little over an inch, the ten-day mean averaging 2°74mm.
In the second period the increments ranged from 9mm. to 19mm., the
mean being 15-7mm. and the average of the ten-day mean 2°85mm.
Over the whole period the increments varied from 28mm. to 52mm.,
the mean being 43:l1mm., about 1? inches, the mean increase in the
ten-day periods being 279mm.
| TABLE.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 169
Tank IV.
MEAN TEMPERATURE, | MEAN TEMPERATURE,} MEAN Temp.
12°3° C. (54°1° F.). 12°9° ©. (55:2° F.). | 12°5°C. (64°5° F.).
Increase in the
100 Days later. 55 Days later. 155 Days.
Fish. Length.
Increase. Increase.
Mean
Length, Total. | per 10
Mean i
Total. ; DES
i Mm. Mm. | Mm. Mm
Whiting.
241 260 19 1°81
2 208 229 21 219
3 204 225 21 2:26
4 177 203 26 277
5 161 193 | 382 3°09
6 157 186 29 3°03
7 146 180 od 3°36
8 140 171 BL 3°22
9 140 174 34 3°36
10 164 192 28 -
1 158 186 28 =
y! 172-4 | 199°9 | 27°5 -
Average, ——
(| 174-9 | 202-3 | 27-4 2°79
Codling.
il 173 225 52 6-77
2 126 167 41 6:13
3 120 166 46 6°45
| Average, 139°7 186 | 46°3 6°45
Com. Dab,
1 245 262 17 2°0
2 151 186 35 3°61
3 147 185 38 3°55
as - 206 - =
Average, 181 211 30 3°05
Plaice, 206 | 258 | 32 3-29
Pogge, 127 127 = a
It will be noticed from the Table that the increments of growth were
much greater in the smaller forms than in the larger.
170 Part ITI.—Twenty-second Annual Report
As in all the other tanks, the codlings grew rapidly. In the first hundred
days the increments varied from 41mm. to 52mm., the mean being 46:3,
and the mean for the ten-day periods was 4°63. In the second the
increase ranged from 53 to 54mm., the increments being thus absolutely
larger though the period was less and the mean temperature not
much higher. The mean increase was 53'7mm., that for the ten-day
period being 9°76mm. The total increase in length in the three
specimens in the 155 days was respectively, 105mm., 95mm., and
100mm., the mean being exactly 100mm., or very close upon 4 inches,
and the mean for the ten-day periods was 6:45mm. Of all the fishes,
except the flat-fishes, the codlings appeared to be least affected by the
changes in the temperature.
In this tank there were throughout three dabs and one plaice, and
another dab was added at the beginning of the second period. They did
well, as a rule. In the first period the increments among the dabs
ranged from 17mm, to 38mm., the mean increase being 30mm., or a little
over 1+ inches, the mean for the ten days being 30mm. In the second
period the increments varied from 14 to 3lmm., the mean increase was
17-°3mm., and the mean for the ten days, 3:15mm. Over the whole
period the increments of the dabs in this tank varied from 31 to 56mm.
(14 to 21 inches), the average being 47'3mm., and that for the ten days,
305mm.
Only one plaice was made use of, and it increased in the first period
from 226 to 258mm., an increment of 32mm., or a little over 1} inches.
In the second period it increased other 19mm., the ten-day mean being
3'45mm., as compared with 3:2mm. in the first period. The total
increase at the end of the experiment was 51mm., giving an average for
the ten days of 3°29mm.
It may be noted that throughout the whole of the experiment none of
the flat-fishes perished, so that they bore the changes in temperature
much better than the round fishes.
An armed-bullhead, or pogge, was also placed in this tank, and
survived over the first period, but it did not increase in length at all.
Probably like the starry ray this was owing to the food not being quite
suitable for it. It died shortly after the beginning of the second period,
on one occasion when the temperature rose high.
These experiments show that the increase in temperature is followed
by an increased rate of growth, but I do not think the data are such as to
enable the ratio between the two to be determined. In such experiments
there are a number of factors which influence the growth, and it is a
matter of extreme difficulty to maintain a natural balance among them in
the various tanks, and to have the experiments carried on under natural
conditions. ‘The influence of the vicissitudes in the temperature at
different times of the day or night must be of importance, as shown by
the experiments of putting fishes from the cold water into the warm
water, the haddock, whiting, and codling all perishing, although at very
different intervals. In order to get a more precise relation between the
temperature and the growth it would be necessary to maintain the
temperature nearly uniform in each of the tanks throughout, or at all
events to reduce very greatly the rapidity of the alterations. The
question of food is also one that would, in any circumstances, give rise to
difficulty, and yet it is evidently one of much importance. It is not
easy procuring the natural food of the fishes and supplying it in due
proportions.
It appears that the influence of temperature is active in modifying the
rate of growth by acting directly upon the metabolism of the fish, and
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 171
also by affecting the rapidity of digestion. In very cold water the fishes
give up feeding altogether, because the ferments upon which digestion
depends do not act, or act very slowly, at low temperatures, and in fishes,
as in other animals, appetite waits on digestion, and this is, on the other
hand, correlated with the metabolism in the tissues. It has been shown by
Krukenberg that the pepsine or analagous body in the stomach of fish
acts as well at 20 C. as at 40 C., at which, among mammals, digestion is
most active, and that the rapidity of its action is closely related to the
temperature ; and Knauthe and Zuntz have shown that the same thing
applies to the metabolism in fish, the vital activities being more active in
the higher temperature, as shown by the excretion of carbonic acid gas
and other products of metabolism.
5. Tue Sprav (Clupea sprattus).
Comparatively few observations have been made on the rate of growth
of the sprat. Cunningham appears to have been the first to publish a
definite statement on the subject, * making use of a number of observations
of Ewart and Matthews, contained in a paper on the nature of Thames
and Forth whitebait, which appeared in the Fourth Annual Report of the
Fishery Board for Scotland.¢ In that paper an account was given of the
proportion of herrings and sprats, and their sizes, in collections obtained
at different times of the year from February to August, and from a study
of these Cunningham came te the conclusion that the little sprats two to
three inches long obtained in February, March, April, and May were
about one year old. The new brood of the year began to appear in the
whitebait in June and increased to August, when they measured from
1 inch to 14 inch (25-38mm.). The proportion of sprats in the samples
in this month was 48 per cent., but the number of the small scaleless
sprats gradually increased during the month until 90 per cent. consisted
of these. Of 2600 specimens of whitebait procured in samples of about
two hundred each during December, January, and February in the Firth
of Forth, over 993 per cent. were sprats measuring from 12 inches to
2? inches (85 to 70mm.). In the samples from the ‘Thames the average
size was 2 inches (50mm) in April, and 24 inches in May.
From the examination of the otoliths of a considerable number of sprats,
partly from the North Sea and partly from the Baltic, Jenkins came to the
conclusion that the growth was somewhat more rapid. He assigns a
length of 75mm. (3 inches) to the sprat one year old; of 110mm.
(42 inches) to the sprat which has completed two years, and of 130mm.
(54 inches) to the sprat three years old.
The investigations made by myself on the rate of growth of the sprat, and
described in this paper, were on material collected almost entirely in the
course of the trawling investigations in the Moray Firth and Aberdeen Bay
by means of a small-meshed net placed outside the cod-end of the trawl
net; but some of them were obtained by the shrimp-net and tow-nets. The
fact has to be kept in mind, because apart from the difference in vertical
distribution at different stages, which might result in sprats of different
size being taken in the bottom or surface net at the same time, the size
of the mesh exerts an important influence on the sizes of the samples
taken, at least as far as the smaller specimens are concerned, and there is
no doubt that in several of my collections the very small slender sprats
Ee Biol, Assoc. II, p. 241, 1892; ‘‘Marketable Marine Fishes,” p. 167.
+ Wissensch. Meeresuntersuch. Kul N.F. Bd. 6 Abtheilung, Kiel, p. 111, 1902.
172 Part IIT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
escaped capture either wholly or largely by passing out through the meshes
of the net, although they may have been present in the water in consider-
able numbers. ‘This, however, does not entirely account for the fact
which is apparent from the measurements in the tables and from the
curves, that it was the rule to get only one series of sprats, with a certain
range of sizes, in the same haul, while in another haul in the same locality
later, or at the same time in another place, quite a different series
predominated, That seems to be due to the sprats of different years
keeping for the most part separate from one another.
The number of collections obtained and examined was twenty-six,
some in each month of the year except February, July, and August ;
most of them were obtained in October and December.
From the fact that the spawning period of the sprat is definitely
limited to one portion of the year it is more easy to determine its rate of
growth than in the case of the herring, in which there are two well
separated spawning seasons, spring and autumn, and a certain degree of
spawning in the intermediate periods. The sprat appears to spawn at
different parts of the coast at rather different times, or at all events the
Spawning period does not quite coincide. At Plymouth, Cunningham
found it spawning from the end of January until the end of April, or
even later.* On the west coast of Ireland Holt obtained the floating
eggs in March, April, May, and June; chiefly in March and April.T
Hensen and Apstein give the spawning period as the end of April and
the beginning of May.t On the east coast of Scotland the Garland
found the floating eggs in the Firth of Forth from towards the end of
March to the middle of August, and especially in April, May, and June.
In the Moray Firth I found sprats to be spawning on the Ist April and
[st June ; and though the limits of the period here are not well defined,
there is no reason to doubt that they are much the same as a little further
down the coast, and probably the chief spawning occurs about the end of
May on this stretch of coast.
From the small size of the egg and the temperature of the water at
that season the hatching of the eggs takes only a few days, the length of
the larva, according to Cunningham, being from 3 to 3°7mm. Probably
the early part of June may therefore be taken as the period when the
bulk of the larval sprats issue into the water.
The smallest specimens got after the spawning season were obtained in
September and October in Aberdeen Bay and in the Moray Firth in
December, in all cases by the tow-net. On the 18th September, near
shore, in from seven to ten feet of water in Aberdeen Bay, sixteen were
taken from 29mm. to 46mm., and on the 20th other five measuring
from 29mm. to 39mm., the average size of these twenty-one specimens
being 35:9mm., or 15 inches. On 18th October, in nine fathoms, in the
same locality, four were caught which measured 31, 35, 42, and 45mm.
On the 28th December in the Dornoch Firth two were taken in the
tow-nets, one of which measured 39mm. and the other 48mm., while 734
were caught in the small-meshed net around the cod-end, ranging in
size from 52 to 125mm. It is obvious that all the small sprats taken
in these drags had been hatched in the previous spawning season,
and were approximately from three to six months old.
In April, some small sprats were also got in the shrimp net in shallow
water in Aberdeen Bay. On the 8th of the month three were taken
which measured 45, 59, and 53mm., as well as a number from 65mm.
upwards. On the 16th of the month other fifty-one were taken with the
* «The Natural History of the Marketable Marine Fishes,” p. 165.
+ Rep. of Council, Roy. Dublin Soc. for 1891, p. 265.
+ Wissen. Meeresuntersuch. Kiel Commis. Neue Folge, Bd, 2 Heft 2, p. 37.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland, 173
shrimp-net in the same locality, measuring from 40 to 70mm., but all
except four were less than 55mm., these being—one at 56mm., two at
65mm.,and one at 70mm. From the curves for the whole of the sprats
in these collections it is apparent that the last and possibly those at
62mm. belong to the second group. The average size of the fifty-four
sprats assigned to the first series was 48°3mm., or 14 inches, including the
two at 62mm., and the mean size, z.e., coinciding with the central point
of the base line from the smallest to the largest, is also 48mm. This
might appear to be the size of sprats ten or eleven months old, belonging
to the previous spawning season, and it is considerably under the size
assigned by Jenkins to those of one year’s growth, although the amount
of growth from the middle of April to the early part of June, the period I
have taken as representing the maximum of hatching, would add several
mm. to their length. The average agrees better with the size of the
sprats from the Thames in April examined by Matthews, viz., two inches.
On 12th December, however, four months earlier, a haul with the small-
meshed net in the same locality in from eight to twelve fathoms furnished
seventy-four sprats, of which the first series numbered forty-seven,
ranging in size from 49mm. to 60mm., the average being 55°5mm., and
the mean 545mm. This shows that the collection in April was not fully
representative of the series. By combining the two collections the average
size of the 98 sprats of this series is found to be 51°3mm., or 2 inches—
the range in size being from 40mm. to 60mm., and the mean size 50mm.
The date intermediate between the collections is about 14th February,
and the size stated may be taken as approximately representing the
average size of the sprats at this date. Growth is slow at this time of
year and on to April, and an examination of the other curves shows that
the end of the first series is about 6cm. when the sprats are about one year
old, the average size being a little over 50mm., or slightly over 2 inches.
There was no collection in February, and that made at the end of
March in the Dornoch Firth did not include any of the smaller forms
In St. Andrews Bay M‘Intosh obtained sprats on 12th March in the
bottom trawl-tow-net, measuring from 1} to 2 inches (32 - 50mm.); and on
12th April one 2 inches long, and floating eggs of the sprat two days later.*
The older series are present in the collections in greater numbers, but
as is usually the case it is frequently a matter of difficulty to fix exactly
the point of division between them, owing to the overlapping of one series
with another and often the small numbers of the fish of one of the series.
Taking the hauls in the order of the months, the first was on 15th
January off Aberdeen, and of sixteen sprats obtained three belonged to
one series with an average size of 87 mm., and the other thirteen ranged
in size from 112 to 135mm. The larger of these probably belonged to a
still older series,, but the average for the lot was 123 mm. Another haul
in January in the Cromarty Firth furnished twenty-seven sprats, of which
twenty-three, measuring from 61 to 92mm., formed one series with an
average size of 77°2mm., and the other four belonged to the older group,
measuring from 111 to 117mm., and with an average of 114mm,
If these two January hauls are combined the first group, with a range
from 61 to 92mm., has an average size of 78°3mm., and the second, with
a range of from 111 to 135mm., an average of 120°9mm.
No collection was made in February, but on 31st March 870 were taken
in the Dornoch Firth. Of these, 205 ranged in length from 75 to 107
mm., the average being 96°8mm.; and the other 665 formed a series
from 108 to 159mm., with an average of 117-°8mm. The latter series of
Sprats were ripe and approaching ripeness.
In April the collection in Aberdeen Bay, besides the fifty-four small
* Eleventh Ann. Rep. Fishery Board for Scotland, Part iii., p. 300.
174 Part IIT-—Twenty-second Annual Report
ones above described, was made up of another series of fifty-four, ranging
from 68 to107mm. and with an average size of 81‘5mm. ‘There was
also one sprat at 116mm., which appeared to belong to another series.
In a haul of the small-meshed net made off Burghead Bay in the Moray
Firth in thirty fathoms of water on Ist April seventy-four sprats were
caught, two of which measured 101 and 104mm., and the others trom 108
to 126mm., the average size being 118‘lmm. This collection is of special
interest from the fact that the sprats were spawning, as referred to below.
In May there was only one collection of sprats and it was from the
Firth of Forth, where a number were taken on the ninth of the month at
Station III. by means of the small-meshed net around the cod-end of the
Garland’s trawl. There were two small ones, one measuring 52mm. and
the other 62mm. and it appears that these belong to the group of smallest
sprats, most of which were able to escape through the meshes of the net,
that is, the group about one year old. The next series was well represented,
the sprats numbering 554, and ranging in size from 68 to 110mm, The
average size was 83'4mm. ‘Thirteen larger fishes pertained to an older
group, measuring from 113 to 134mm., and having an average of 120°9mm.
Two hauls were made on Ist June, one in the Cromarty Firth and the
other at Aberdeen. At Cromarty the sprats were found to be spawning,
and with the exception of one, 124mm. in length, they seemed all to
belong to the same series. The range of size was from 73 to 110mm.,
the average being 92°9mm.
In the collection from Aberdeen Bay the corresponding series was
represented by fifty-seven fish measuring from 86 to 109mm., the average
length being 96-5mm., and there was a larger one at 116mm.
On the 28th of the month eighty-one were taken at Lunan Bay near
Montrose, further down the coast, and they all belonged to the same
group, the range of sizes being from 86 to 117mm., with an average of
104:2mm.
When the measurements of all the sprats obtained in June are combined
the following result is obtained. The first is represented by the two fishes
from the Forth, 52 and 62mm.; the second consists of 689 sprats,
ranging in size from 68 to 117mm. with an average of 94:4mm.; and the
third by two fishes with an average of 120mm.
From the end of June to the middle of October no collections were
procured with the exception of the twenty-one small ones got in the tow-
nets on 18th and 20th September. F
On the 18th and 20th October a number were taken in Aberdeen Bay.
Four of these measured from 31 to 45mm. and have been already referred
to; of the others, fifteen, ranging in size from 82 to 94mm., had an average
size of 86'8mm., and ninety-two ranged from 107 to 130mm., the average
being 114°5mm. On the 22nd, forty-three were caught in the Dornoch
Firth, one measuring 54mm. belonging to the early group; sixteen varied
from 65 to 96mm., with an average of 81-°7mm., and twenty-six from 100
to 124mm., the average being 114°6. These October series when combined
give three groups, one from 31 to 54mm., with an average of 41:4mm., one
from 65 to 96mm., with an average of 84°1mm., and a third from 100 to
130mm., with an average of 114:5mm. The number of fishes in the first
was five, in the second thirty-one, and in the third 118. It may be here
said that the average of the second series is higher than it ought to be,
but the number of fishes in it is small.
In November a collection was obtained in the Dornoch Firth, all three
series being represented. The first consisted of thirty-three fishes
measuring from 45 to 61mm., with an average of 556mm. The second
series was predominant, the number of sprats measured being 1650.
They ranged in sizes from 62 to 98mm., with an average of 75°5mm
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 175
There were also nine sprats varying from 102 to 112mm. A collection at
Aberdeen on the 28th furnished fourteen sprats; one measured 87mm.,
and the other thirteen ranged from 113 to 125mm., the average being
120°2. The average of the twenty-two of the third series in the two
hauls combined was 114°4mm.
In December a number of collections were obtained from the Moray
Firth and Aberdeen Bay. In the latter, on the twelfth of the month,
seventy-three were procured belonging to three series. The first comprised
forty-seven fishes, the sizes of which ranged from 49 to 60mm. with an
average of 55-5mm.; the second included twenty-four from 62 to 97mm,
the average being 77'6mm., and there were other two measuring 101 and
102mm. On the 18th, twenty-six were obtained, of which twenty-two,
measuring from 66 to 84mm., had an average size of 73°7mm., and four,
ranging from 100 to 132mm., an average of 111‘7mm. On the 19th,
seventy-four were secured, seventy of them belonging to the second series,
ranging in size from 67 to 97mm., the average being 78‘7mm. ; the other
four measured from 104 to 111mm., with an average of 107‘5mm. On
the 29th, thirty-nine were taken, all belonging to the third group, the
sizes varying from 98 to 128mm., and the average being 111:1mm.
A collection made in the Dornoch Firth on the 25th of the month
numbered 184 fishes, all of which except sixteen belonged to the second
group. They ranged in size from 72 to 98mm., the average being 86°6mm. ;
the other sixteen measured from 103 to 122mm., the average being
112‘1mm. Ina collection made on the 27th, three groups were represented ;
the first, comprising three fishes, had an average of 57-7mm. ; the second,
ranging from 63 to 97mm., and including thirty-six fishes, had an average
size of 76°6mm.; the third, of fifty-four fishes, had a range of from 100 to
127mm., and an average size of 1O7‘Smm. On the 28th a third collection
numbering 722 sprats contained three series. The first, nineteen in
number, ranged in size from 39 to 60mm., the average being 59°2mm.
The second series comprised 575 fishes, the sizes varying from 62 to 97mm.,
and the average size being 79°5mm. The third series of 128 fishes ranged
in size from 98 to 128mm., and the average was 109-7mm.
The larger or older group was well represented in a haul made in
Burghead Bay onthe 25th December. Of 536 sprats caught 520 belonged
to that group, their sizes ranging from 97 to 138mm., and the average
being 121‘Imm. On the 28th another haul yielded a large number, the
second series being the best represented on this occasion. The first group
contained twenty-five fishes varying from 50 to 61mm., with an average of
55:8mm.; the second comprised 436 sprats from 63 to 91mm., and with
an average of 75:2mm.; and the third series of twenty-seven ranged from
96 to 124mm., the average being 116°0mm.
When all the collections made in December are combined we have the
following general results. The first series of ninety-four fish ranged in
size from 39 to 60mm., the average being 55‘8mm.; the second group of
1347 fishes varied in size from 62 to 97mm., and had an average size of
795mm. ; and the third series, numbering 794 fishes, had an average size
of 117-4mm., and a range from 98 to 138mm. It is probable that the .
larger forms in the third series belong to a still older group, but their
members are so small and the difficulty of dividing them from the series
immediately preceding so great that I have not attempted to group them
into a fourth series. This circumstance will to a small extent raise the
average of the third series higher than it naturally ought to be. It must
also be said that the range assigned to the various groups may not be in
all cases the precise one that exists, for it is sometimes very difficult to
define the division between the series. In such cases the curves and
tables of millimetre measurements must be the best guide.
176 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
It is clear, however, from the measurements that at least three annual
series or groups of sprats exist in these collections, although they are rarely
well represented together in any one collection, and this is obvious from
the curves in the plates, and especially from the curve for the combined
measurements in December (fig. 10, Pl. 1X).
The first or early series has been already alluded to, and the facts show
that the sprat grows slowly.
Three collections were made in which spawning sprats were got, one
on the Ist April, off Burghead, one on the Ist June in the Cromarty
Firth, and the third on 3lst March in the Dornoch Firth. In the first
named collection the seventy-two sprats forming the second series
measured, as stated, from 108 to 126mm., with an average of 118'lmm.
The initial sizes were as follows:—one at 101mm., one at 104mm., one
at 108mm., and then the series was continuous from 110mm. onwards.
Unfortunately, the condition of the reproductive organ was not examined
throughout the whole series, but in eighteen males from 104mm. to
125mm. the testes were large and apparently ripe or approaching
ripeness ; they were examined after preservation in formaline solution.
The number of female sprats examined was nineteen, varying in size from
110 to 126 mm., and they all contained either fully mature eggs or eggs
approaching maturity. In those fully mature the germinal vesicle had
disappeared and the yolk was translucent but still somewhat granular.
It was noticed that there was not any indicatiou of an external swelling
of the belly such as is found as a rule in fishes with fully-developed
reproductive organs, so that it was impossible to tell from the external
examination whether the fishes were about to spawn or not. The
number of the mature or nearly mature eggs was, moreover, very small
compared with the number to be found in the ovaries of most other fishes
with pelagic eggs—amounting only to a few thousands (see p. 285). I
append a Table giving particulars of the weights (in grammes) and
condition of the reproductive organs in some of those examined :—
MALES. "FEMALES.
Size. | Weight.| YWeleht oF) size, | Weight.| Weight of Condition of Eggs.
119 10:8 Onn 122 12°8 0°38 Largest yolked up to ‘46 mm.
121] 12-2 0°7 120] 12:0 0-492 i et Sane
115 9-1 0°5 124 12'8 0:44 43 aS gartel saa gs
120 11°5 0:56 122 10°5 0:49 5 50 By UY
123 13°5 0°75 126 13:0 0°42 "6 » yeh ene
124 | 18 0-58 122) “10:7 0:33 + 3 Ip On ae
116 | 10-7 0°52 121 | 12-0 0-29 " si lope oe
119 | 11:8 0-68 117} 11:0 0°34 4 Ae, Se Sineaanene
117 8:8 0°3 118 | 10:7 0:20 i Pm 1 cre 3
114] 10:5 0-56 120} 11°8 0-54 2 ger ied Gpih &
114] 83 0-2 118 ||) 1-7 0°32 i Se ae 8 OO Re
113} 955 0°56 Tid) Spesss 0-22 Mi gS acs Me BB ae
104] 65 0°30 110| 82 3 he Ne Oca
J
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 177
In the case of the sprats taken in the Cromarty Firth on Ist June,
only a few were examined in regard to the reproductive organs, and I noted
that the females over 104mm. were spawning, and males of the same size
were also ripe, but it is possible that some under those sizes might also
have been found ripe if a fuller examination had been made of them.
The collection made on 3lst March in the Dornoch Firth furnishes the
best material, because a larger number of them were examined, the sexes
determined, and the reproductive organs noted. Of the 870 obtained,
559 were males and 311 were females, and in some instances, males as
small as 84mm. had’ testes sufficiently developed to indicate that they
would probably spawn in the course of the season—at the close of which
they would have considerably increased in length.
It was in this case, as in many others, difficult to divide the first series
—only the larger members of which were present—from the second series,
as is obvious from the curve (Pl. TX, Fig. 5). The millimetre measure-
ments were as follows at and near the point selected :-—
100 101 102 1038 104 105 106 107|108 109 110 111 112 118
LOD LO LO St db aly Pal 9 Sig 145) 10) 135 307 839
[TABLE
Part I1I.—Twenty-second Annual Report
178
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180 Part (I1.—Twenty-second Annual Report
The Table giving the particulars of the sprats obtained in the various
collections is given on page 178, and a comparison may now be made
between the average size indicated for the various groups.
If the difference between the average size of the groups be calculated,
it will be found that the amount between the first and second series is as
follows in the various months :—23'lmm. for all the December collec-
tions combined, 33:2 for April, 42°7 for October, 19°9 for November; the
mean for the four being 29°7mm., or about one and three sixteenths of
an inch. The difference in some of the cases is considerable, and this is
owing in large measure to the very small numbers obtained, and to the
fact, still more, that the great majority of the smaller specimens escaped
through the meshes of the net. The large difference in the average size
in October is due to the fact that the first series was represented by four
specimens got in the tow-net and measuring from 31 to 45mm., and one
specimen of 54mm., and, on the other hand, to the average of the few
specimens in the next series being too high, as already referred to. The
low average for November was caused by the opposite, and especially by
the average for the first series being exceptionally high. From this
circumstance, the fact that only the larger specimens of the first series
were taken in the small-meshed net, comparison may also be made
between what I have termed the mean, which is based on the intermediate
size between the largest and the smallest in a group. This system has
also its disadvantages, unless the largest and the smallest fishes present
fairly represent the limits of the series, but it tends to diminish the pre-
dominance of the larger fishes in obtaining the arithmetical average. On
this basis, the respective differences between the averages of the first and
second groups are these :—35-0 for April, 38 for October, 27 for Novem-
ber, and 30 for December, the mean of the lot being 32°5mm. The
presence of small fishes in the tow-net, as small as 39mm. in December,
and 40mm. in April in the shrimp-net, shows that the true average is
under that arithmetically calculated.
The differences between the averages of the second and third series are
as follows :—March 21:0, April 36-6, May 37:5, October 30:4, November
38°9, and December 38°5, the mean of the differences being 33°8. This
amount is rather above the natural difference owing to the fact adverted
to, that the larger fishes, many of which no doubt belong to a fourth
group, are included in the third group, and thus the average of the latter
is somewhat raised. The mean of the combined differences is, calculated
on the other basis, 35:2mm., or a little over 12 inches, and this probably
represents the amount of annual growth between one series and another
in the sprat.
As already stated, the imperfection of the collections of the first or
younger group of fishes does not allow an accurate calculation of the size
of that group to be made, but from the sizes obtained in April, December,
and September it is certain that the range and the average are under
what is calculated from the sizes represented. In order to throw light on
the subject, I have made a curve (PI. X), based on the measurements of
the best collections, showing the gradual growth of the sprat in the different
generations. From this, it appears, that at one year of age, about the
beginning of June, the average size of the sprat is a little over 60mm.,
and when two year’s old, at a corresponding period, about 93mm. There
are not sufficient data to show the precise size in the next June, but, as
in the end of March and the beginning of April the average size is about
118mm., it is probable that at the beginning of June the average size
would be a little over 120mm. This would indicate an approximate |
growth of 30mm. between the first generation and the second, and 27mm.
between the second and the third.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 181
The growth of the sprat is thus slow compared to most of the Gadoids,
but it is, of course, a much smaller species. Its growth is not greatly
inferior to that of the Norway Pout, the smallest of the Gadvids I have
dealt with.
In winter, moreover, the curves and measurements show that the
growth is very much slower; most of it appears to take place between
April and autumn. In this respect the sprat resembles other fishes.
There is one remarkable circumstance about the sprat, that after the
third or fourth generation spawns it dies or disappears. Very few fishes
seem to survive to the following year; and this forms a contrast to the
conditions obtaining among the flat-fishes and most round fishes, in
which many generations survive after maturity is reached and spawn
in successive years.
With regard to sexual maturity and the age at which it is attained, a
comparison may be made between the collections from the Cromarty
Firth on Ist June and that from the Dornoch on the 31st March, or two
months earlier—two months, moreover, in which growth is comparatively
rapid. The curve of the former on Plate VIII (Fig. 7) shows an apparently
homogeneous and symmetrical group, from 73 to 110mm., with an
average of 92°9mm. As already stated, the condition of the reproductive
organs in this series was only partially examined, but if the smaller
resembled those of about 104mm.—and spawning, as we have seen, goes
on into July, during which a considerable amount of growth occurs—then
the whole group would probably spawn, and these fishes were about two
years of age. The great group in the March collection, ranging from
108mm. to 139mm., were obviously all approaching ripeness or fully
matured, and would all spawn in the course of the season. It is probable,
also, from the condition of the reproductive organs, that the next younger
generation, or those two years of age, would spawn also before the close
of the season, or at all events the males would, and in that case they
would come into line with the series got at Cromarty, and indicate that
sexual maturity is reached at two years of age.
The average length and weight of the sprats at one, two, and three
years of age, according to this research, are approximately as follows :—
Increase.
Mm Grammes,
Mm. Grammes.
One year, - - 63 1-4 = se
Two years, - - 93 5:0 30 3°6
Three years, . 120 12°5 27 75
In the investigation made by Jenkins, based on the examination of tne
ear-bones, three generations were also determined, but the average sizes
do not correspond. His results are as follows, the weights here inserted
being derived from my observations on the relation of weight to length,
as described on page 145.
Increase
Mm. Grammes.
Mm. Grammes,
First year, - - 75 2°5 as as
Second year, - 110 9-2 35 6-7
Third year, - - 130 16°4 20 7:2
XII.
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MEASUREMENTS OF SPRATS IN 2MM. GROUPS,
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Part IL1—Twenty-second Annual Report
1] 10
182
MM.
183
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
TABLE I.—continued.
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184 Part ITI.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TABLE I.—continued.
Dornoch Firth. Off Burghead. panera nee
IL. |U1.|Iv.| V.| VI] . i. {10 = |i
MM. sora eal feral ese meta latte fea
ele le leslealgctedta ld. ele.
coi use a RSE CBs 0 ele PDS A el
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15 oe 1
6-7 1
8-9 i
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6-7 8 7 A
8-9 - 5 1| 4 2) 2
60a = 5 1 as 4] 4] 1
23 - 13 1| 3 2/2
45 - 1/90)... 4:11 7 15 | 15
67. 2 | 56 4| 14 22221 1
8-9 - 98 2) 27 31 | 31
70-1 1 (207 2 | 40 45} 451 8
Dia _je1| 2| 6 | 64 60 | 604 4
4-5 2| 1 [287| 2/10 | 88 64/64] 2
6-7 -| 8|... 276| 10) 9| 81 59 | 59] 3
go =| ab 2 live a5 | 7) 57 1!51|s521 1
80-1 4\... te | 9| 9 | 44 43 | 43] 1
B23 eleaG 76|16| 8 | 34 25} 254 2
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6-7 7 17|14| 3] 19 4| 6 {10
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23 -|14| 2|.3|24| 4/17 5 5/1
45..-|97 | 1) 247 | Bilas Bie iles
67 -|15| 1| 4| 10! 21120 211] 38
8-9 -| 16 14a ul 4/4) 5
ree eT
185
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Bay
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Off Burghead.
—_
“E061
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1061
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5
50
28
of the Fishery Board or Scotland.
TABLE I.—continued.
“PO6BL
1
1
1
4
6
9
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‘TA~"AI—"20q
| 8061
16
12
3 | 10] 14
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TET EVE Ves ale
110-1
2
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
130-1
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4-5
6-7
8-9
140-1
2-3
186 Part I1I.—Twenty-second Annual Report
6. WitcH (Pleuronectes cynoglossus, L.).
There now exists a considerable amount of material to show the growth
of this flat-fish in the earlier period of its life, for the first few generations,
young forms having been procured in the tow-nets or the fine-meshed net
used with the otter-trawl.
The witch spawns rather later than most of the other pleuronectids.
On the east coast of Scotland the spawning period was found by me to
extend from May to August, the maximum spawning occuring about the end
of June.* Cunningham found it spawning in the Clyde towards the end
of June,? and Williamson obtained the floating eggs in Lochfyne in each
month from April to August inclusive sparingly in these two months,
and most abundantly in “J une.t Holt found ripe specimens on the west
coast of:Treland in March, April, and May, and expressed the opinion that
it also spawns in June;$ and Herdman and Dawson, with reference to the
Irish Sea, describe this fish as spawning from May to July.||
The spawning period may therefore be regarded as extending from April
into August, with a maximum towards the end of June,
The egg measures from 1°15 to 1:19mm. and according to Cunningham
hatches at temperatures varying from 53° to 68° on the sixth day, and
at lower temperatures on the ninth day. Holt found that the eggs
fertilised by him on 14th May hatched mostly on the seventh day ;
some as early as the sixth and others as late as the ninth day, but the
temperature of the water was not noted. The surface and bottom
temperatures off the Firth of Forth, where the depth is about thirty
fathoms, are approximately as follows in the months during which the
witch spawns.
April. May. June. July. | August.
Surface, - Sa aye 46°5° Bilis 54:3° ape
Bottom, - am Ad Gs 44:3° 45° 48-5° 51:5°
The lower temperatures mentioned by Cunningham are not specified,
and the eggs of the witch were not among those submitted to temperature-
experiments by Dannevig at Dunbar. “But in the experiments referred
to { it was found that the egg of the cod, which is larger than that of
the witch, being about 1:39mm., took 153 ‘days to hatch - at a temperature
of 42°°8, 12? days at 46°°4, 104 days at 50°, and 92 days at 53°°6;
while the egg of the flounder, which is smaller than that of the witch,
measuring 0°95 to 105mm. in diameter, at the same temperatures hatched ,
in 64, 54, 43 and 32 days respectively. It may therefore be assumed
that if the bulk of the eggs of the witch be spawned in the latter part of
June, the majority of the larve hatch out about a week later, or, approxi-
mately, at the beginning of July. The hatching period, owing to the
influence of temperature, will be more contracted than the period of
spawning,
*Highth Ann. Report Fishery Board for Scotland, Part ITT., p. 263 (1890) ; Minth rbid.
p. 264; Tenth ibid., pp. 284, 242.
+ Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinr., vol. XXX et. Le. plOlMGdssy):
f Seventeenth Ann. Rep. Fisher Yy Board for Scotland, Part I1I., p. 99 (1899).
§ Rep. to Council, Roy. Dublin Soc. for 1851, p. 258 (1 892).
|| ** Fishes and Fisheries of the Irish Sea,” p. 55, (1902).
I Thirteenth Ann. Rep. Fishery Board for Scotland, Part I11., p. 147.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 187
The larval witch on escaping from the egg measures, according to
Holt,* about 3:°99mm., and ten days after hatching, when the yolk was
exhausted, a specimen measured 5°57mm. Cunningham found that in forty-
eight hours after hatching the length of the larva increased from 3:9 to
5-9mm., a rapid increase. From the very considerable length at which
transformation is completed, it is evident that the pelagic stage of this
species is comparatively prolonged ; one, incompletely transformed, with
the left eye on the ridge of the head, and measuring 40mm. in length,
was taken by myself on 15th January off Aberdeen.
In the present Report (p. 270) Dr. H. C. Williamson describes the
post-larval and early young stages of the witch.
In the accompanying Table I give the particulars concerning 151
post-larval witches caught in tow-nets at various depths in Aberdeen
Bay and off it, in the Dornoch Firth, and in the Clyde.
Sci. Trans. Roy. Dubl. Soc. V. (Ser. II.), p. 84 (1893).
| TABLE
188 Part I11.—Twentysecond Annual Report
SIZE (Mm.).
Place and Date.
7 | 819 110] 11] 12)13) 14] 15 | 16] 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25
ABERDEEN Bay.
1900.
1st October,- - 5 5 : S 5 3 B F 5 ; . 1
i
1902.
15th January,
1903.
16th October,
7th November,
” ”
DornocH FIRTH.
1903.
20th October,
11th November,
12th 3
CLYDE.
1899.
7th June, -
WN ys
5th, =
.
me sT
ay 8
wo & °
eH PB we
PSS Sg
wm eH
we =
(=
0
.
‘
.
.
.
bo
=
°
.
.
” »”
15th July, -
16th ,, -
18th ,, -
{thal oe=
.
>
.
.
.
.
ist August, -
28
29 | 30
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 189
33 | 34
1
1
1
35 | 36 | 37
2
dey)
1
1
1 .
38 | 39 | 40
1
2
Tl Xe
. Q
Tow-net.
”
”
30 fms,
Remarks.
Serial iii. 1fm. from bottom.
2 fms. from bottom.
8 fms. to 9-10 fms.
at 14 fms.
8-9 fms.
Mid-water net.
Surface-net, 3 fms. froni surface.
Bottom tow-net, near trawl head.
Small-meshed trawl. Still pelagic.
Tow-net, 6 fms. below surface.
”
Ee)
»@
mid-water.
near surface.
above bottom. Pelagic.
» ” ”
14fms. Between Pladda and
Ailsa Craig.
5 fms. Between Sanda and
Brennan Head.
5-20fms. Between Mull of Can-
tire and Corsewall.
gor oe Shrimp. Stations
Vv
a VY:
20fms. Between Ailsa Craig and
Mull of Cantire.
25 fms. Between Mull of Can-
tire and Corsewall.
on trawl head. Station III.
25 fms. Between Pladda and
Turnberry.
on trawl head. Station XII.
10-15 fms. Series III.
20fms. Station IV.
|
i
1}
190 Part I1I—Twenty-second Annuai Report
They are to be found in Aberdeen Bay in October and November,
and, as above stated, an odd specimen may be procured even in January.
The size of those obtained ranged from 12 to 40mm. (3-12 inches),
transformation being completed and bottom-life begun as a rule about the
latter size. In the Dornoch Firth a few were also obtained in October
and November, from 22 to 38mm. In the Clyde, in the deep water
across the mouth of the Firth, in June and July, a number were procured
ranging from 6°5 to 37mm., the smaller forms being generally caught
towards the surface and the larger forms deeper. On Ist August these
measured 14, 15, and 17mm. I am indebted to Dr. Williamson for
particulars of these.
In the absence of a complete periodic series of tow-net collections
extending over the whole time from the beginning of spawning, it is not
possible to tell the age of the specimens given in the Table; but if spawn-
ing ceases in August it follows that those got in Aberdeen Bay in October
and November must be two months old, and may be more, and that the
specimen, incompletely metamorphosed, procured on 15th January, was
over four months old. The size at which metamorphosis is completed,
and therefore the duration of the pelagic stage in this species, is there-
fore considerable.
The young forms living on the bottom were also sometimes caught in
the small-meshed net, enveloping the cod-end of the otter-trawl, or in
the shrimp-trawl. Thus, on 24th October, in sixty fathoms some miles off
Aberdeen, nine specimens were taken, five of which measured 42mm., and
one each 37, 38, 40, and 43mm. These clearly belonged to the preceding
spawning season, and would be a few months old. On 28th December,
in thirty fathoms, off Burghead Bay in the Moray Firth, fourteen specimens
were secured which measured as follows:—
Mm. 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 63
2 1 1 3 2 1 1 = il 1 1
All these also belonged to the previous spawning season; the next
largest got in the net was 137mm. (see below).
In the same locality, on 14th November, one measuring 56mm.
(2,3, inches) was taken, and it belongs to the same category. On 2\1st
January, in fifty fathoms, in the Moray Firth, a specimen of 47mm. was
taken ; on 23rd January, in the same place, another of 45mm., the tail of
which was, however, damaged, and its real length would be several milli-
metres greater. (n Ist April, off Burghead Bay, in thirty-two fathoms,
seven small witches were caught of the following sizes :—60, 65, 66, 74,
76, 77, 83mm. (23-3} inches), which would be, approximately, from
eight to ten months old; the next largest was 144mm.
On the west coast, two were caught in Loch Long, off Ruad Dubh, in
thirty-five fathoms, on 20th September, which measured 57 and 58mm.
respectively ; on 17th September, in Upper Loch Etive, in fifty-two
fathoms, six were taken, four of which measured 47mm., one 57 mm.,
and one 60 mm.; on 21st April, one measuring 90mm. (3} inches)
was obtained seventeen miles off Corsewall Point. There seems little
doubt that all these also belonged to the spawning-season immediately
preceding.
Holt, on the coast of Ireland, caught specimens of 42mm. in eighty
fathoms on 19th August, which he was of opinion were from eggs
spawned early in the season, and were thus from four to six months old ;
and in July he got one in one hundred and forty-four fathoms, measur-
ing 12.5em., which he believed to be about one year or more old.*
In some of the hauls a number of specimens were procured belonging
to a fairly well-defined older group, and these, with some others, are
represented in the accompanying Table.
* Sci Trans. Roy. Dublin Soc. V (Ser. II.) 85
of the Fishery Board for Scotland, aL
MORAY FIRTH.
DEEP
SEA.
X. XI. XII. XIII.
27-28 Nov.,
28 Dec., 1903. ay 24 Dec., 1901.
8
°
-
>
°
Z
<H
bey
“TQ Ol OO
on
1903.
i
bo
om ore 098
He 01 GO ST OD H® 0° i
kt bo bo Co Co DDH Oo OF
bo
Lo Hm 9
RO He 02
bo ps
laa Rm bo bo
Ww oo He OO Oo bo bo
et pe
Nr wok
PRO REE
Te co bo
Ll 52d ol
1
2
3
4
8
bo bo
, ee
PbO wc
ae ee
oon
—
Wr NWOO WATT wo
bo
| STOO > Orr bo
—
bob
—
NPN OOWATATO
bo
=18 Nov., 1901.
oO
re
Oo ke bo 09 bo
oo bo
NWR Re WORD oN Non
Re oo
bo
rt bo
bore bo
Meo Dw ware [emer Wor) bo bo
mob bre
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S \Tot.| O | g Tot.
bo
Be porDo
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NTOHSOAQW
a
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ne mor e bo Cr bo bo bo
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bo
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me po w&
TOO OF DOL
an
WNP OMSCTIOBRO H
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S [Tot] O | g |Tot.
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RR oO we > O11 O1 Co DO
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192 Part IIT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
Thus, in the haul of 14th November (I) there were eight specimens
between 13 and 16cm. (viz.:—132, 140, 144, 146, 148, 152, 156, 161mm.),
and the next size was 242mm. In that of 28th December the group
was represented by ten specimens, measuring from 137mm. to 168mm.,
the next largest being 215mm.; in the haul of 23rd January it was
represented by nine specimens, from 138 to 186mm., the next size
being 222mm., and in the haul of lst April by fourty-four, from 144 to
191mm., the next largest being 217mm.
A consideration of the first and second series or generations in these
cases throws light on the rate of growth of the fish, and the measure-
ments may be grouped as follows, showing the smallest and largest
specimens represented in each case, and the mean size: —
FIRST SERIES.
Arithmetic] G tri
Date. No. | Smallest. | Largest. | Range. eee a pivtde
1903. Mm. Mm Mm Mm. Mm
14th November, - i - - - 56 =
28th December, - 14 40 62 22 44°7 52:0
1904.
23rd January, — 1 - ~ - 470 -
Ist April, - - 7 60 83 23 71°6 7155
SECOND SERIES.
Date. No. Smallest. | Largest. | Range. pee ea ed
1903. Mm. Mm. Mm. | Mm. Mm.
14th November, - 8 132 161 29 147°4 1465
28th December, — 10 137 168 31 150°2 152°5
1904.
28rd January, —- 9 138 186 48 167°4 162°0
Ist April, - - 44 144 191 47 166°L 167°5
The arithmetic average, it may be explained, is obtained by adding
up the sizes of the fishes represented in each group and dividing by the
number of fishes; it will deviate from the true average size in one
direction or the other if the larger or the smaller fishes of the group
predominate in numbers. The geometric mean is the middle figure
between the extreme sizes, viz.:—the largest fish and the smallest; its
accuracy depends upon the limits of the group being truly indicated,
Considering first the difference in size between the first series of
witches and the second series, which are one year older, it is evident that
the size of the single specimens of the first series obtained on 14th
November and 23rd January respectively, are not representative, the
former (56mm.) being too large and the latter (47mm.) too small. This
is shown by the townet collections in October and November, as
represented in Table A. and Plate XI, in which specimens measuring
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 193
from 12mm. to 40mm. were secured. The differences between the two
series on 28th December and on lst April are these :—
a La Arithmetic | Geometric
Smallest. | Largest. Average. AMeat
Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm.
28th December, - 97 104 105°5 100°5
Ist April, - - 84 108 94°5 96°0
If the mean of the average sizes be taken for the two hauls, the
difference between the first series and the second series is, for the
arithmetic average, 100°O0mm., and for the geometric, 98°3mm—and this
might be taken as approximately representing the increase in growth in
length in the witch at this stage in one year, 7.e., about 33 inches. It
will be seen, however, as is the general rule, that the average difference
in length is greater at the earlier date than at the later; in other words,
that the younger fishes increase in length more rapidly than those one
year older. The annual increment is therefore better represented on Ist
April than on 28th December; and since lst April is two or three
months anterior to the height of the hatching season, and the more
rapid growth in length of the smaller fishes continues, the true difference
in length between witches which are one year old and those which are
two years old is probably under 90mm, (33 inches). The average length
of a one-year-old witch appears to be about 34 inches, and that of a two-
year-old somewhat under 7 inches.
The above Tables also furnish information as to the growth of the first
and the second series between the dates of the collections. Thus, in the
ninety-five days between 28th December and Ist April the increments of
the first series of witches was as follows :—
{ Arithmetic Geometric
Smallest. Largest. Average. Maan
Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm.
20 21 26:9 19°65
In the period mentioned, therefore, the young witches grew a little
over 20mm. longer—about 7 of an inch. The second series of older
fishes grew less rapidly. Comparison of the sizes at the various dates
shows the following increases :—
[ TABLE.
194: Part I1I.—Twenty-second Annual Report
Increase.
No.
Le Of Of
y Smallest | Largest | Average.| Mean.
Fish. Fish.
14th November to Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm.
28th December, 44 5 7 2°8 6:0
98th December to
23rd January, - 26 1 18 17-2 9°5
23rd January to
1st April, - 69 6 5 —1:3 5D
28th December to
1st April, - 95 ff 23 15:9 15:0
14th November to
ist April, - 139 12 30 18:7 21:0
The increase in length in the ninety-five days from 28th December to
1st April amounted to about 15mm. (3 inch); on the 139 days from
14th November to Ist April, to about- 20mm. (? inch). It will be
noticed, as pointed out in previous reports, that the larger fishes of an
early series grow more rapidly that the smallest, 7.e., the variation in the
sizes of the individual fishes of the group—due primarily to a difference
in the time of hatching, early or late—becomes more pronounced, which
is one of the causes of the coalescence of the older generations or groups.
It will also be observed that, so far as these data go, growth was more
rapid in December and January than in spring. This might be expected
from the higher temperature of the bottom water in the depths where the
witches lived during the former months, growth being closely related to
temperature. Unfortunately, no observations have yet been made with
sufficient frequency to enable the temperatures at these depths in the
northern waters to be approximately stated for the various months of the
year. Off the Firth of Forth, in thirty fathoms, according to the
Garland’s observations, the mean bottom-temperature in the months
referred to were—November, 49° F.; December, 49°2° ; January, 41°7° ;
February, 41°35° ; March, 40°1° ; April 43°3°.
With regard to the sizes and growth of the witches of older series,
above two years, there is more difficulty, owing to the coalescence of the
groups, and the different rate of growth of the males and females after
sexeral maturity is attained ; and there are not yet sufficient observations
on the older males and females to make the matter clear. In most of the
collections, as may be observed from the table, there is a general absence
of specimens between the second and third groups, and it is not certain
whether this gap is natural, 7,¢., that it is caused by there being really no
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 195
intermediate sizes, the growth ofthe largest of the second series not
having brought that series up to the third—or whether it is owing to the
imperfect collections. A comparison of the measurements at the different
dates shows that the latter factor at least partly accounts for it, inasmuch
as smaller specimens of the third series were obtained in January and
April than in November as shown :—
Cm. 15 15°5 16 16°5 17 17°5 18 18° 19 19°5 20 20°56 21 21°56 22 22°65 23 23°5 24
With Novjigls 2 2 ie multis Saniee Saye aa ee {ih via av aT:
OSth Dec aD Ty Tig 2 meee ae Bes =k ee eo 1 a a
2srardans, iy Po) 40) Se! ie 1 ae = arate == Se het eI Dye,
1st April, Sry Te ta Sh Sy Bidet wl TE ee pong es or Oca rate a Dy 8
Tn the curves-of measurements there is a marked drop indicating a
division between the third and the fourth series, but it does not agree in
the different cases, and is based upon not very many mixed measurements
of males and females. The lowest point is at 30-3lem. in November,
27cm. in January, 30-3lcm. in December, and 29cm. in April. Study of
the curves of the other series of measurements given in the Table shows
that the fixing of the division between the third and fourth groups must
be deferred. If, however, as reasoned above, a two-year-old witch
measures on the average about 7 inches, and the rate of growth is
slightly reduced, the average length when three years old will probably
be about 10 inches, or 25cm., with a range for the group of approxi-
mately from 84 to 114 inches.
The average size and the range of size at which maturity is first
reached in the males and females are not yet sufficiently elucidated.
I found females ripe at 14 inches, spent at 13 inches, and nearly ripe
at 122 inches ; and males ripe at 15 inches, nearly ripe at 114 inches.*
On the west coast of Ireland the smallest ripe female found by Holt was
twelve inches, and the smallest approaching ripeness was also 12
inches; the smallest ripe male was 104 inches, and the smallest
approaching ripeness 10 inches,
From these facts it appears that the female witch does not spawn
before the fourth year ; some males may possibly become mature in their
third year. It is noteworthy that in this species, under certain sizes the
males are much more numerous than the females. In 2348 specimens
under 16 inches, and mostly from 10 to 13 inches, the greater part of
which were examined by Mr. F. G. Pearcey on board the Garland,
915 were females and 1833 were males, the males at these sizes being
thus rather more than twice as numerous as the females. In 104
examined by myself there were sixty-seven males and thirty-seven
females. Among large witches, on the other hand, from 13 or 14
inches upwards the proportions of the sexes are reversed. Of 422
examined, 306 were females (34-50cm.) and 116 males.
7. THE Norway Pour (Gadus Esmarkit).
Since describing the observations made on the growth of this species
in the Nineteenth Annual Reportt collections have been obtained and
measurements made on several occasions. Most of the fish were caught
in the Moray Firth, or off Aberdeen, but in two instances collections
were secured in the deep water off the Shetlands. The first haul was for
forty-five minutes on 19th May, 1901, in sixty-five fathoms, about
fifty-three miles S.E. by S. 4S. from the south point of Fetlar Island,
Shetland ; the bottom temperature was 42°5° C., and the surface 46°6° C.
The number of Norway Pouts caught was 285, almost all belonging to one
* Eighth Ann. Rep. Fishery Board for Scotland Part III., p. 161) 1890); Tenth
ibid’, p. 239.
+ Report of Council for 1891, Roy. Dublin Soc., p. 272,
+ Part III., p. 155 (1901).
196 Part III,—Twenty-second Annual Report
series, which extended from 85mm. to 129mm.. the range being thus
44mm. The arithmetic average size for the 279 in the series was
106:2mm., the mean was 107mm., and the maximum ordinate 10°5cm.
(Pl. XII). The remaining six fishes, measuring from 137 to 149mm.,
represented part of the second series.
The next collection was obtained on 11th December, 1901, from the
grounds seventy-five miles south-east of Sumburgh Head, Shetland, in
seventy-five fathoms of water. The number of specimens secured in the
small-meshed net was 704. Most of them belonged to one series,
although three were represented. ‘The first was not well represented, and
was not cut off so sharply from the next series of larger fishes as in the
hauls in September and October of the preceding year.*
The measurements, in lem. groupings, are given in the Table appended ;
and the 2mm. grouping is as follows at the point of division :—
115-6 117-8 119-20 1212 123-4 125-6 127-8 129-380 181.2
10 iui if 5 1 4 14 21 25
This series extends from 97mm. to 122mm., a range of 25mm. ;
the smaller forms are no doubt absent. The arithmetic average size
of the eighty-five fishes contained in it was 111°5mm., and the mean
was 109'5mm. The maximum range in this series in the collections
made in October 1900, which included 1553 fishes, was 50mm., and if this
be applied in the present case it would make the size of the smallest
belonging to it about 72mm., and the mean size on this basis would
be about 97mm.
The next older group begins at 124mm., and apparently extends to
180mm. or 182mm., but it is possible it terminates at about 164mm.
The two-millimetre grouping from 157mm. to the end is as follows :—
157-8 159-60 161-2 163-4 165-6 167-8 169-70 171-2 173-4 175-6 177-8
14 8 6 4 7 12 6 4 4 5 5
170-80 181-2 183-4 185-6 187-8 189-90 191-2 193-4 195-6 197-8
3 1 - 1 3 - 1 - 2 1
Taking the series as ending at 182mm., the range of the 611 fishes
composing it amounts to 58mm. ; the arithmetic average size is 142°3mm.
and the mean 153mm. There were other eight fishes, the largest being
197mm., which evidently belong to a third series. The arithmetic average
size is 190°9mm.
For comparison with the preceding collections taken in the same neigh-
bourhood I give here the main features in tabular form, the averages
being the actual arithmetical average.
Ist Series. 2nd Series. 3rd Series,
Date.
Range. Average.| Range. | Average. Range. Average.
1900. mm. mm, mm.
31 August z 2 110-162 140-2 | 163-213 176°8
4September} 51-92 78:7 117-155 136°0 157-200 168°9
16-19 Octr. 66-116 87°7 119-172 143°6 177-197 182°5
1901.
19 May 85-129 106°2 - - = +
11 Decembe 97-122 1115 124-182 142°3 185-197 .| 190:9
|
,
“* Toe. cit., plate ix,
—-
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 197
If, however, the series ends at 164mm., then the average size of the
second group would be 139:9mm., the mean size 144, and the range
40mm. ; the third group would have a range of 32mm., an average size
of 174-1, and a mean of 181mm.
The differences between the average size of the various groups as shown
above are as follows :—
Ist to 2nd. 2nd to 3rd,
36°6
57-3 32°9
55-9 38°9
20°8 [45:3 | 48°6
In the December haul the first and third series were very imperfectly
represented (see Pl. XII.), and the averages given do n t correctly
show the proper sizes. The figures in brackets indicate the difference of
the corrected means.
Collections of the Norway Pout were also made at various times a few
miles off Aberdeen in the deep water known as the Dog Hole, the depth
varying from about fifty to about seventy fathoms.
The first was on 28th June, in sixty-five fathoms, eleven miles off ; the
bottom temperature was 482° F., and the surface temperature 52°5° F.
The number of specimens procured was 141, One of those was a very
small one, measuring 27mm., no doubt spawned some months earlier.
The next series comprised 131, ranging in size from 125mm. to 172mm.,
the range being 47mm.; the arithmetical average size was 150:2mm.,
the mean 148:5mm., and the maximum ordinate 14°5cm. There
were six in a third group, ranging from 178 to 194mm., with an average
size of 187°2mm., the mean being 186mm. Other three probably formed
a fourth series, the sizes being 210, 215, and 222mm., and the average
212°3 mm.
In the next collection, on 30th July, in sixty-two fathoms, the bottom
temperature being 57° F., and the surface temperature 58°6° F., 350
specimens were taken, all belonging, apparently, te the same series, The
range of sizes was from 120mm. to 184mm., or an extent of 64mm. ; the
arithmetical average was 155-‘1mm., the mean 152mm., and the maximum
ordinate 15°5mm.
The third lot was got on 21st August, in fifty-eight fathoms, the surface
temperature being 55°9° F., and they numbered 218 specimens. ‘T'wo,
possibly three, series, were present. The first comprised three fishes,
measuring 67, 81, and 83mm. The second included 214, from 130mm.
to 189mm., the range being thus 59mm. ; the average size was 158°8mm.,
the mean 159°5, and the maximum ordinate 16cm.
On 3rd September, the fourth collection was made in fifty-eight fathoms
in the same locality, the bottom temperature being 53° F., and the surface
temperature 532°. Most of the fishes in the small-meshed net escaped,
owing to a hole in it; the number of Norway Pouts obtained was fifteen,
ranging from 132 to 168mm., the average size being 156°9mm., the mean
150mm., and the maximum ordinate 16cm.
A few days later, on 10th September, eight specimens were taken in
Aberdeen Bay, measuring 76, 77, 83, 85, 87, 91, 93, 94mm. respectively.
The average size was 85'7mm., the mean 85, and the maximum ordinate
9cm.
The next collection at the Dog Hole was on 16th December, in fifty-
seven fathoms, the bottom temperature being 46°2° F. The number of
specimens taken was fifty-four, belonging to two series. The first included
198 Part IIT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
seventeen fishes, measuring from 114mm. to 132mm.; the average size
was 124:7mm., the mean 123mm., and the maximum ordinate between 12
and 12°5cm. The second series comprised thirty-seven fishes, ranging
from 142mm. to 184mm.; the arithmetic average size was 160°8, the
mean 163mm., and the maximum ordinate 15*5cem.
The particulars in regard to the specimens taken off Aberdeen may be
summed up in the following Table, which also includes a number caught
in the same locality by the Garland in October and November of the
previous year :—
Ist Series. 2nd Series. 3rd Series. 4th Series.
Range. | Aver. | Mean.j No.| Range.| Aver. | Mean.j Range. | Aver. | Mean.J Range. | Aver. |Mean.
ere ers en as Revie Geen, Tea rs aaa
Oct. 12, ° A A 26 | 59-107 96°3 83°0
“OB DEE : ; . 200 | s7-117 | 101:8 | 102-0 j 164
Noy. fis 5 * ° 60 | 80-117 | 102°9 98°5 #168-170 | 169
a 9, ° 5 4 51 | 83-114 99°2 98°5
1901.
June 28, . 27 . 181 |125-172 | 150°2 | 148°5 {178-194 | 187°2 | 186 [210-222 | 212°3
July 30, : = . 850 |120-184 | 155-1 | 152
Ang. otal 167—-85 77°0 | 75 214 |130-189 | 158-8 | 159° 4 Zon
Sept. 3, A . e 15 |182-168 | 156°9 | 150
- 10, | 76-94] 85:7 | 85 :
Dec. 16, | 114-132) 124-7 | 123 | 87 |142-184 | 160°8 | 163
The hauls on 9th November 1900, and 10th September 1901, were
taken in Aberdeen Bay in about ten fathoms; all the others in 1900 in
deeper water, from thirty-three to sixty fathoms up to ten miles from
shore.
Beginning with the younger fishes, the one taken at the end of June,
measuring 27mm. (1; inch), was doubtless about two or three months
old, and derived from the spawning in the previous spring. This series
was not represented in the July collection, but in August the three
measuring 67, 81, and 83mm. were no doubt large members of this group ;
the average size at this period is probably under what is given in the
Table. On 10th September, in Aberdeen Bay, the eight specimens of
this series taken had an average length of 85°7mm.; and three months
later, on 16th December, the average size of seventeen was 124:7mm.
This would indicate an increment of 39mm. in the period named, and
47°7mm, from 21st August, 117 days earlier, or 408mm. per ten days,
which is too large.
In the Firth of Clyde a few collections were also obtained, but the
numbers were small. On 15th July, 1899, one was taken in a few
fathoms of water in Machray Bay, Arran; it measured 85mm. On 4th
October, 1901, thirty-six were caught in the shrimp-net of the Garland
between Rhuad Point and Ailsa Craig. They ranged in size from 63mm.
to 97mm.; the arithmetical average size was 83°5mm., and the mean
80mm., and they no doubt belonged to the same year’s spawning.
In the Moray Firth the Norway Pout is fairly common in the deeper
water, and some collections were in sufficient numbers to enable curves
of their measurements to be drawn. On 4th July, 1901, a small collec-
tion, consisting of sixteen specimens, was procured in fifty fathoms a fev
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 199
miles from Kinnaird Head. They appeared to belong to two groups, the
first consisting of eleven, ranging in length from 125mm. to 172mm.,
with an average of 154:3mm., and the second of five specimens from 183
to 202mm., the average being 190°2mm.
On 14th November, 1903, 432 were taken in thirty fathoms off Burg-
head Bay, belonging to two series. The first comprised 369 specimens,
varying in length from 75 to 137mm., the average size being 108-Omm.,
the mean 106mm., and the maximum ordinate 10°5em. The second
series, of sixty-three fishes, extended from 141mm. to 173mm., the average
size being 150‘5mm., the mean 157mm., and the maximum ordinate
15°5cem.
In the same locality another collection was made, in thirty fathoms,
on 28th December, 1903, and 307 specimens procured, all belonging to
the same series. The sizes ranged from 88mm. to 124mm., the average
being 103:4mm., tle mean 106mm., and the maximum ordinate 10°5cm.
A fourth collection in this locality was procured on Ist April, 1904,
and apparently only one series was represented. It comprised 347
specimens, ranging in size from 93mm. to 139mm., the average being
110-2mm. or 42 inches, and the mean 116mm.
On 23rd January 1904, 250 specimens were procured in fifty fathoms,
off Kinnaird Head, three series being represented. The first consisted of
205, ranging in size from 96mm. to 136mm. ; the average was 115°3, the
mean 116mm., and the maximum ordinate 12°5cm. The next group was
composed of forty-four, from 145mm. to 18lmm.; the average being
158°6, the mean 163mm., and the maximum ordinate 15-5cm. There
was a large one measuring 203mm.
The particulars are given in the accompanying Table :—
: SERIES I, Series II. Series III.
Date and
Place.
No.| Range. |Averagej No.| Range. |AverageNo.| Range. |Average.
Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm.
Off Burghead, ie ia
14th Nov. 1903,|355 | 75-126 | 107:0 } 77 | 127-173 | 147-1
28th Dec.
», |907 | 88-124 103°4
Ist April 1904,/347 | 93-139 110°2
Off Kinnaird
Head,
4th July 1901,) 11 | 125-172 154°3 | 5 | 188-202 190°2
28rd Jan. ,, |205 | 96-136 | 115°3 | 44 | 145-181 1586 | 1 | 203
In these collections it will be observed that as a rule the second series is
poorly represented. ‘he apparent annual increment of length amounting
in the three cases in which comparison can be made to 40:1, 35:7, and
43-3mm., the mean of the three being 39°7mm., or 13 inches.
The information that may be derived from the Table as to the rate of
growth from one date to the other is not very great, the successive
averages irrespective of place being 107:0, 103°4, 115-3, 110°2 and 154°3.
The latter is based upon only eleven specimens, and is too large, larger,
indeed, than the average in November, 147°1, which deals with the
measurement of seventy-seven fishes.
200 Part II.—Twenty-second Annual Report
Information as to the size at which the Norway Pout becomes mature
is scanty, the only observations, as far as | know, being those by Holt,*
who found two ripe females, each 43 inches in length on the west coast
of Ireland early in April.
ITexamined the condition of the reproductive organs in many of the
specimens procured by me.
Seven females from the collection obtained off Burghead on 14th
November, varying in size from 151 to 171mm. (6-62 inches), had small
ovaries, the largest eggs ranging in diameter from ‘189 to :23lmm.,
Others on 28th December, from 95 to 118mm., had the ovaries only
“slightly developed,” but the size of the eggs was not determined. On
23rd January some of those caught in fifty fathoms off Kinnaird Head
were examined, and both the weight of the ovary and the diameter of the
largest eggs had considerably increased. The following Table exhibits
the particulars, the dimensions being in millimetres, and the weight in
grammes, The first six are from the November collection, and the others
from that in January.
as : Weight of Diameter of
Length. Gross Weight. ee ry. Largest Eggs.
151 27°9 ‘21
152 28:2 17 ‘21
157 30°9 12 .23
158 31:2 16 189
164 32°6 “21
171 38:4 “21
153 24:7 “<5 “44
155 26°5 oh “46
155 28°6 1:3 "57 |
155 28:4 11 |
155 26°7 8 |
158 31:0 1:8 ve
161 31-7 1-2 ‘D7T-63
180 41:0) 1°3 50
202 67°1 3°4 59-63
)
Those examined from the collection made off Burghead on Ist April
were all “quite immature,” their sizes ranging from 93 to 139mm.
(32-53 inches) so that this circumstance together with the facts in the
above Table appear to show that spawning occurs probably in February
and March.
A Table giving the measurements in twenty collsctions, arranged in
~ half-centimetres, is appended.
* Roy. Dubl. Soc. Report of Cownerl for 1891, App., p. 291.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 201
Aberdeen. | Off Shetlands
Cm. )
Me eT EDS VETS Vio Vane er VIILPIX. | X.
|
,
5 1
3 |
*b
4
5)
5 “ |
TOME eles |esee |. oe jeee |
S6| Saal es he Al
<5 = Eso | | ee 1 |
8 STS eet ee AL oe 2: | Lod
C5) |° asad lees sa (7 o | 2
9 Ie e2eeled Lee oe he
Hl 9 | 50 | 17 Ba P2548) (engl
10 5 | 46 | 10 age | 48
5 5 | 38: | 9 Bee lhe © van eye
ite 28 | 10 ice |b Ey. G4}
“5 Chet | eae hace 1 4 38
12 re Olen 6415) 3
5 etl eae i eee 6% 7 | 26
13 pee h zt) Gri he SS | i 31) doe |e)
ae ie 9 9 Galas AER 1 |120
14 eee ade ela es ila] Hee DY
5 fae. ob |) Oy BR Be 4 5 | 63
15 ADT stay |e? 4 28
“5 Pl eDlaeeGnlt oon wou ly, LO 20
16 TP | pees fabs te aD ot 6 i
5 Wl 88438] 2 5 15
17 Tea Le is! 3 25
i) i 6 9 33 12
18 1 Gi |) emul 1 14
3) 2 1 5
19 2 6
D sae 1
20 : 1
“5 ze 1
21 1
79) 1 i
22 , ee
oa |
I. Aberdeen Bay, 12th October, 1900.
II. a5 23rd October, 1900.
Ill. +3 7th November, 1900.
IV. Dog Hole, off Aberdeen, 28th June. 1901.
Ve AD » 30th July, 1901,
VE 53 55 21st August, 1901.
VII. * ” 8rd September, 1901.
Vill. “1 ss 16th December, 1901.
IX. Deep Water, off Shetlands, 19th May, 1901.
x. a ap 31st August, 1900.
KTS 53 3 4th September, 1900.
Moray Firth. Clyde.
XI.
XIL|XUT.| XIV|XV. XVI. |XVIL. | xvim.| XIX] XX.
|
|
Dale ‘. 1
be 5 1
1 1@)\ 8
ola iaiee 9
gs9| 5 |. Sl oe he tale 7
504 | 2] |. Seles) MONO lary a
4830 4-1 [ee 2 Ohi sam p30 2
118 |)... h.10 Ae eee
Gaetan [paos 93| ... | 106 | 112
1p) ah e16 gg| .. | 68 | 64
1| 2] 26 BSitres ol 426 2
Titel eg O8. jen lelG, Hed
10} 5| 28 Pallas hl ley
44! 36) 76) 6) 4/01 16
78/\) Bl i3z/p 228i) 4 de ikte-oniees
7g| 52] 132]. eel 10
so| 52| 98] 2 ets
45| 28| 46| 9 3 | 10
19| 8| 30] 15 2 | 19
9/ 5] 14] 12 Tl
8) 4] 23] 4 2 | 3
2 ry hye Tne
4 12] i a
1 2] 1 i
1 4 2
1 1 1
1 3 =
i 1
XII. Deep Water, off Shetlands, 16th October, 1900.
XIII. A a 19th October, 1900.
XIV. ‘7 of 11th December, 1901.
XV. Deep Water, Moray Firth, off Kinnaird, 23rd
January, 1904.
XVI. Moray Firth, off Burghead, 1st April, 1904.
XVII. ds off Kinnaird, 4th July, 1901.
XVIII. » off Burghead, 14th November, 1903.
XIX. ES x 28th December, 1903
XX. Firth of Clyde, between Rhuad Point and Ailsa
Craig, 4th October, 1901.
202 Part I1T.—Twenty-second Annual Report
8. Tue SHArp-Tartep Lumpenus (Lumpenus lampetriformis.)
Fairly large numbers of this fish are taken in the small meshed-net
around the otter-trawl, more especially in the deeper parts of the Moray
Firth, as off Kinnaird Head, and at the mouth of the Firth of Forth, and
some of the collections have been measured. The best of these was one
got at Station V. in the Firth of Forth, on 10th May, 1901, which com-
prised 255 specimens. They ranged in length from 127mm. to 345mm.
(5 - 134 inches). The measurements, grouped in half centimetres, are
appended, and the curve is given in Plate XI. It is apparent
from these that at least three series, and possibly five, are represented in
the collection. What appears to be a first series is indicated by two
specimens, measuring 127mm. and 128mm., the next size being 138mm.
On the 16th May, on the same ground, a still smaller one was captured,
viz., at 123mm., the next measuring 172mm. In a haul on 3lst August,
off Sumburgh Head, in sixty-five fathoms, the smallest I have obtained
was taken, viz., 84mm. (3,5; inches), the next largest in the small
collection being 154mm. I am inclined to think that the specimens in
the Forth collection referred to were the larger members of an early
series, the smaller individuals probably escaping through the meshes of
the net ; the specimen at 138mm. might also belong to this series.
The second group begins at 138 or 146mm., its division from the third
series being fairly well defined at 190mm. The range is thus 52mm., the
average size of the thirty-three specimens, 167°8mm. (62 inches), and the
mean, with the first-named limit, 164mm., and with the series beginning
at 146mm., 168mm.
The next group begins at 197mm., and it appears to terminate at
263mm., a range of 66mm. In the curve based on the half-centimetre
grouping of the measurements, there is a depression at 23cm. ; it does not
seem, however, to represent a division between series, but only irregular
representation. The number of fishes composing the second series was
127, the arithmetical average size was 235'2mm., and the mean 230mm.
The next series begins at 264mm., and extends to 312mm., a range of
48mm. It comprised seventy-eight fishes, whose average length was
288-9mm., the mean size being 288mm.
The other fifteen fishes in the collection probably belong to an older
group. They measure from 315mm. to 345mm., the average size being
325°7mm., and the mean size 330mm.
The averages and limits above given are based on the supposition that
five series are represented; but on the assumption that the smaller fishes
belong to the same series as the second group, then the extent of the
latter would be from 127mm. to 190mm., a range of 63mm., and the
average size of the thirty-five fish would be a little less, viz., 165°4mm.,
the mean being 158°5. If the fifteen larger fishes be included with the
preceding series the range would be extended from 264 to 345mm., a
difference of 8lmm.—obviously too great—and the average size would
become 294*9mm., the mean being 304-5mm. Looking at the curve there
seems little doubt of the presence in the collection of members of a fourth
series, and scarcely less of the presence of the early one.
The amount of annual growth between the series as determined above
are as follows :—
lst to 2nd. 2nd to 3rd. 3rd to 4th. 4th to 5th.
Mn. - 40:3 67:4 53°7 36°8
Inches, - 18 214 24 1,1,
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 203
If the two smallest fishes be included in the second group, the difference
between the latter and the next older one is 69'8mm.
Some other collections of Lwmpenus were measured, the largest being
one procured off Burghead in thirty-two fathoms on 1st April, and which
comprised 365 specimens. These, after being preserved in formaline, were
measured by the Laboratory attendant, and the measurements are
included in the Table appended. On preparing a curve, however, it is
apparent that either the series was irregularly represented, or the
measurements faulty, since the divisions between the groups are not
marked. Four series, however, at least, seem to be indicated.
With regard to the age of these groups, it is necessary first of all to
decide as to the period of spawning, about which little is known. In
specimens taken off the Shetlands on 3lst August and 4th September,
the females, ranging in size from 234mm, to 286mm., had large ovaries,
with large eggs from 1l*imm. to 1:44imm. in diameter, the ovaries them-
selves measuring from 25mm. to 35mm. long.* These specimens were
evidently on the eve of spawning.
In a collection procured in the deep water off Kinnaird Head, Moray
Firth, on 23rd January, the sizes ranging from 153 mm. to 284 mm., the
ovaries were small and lax, and the tissue contained a great number of
small dark-brown bodies scattered throughout them, apparently eggs or
blood in the process of disintegration and absorption ; they appeared to
be spent. The same condition was noted in the ovaries of the specimens
taken off Burghead on 1st April. On the other hand, in a few specimens
procured in the Firth of Forth on 16th August, measuring from 236 mm.
to 283 mm., the eggs were well developed, the largest ranging in diameter
from 1‘1 mm, to 14 mm.;_ the yolk spheres were large and small oil-
globules were present. :
From these observations it may be concluded that Lwmpenus spawns in
the late part of the autumn or the early part of winter, and it is probable
that the eggs—which appear to be demersal—do not hatch until early in
spring, which may therefore be taken as the period from which to date
the rate of growth.
Looking to the rate of growth between the series as shown above, it is
probable that the smaller specimens in May, measuring 123, 127, and 128
mm., were a little over one year of age, the specimen obtained off the
Shetlands at the end of August, 84 mm. in length, being probably six or
seven months old. The average size of Lwmpenus when one year old is
obviously less than these sizes, the smaller forms having escaped capture.
The information as to the size at which maturity is reached is very
scanty, the number of specimens approaching ripeness which were
examined having been small. In August the smallest in that condition
were 236, 239, 241mm., and they evidently belonged to the same group
as the third (197-263mm.) represented in the curve for the May
measuremeuts. The probability therefore is that Lwmpenus
spawn when three years of age. It may be noted that many
of the largest specimens procured are males. This sex therefore does not,
as with the flat-fish, grow at a slower rate after maturity than the females,
A Table of measurement of some of the collections is appended,
* Nineteenth Ann. Report Fishery Board for Scotland, Part L11., p. 287.
204 Part IIT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
Cm. | I. | IL |IIL/Iv.| V.|/VI.|VIL] Cm. | I. | 11. | I0L)IV.| V. | VI. \VIL.
8 1 23 4 Mo ae aol
5 | Bey tO leed 2 8 | 17
9 24 inl Teel 4 | 30
5 Be LO alas 2/19
10 25 AShhaal ali WE 20
5 5 | 14 2 TU fg a fs
‘al 26 4 2 ul
5 5 | 4 1 1 17
12 1 oT 9 dale ag 2 10
5 Wine Br Mt 8 1| 1] 10
13 me 28 8 ie fe PaaS 1G
By lid | 5 | 10 Lenya 12
14 | 29 8 1 ge
Sule 5 | 10 2
15 2 neal 30 9 1 4
5 | 5 | 2 5 | 10 1
16 Agee ve nelle Sut 1 1
$B .8 ne Gee 5 | 4
17 Dea Ls | 2/9] 32 2 2
5 4 le el a 5 | 6
18 2 | 2 0} gs 2 1
ay la | pad 5
19 Ae rea 3l st 34 1
Bile oie tay ot Bt 7 Benoa
20 Nad 2/131 35
5 | 9| 8 1 4| 7 5
21 9 6/18] 36
cent teeth pelle 5
22 10 AN AZ | 37 |
BOW ON 90) Fa | 5 | 28 5
I, Firth of Forth, 10th May, 1901. VY. Off Shetlands, 31st August, 1900.
fhe 3rd, Sath July, 1901. Mee Re ee
y:
UV ss » 16th August, 1901. VII. Moray Firth, off Burghead, 1st April.
Ot
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 20
TABLE A.—Suwow1ne RLATION BETWEEN LENGTH AND WEIGHT,
PLAICE.
Length, Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight No. of
|_ In Smoothed in Fish.
atm. | Inches. Average. Average. Range. Ounces.
_
ATE color
“I
ideo}
on)
Ta)
Rois i
bon
~J
rer)
T
Jo)
ora
or
ao
: Ww
— —
(Sao)
[Je ae)
——
One
os to bo
Co Or
whore
wont
|
bo ko oe ono meat
wrt
|
m~I~1
Or m OO
wd ch o
|
AIO oO Hm oO
|
Ne)
a)
~
OI
NAA AOowmn WH
|
le
lo Oo
St
_
aie
=e
|
Or
—
te
io 2)
[or]
—
He IS
io 2)
=)
— el ed
le orm
|
|
bo bo bo
sTOUn
Wow ole
BEWso Sen ~WH
—
wo
or
Ct eins
~)
)
or
(J)
iS)
bo
qe
_
No —
|
He Go CO
Of © oo°e
=
or)
[op]
rl
we
oO
~!
_
—
Ss)
w
(J)
~I
3)
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oe oe
a
14
ou
nr
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Cr
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19
_
Naco PPO
_
206 Part [1I.—Twenty-second Annual Report
PLAICE—continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight} No. of
IL Smoothed at Hish.
In Cm. eee es, | Average. Average. Range. Ounces.
5 wa 147°9 151°4 1384— 158 9
25 g 164°6 161:°0 153- 184 5'8 8
5 mae 170°6 172:2 152- 187 8
26 104 181°5 181°4 175- 190 aoe 4
5 was 1920 195°2 a5 se 1
27 2 212°0 207°0 192— 233 au 9
15) sc 217-0 219°7 204— 225 5
28 11 230°0 233°7 224— 236 2
3) es 254:0 248-1 2i0- 278 13
29 ia 260°2 266:0 247— 276 88 4
3) wea 283°7 280°6 256— 306 AG 10
30 43 298 2991 288- 318 10'5 8
9) era 315°5 3169 286- 341 8
31 1233, 337°1 332'8 319- 368 9
a) oe 345'8 343°3 324- 375 10
32 8 347 355°4 ose 1
5 ae 373°5 382 356— 404 13
33 13 425°6 41]°2 380- 474 (5)
9) 280 434°5 433°4 324— 502 14
34 2 44.02 444°5 397— 496 13
3) nae 458°8 464°3 417— 530 12
35 132 494 484°6 432-— 558 16°77 20
#3) ane 501 509 456-— 558 ae 9
36 14,5; 532 527 481— 580 10
5) ah 549 550 510— 623 10
37 is 568 566 503— 679 17
5 see 582 585 538- 673 7
38 15 605 605 564— 644 11
D wae 628 626 540- 708 7
39 152 644°6 649°9 568- 701 10
35) hia 677 678 644— 708 wh 6
40 3 711°6 708 673-— 807 25:1 10
9) nue 739 739 708- 792 9
41 163 743°7 770 735- 782 4
9) ie 831 818 708-1104 10
42 pan 880°8 864 835-— 956 6
5) sa 879 899 835- 970 9
43 13 936 916 835-1126 8
3) sn 935 939 842-1019 8
44 173 947 954 864-1048 ane 7
3) ds 982 993 948-1048 ae 6
45 i 1049 1026 932-1168 37'3 10
5) ot 1057 1076 991-1118 6
46 183 1122 1092 913-1388 16
5 sit 1098 1131 1005-1175 4
Ee ee
oh it At
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 207
PLAICK—continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight} No. of
i Fish.
‘ In ae Smoothed sae
In Cm. Inches. | “Verage Average. Range. Ounces.
47 4 1174 1166 1005-1317 9
3) Be 1217 1228 1161-1288 4
48 g 1293 1282 1182-1373 4
5 os 1336 1334 1218-1533 6
49 19555 1378 1375 1338-1409 2
2) nes 1417 1404 1253-1494 8
50 4 1423 1429 1381-1466 50°2 3
i) sce 1446 1459 1366-1614 4
51 2075 sa 1508 abc i
2) oh 1465 1575 wee 1
52 oan 1621 1624 1529-1713 2
a) zs 1675 1685 1437-1869 6
33 z 1759 1746 1643--1876 2
2) - 1805 1784 1727-1883 2
54 214 cae 1802 SC ot
3) aS 1784 1816 1585-1911 4
55 8 1861 1820 1826-1897 2
2) aS oe 1881 oot A
56 22,5 1940 1963 si 1
2) se Jes 2005 Ab -
57 is 2150 2073 1969-2528 "3
2) she 2053 2122 ae 1
58 ae 2163 2142 2047-2279 2
2) mo 2209 2223 seh 1
59 234 ane 2297 40 a
2) “a 2445 2371 2435-2464. 3
60 8 2372 2468 2175-2514 3
5 Sp 2587 ae 2096-3079 2
61 24 me wai a 38
62 a5 2952 bis 2733-3172 2
64 25 3681 a re ‘1
5) Tas 2981 “Ia 36m 101°7 “
67 26,5; Be of ck e
68 os 3975 sa 3058-4092 2
5 ee 3653 was 3498-3809 2
69 ie ve che aa .
208 Part I11.—Twenty-second Annual Report
PLAICE—continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight} No. of
| i Fish
In 'Smoothed | ne :
‘In Cm. iahae. Average. Average. | Range. Ounces.
70 273 3908 1
71 ; oe a oa
5 . 4481 1582 1
72 284 se AS
)
73 16
)
a4 1é
5 .
75 2935;
5
LEMON.
6 28 a =
7 3 BS ve
3) AOC 3°35 ere 1
8 3h * y
9 on eee eee
10 15 fe if
11 49, i i “
5 oa 14:77 ee 1
3) ee 18:9 ane L7s35— 2075 66 2
13 5A 20-0 21°3 | 188-2097]... 3
5) 93°8 23°0 DBL = Wilez aie 6
14 3 26:0 2601 22°6 — 29 ae 8
5) aa 28°5 oe Me
15 zg ollie 32°3 26 sso LO 19H 4
5 ane 36°1 36:1 34°5 — 37:9 BAe 6
16 68; 41-2 405 | 38:5 — 44: i. 2
5) 44°9 44°9 40°2 — 516 ae 9
17 rel 48-6 483 | 44:3 — 53-1 ee 6
9) a7 51°8 47d — 51-7 tela 4
18 74 & 55:0 v eo ”
15 a 58°4 61:4 54°3 -— 62°4 ar 2
19 4 67°8 68-9 iy a 1
_—
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 209
LEMON —continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight} No. of
] in Fish.
| In Cm. | Toa Average. 2, |Sioothed Range. Ounces.
5 | | ae ’
20 g 91-0 89°3 84-9 — 99-1 “4
3) 99-2 98-0 he 1
21 8} 105-0 aa 102 -106°8 3
egies ‘ : ‘
23 92 a a oe qc
i) i 157 Sd ioe a
94 vs sae wee wae -*
25 g ee ae ve -
5 e 170 dit ae 1
26 104 214 AA dist 1
27 & 2288 os ui 1
28 11 Be _ ay “i
5 ai 262 bik 241— 283 2
29 v5 oe i sh
2) fy 340 bx) 326-354 2
30 R an bas %
5 $3. 346 363 319- 361 6
31 1235 354 if : 1
32 g 453 sks ie
a) 434 ie All 474 3
33 13 a re ee
3) 484 sie 445— 524 2
34 3 468 482 °| 432- 481 3
5 493 514 439- 559 5
35 3 582 561 552- 616 20°5 4
5 598 586 518- 630 4
36 lets 579 595 538-— 658 4
2) 608 611 566- 651 2
37 ts 647 638 559- 694 4
5 658 678 559— 715 7
38 +8 718 - 697 616- 779 5
5 715 736 651- 779 4
39 153 775 754 757— 821 4
5 : 772°6 763 644— 871 i
40 : 740 788 694— 786 2
z) ais 852 829 729- 991 9
4] 164 896 872 835- 991 6
2) Aa 868 894 793- 942 4
210 Part I11.—Twenty-second Annual Report
LEMON —continuwed.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight} No. of
x in Fish.
In Cm. eae Average. ae Range. Ounces.
42 vs 917 922 871— 963 2
5 3 982 oe 935-1026 3
43 + eae 1038 re vis
15) wee eee wee eee eae wee
44 172 1094 ane 1062-1126 38°6 2
5 we 63 1096 sie a
45 3 1076 1
5 ah 1119 1
46 184 nee
3)
47 4
WITCH.
4 os 19°41 @ ak, 18-21 3
7) ee [25 “30 ‘21- = ‘32 9
5 2 | 45
5 64 | 60 1
6 3 71 aes 72 2
5) 95 | ‘93 9- 1°0 2
7 2 ee oe
5 oes 1°33 | 1°31 12- 155 3
8 3h | 1-46
5 16 1
9 S is wee
5 |
10 té
11 4,5,
9) eee tee |
12 # Bes |
5 seg 8°4 1
13 5k 106 | 9:87 l
5 4 106 | 10°87 “A 1
14 4 11:4 17) 49-4 28 5
5 13-0 129 | 117 = 1433 7
15 g 14°3 14°07 | 13°0 - 15-1 5 7
6 149 15530) 13) lee 10
16 635 ica | 16°9 16:2 — 18°8 5
cD | ect 184 | 18°37 15°6 — 20 9
We #94) Ht 193 | 20:07 1 Vi) ee) a | 4
5) | 22°5 21:4 18-1 — 22°3 6
18 7% 224 23°33 | one 1
5 | 25°1 25°3 23° — 26:1 5
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 211
WITCH—-continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
eee : Weight} No. of
| In Smoothed | a Hish.
In Cm. | Inches. Average. | Average: | Range. Ounces.
rae)
| 19 4 28°3 28°3 27°5 — 29: one 2
| *b ae 31°38 31°6 28°45-— 34°3 Y 2
20 i 35°2 35°4 35 — 35°5 1:2 2
“5 me ee 39°7 a Bes
2) 8+ 47°2 44°0 47°5 — 46:9 2,
3 ae 45°0 47°7 43 - 47 2
22 ae 50°9 51153) 41 -— 56:3 5
5) ae 57°9 58°9 Ae 1
| 23 94 68 63°9 1
|
a5) ae 65:9 69:2 60 —- 84 4
24 {a dona 73°6 70 - 78 3
ss are 78:0 80°3 70 —- 88 9
25 $ 89°1 86:1 79°3 — 69°5 31 5
co : 97°3 95-0 89:5 -108 ane 4
26 | 104 98° 99°3 88°3 -108 4
» 102 106°2 89 -109°5 6
27 3 118 117°0 Wi ley 4
5) 130°9 127°7 103 -150 10
28 ll 134:°2 137°0 127 -140 6
45) PS 146 144°] 132°3 -157 3
29 ze 152°2 IG BI7/ 137°4 -163 10
co = 162°8 164°3 144 -189 e 6
30 13 178 170°4 164 —-I186 6°3 6
5 3 170°4 | 179°8 160°8 -178 at 4
31 12} 191 192°9 163 -216 6
5 217°3 210°4 208 -231 3
32 2 2228 224°0 219 234 6
5 232 229°8 206 -255 5
33 13 234 20-7 213 -263 6
Fy 247°3 249°7 22-277 10
| 34 3 267°7 262 236 -297 4
a) 271°0 274°9 255 298 ae 10
35 2 285°9 283°5 262 -326 10°1 11
5 293°5 297 2 255 -343 9
36 14,3, 312-2 308 305 -361 13
5 318°2 320°1 314 -340 8
37 qs 330°0 Soul 312 -361 7
5 363°1 353 326 -396 14
38 15 366-0 370 312 -425 13
5 381 391 305 -467 15
39 153 426°2 414 397 -460 6
5 435 440 397 -489 8
40 ea 458°5 458 418 -500 16:2 4
3) ae 481 476°3 459 —531 rr 3
41 163 480 487°3 418 -574 12
212 Part ILT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
WITCH—continued.
Length. | Weight in Grammes. Average
a5 Weight | No. of
in Fish.
In Cm. es Average. aeons Range. Ounces.
cl 501°5 501°1 | 411 -630 8
42 25 o21°7 517° 489 -592 4
5) 527°8 547°8 447 -447 4
43 | te 594°0 577 574 -651 13
5 bak 608°3 608 573 -680 6
ee We 620 624°7 581 -659 2
5 AL mee 646 648 588 733 3 7
45 2 678 677 630 -729 23°9 4
= Ba 707°5 706 677 -744 oat 4
46 184 733 | 732°7 694 -772 2
Teall, es 758 760 658 -871 6
47 3 789 | 780 | 758 -821 2
a ney? 793 781 | 758 ~842 : 3
| 48 g 763 791 727 -800 26°9 2,
Ps ie 818 bf 751 -885 ie 2
COMMON DAB.
a “I =r) ou cod oo bo Fost
qn Or oO Or Or Or Or
(JU) bo
Ol. he orkeo ES fae
4 cA
ns H 0 bo oe
bo bon wrt to CO ~T we
eS Oe w Orc He bo bo ont
mo WH H G2 bo Nee
eS eI lo © Ge CO S> Or (JU)
bo wn “JOU bo ~10 © I!
obo Nee
CO~1 o> ore TOW to
(Soni) bo
hh oY lo |
m Ww co Wwe —_
sTste Mr ct lO ® Or rs
He He Or
—— ee
So
(JU)
el
a mee bo Wee
bo wo CO Nor m= OO co
| 3
5 9 1] 4:2 — 55 10
heme 2 ae 2] . a
| 5 7-24. | 32 6:4 - 81 5
|
10 15 85 ‘72 75 — 9°3 7
5 is | 10°53 " S
|
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 213
COMMON DAB-—-continued.
| Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Leake ; Weight | No. of
i Fish.
I Smoothed | Hf |
| In Cm. aan pee | ‘Avohige. | Range. Ounces. |
ol
Dd 13°8 13°7 12-1529 8
12 § 14°6 14°7 13°0 —16 11
<5. 16°6 16°4 t4°5 -18°5 24
13 5z 18:0 18:4 16°5 -20°1 10
i 20°6 20°9 ey 8
14 4 24.2 2B G7 20°5 -27°8 6
9° i 26°4. 26:2 23°5 -33°7 12
15 Zz 28°0 28°] 23°5 —32 1 8
= ot, 30°0 30°5 2h 34-1 6
16 6-75 33°4 34°3 PA Eres yi 11
D Eh 39°4 39°0 36:7 —44°6 9
17 44 44°] 431 424 —47°-] 3)
5 a0 46°0 46°3 40°5 —59 10
18 7k 48°9 50°4 alg a} 8)o% 4
| 9) cee 56°2 56°7 5) {pt 4
19 4 65:0 62°4 59 + -78 ae HF
5 66°0 69:2 64 -69 IS: 4.
20 Zé 76°6 Ten 73 -85 27) 9
5 ch, 81°6 82-7 Wn ED 7 |
21 8+ 90°0 90°3 77 ~=-99 4
3 ae 99°4 99°4 82) —136 11
22, aEr 108°7 104°9 91 -135 10
9) 106°6 115°1 98 -129 9
2 94 129°9 123°5 120 -141 8
5: 133°9 136°2 11]-149 15
24 ves 144°9 142°3 Sie 11
oy 1480 153°6 131-172 "|
25 g 167°9 163°8 148-191 5:9 8
D = 174°4 177°6 141-198 tet 9
26 104 190°5 186°9 170-219 16
=e 195°8 198 °7 171-219 5
27 é 209 9 210°9 170-247 8
“5 217°6 224°3 189-262 ll
28 11 240°7 238 °9: 191-276 6
ti 257°3 254°0 205-297 9
29 +3 269:°0 266°4 247-291 7
5 285°4 280°5 262-318 ee 8
30 13 279°8 296°4 255-290 9°8 5
35) 311 305°3 247-347 a) 7
31 123, 327 315°3 304-368 5
=5) 33 323°5 333°4 311-333 4
32 2 335 338°4 304-383 6
oy 370°7 Soot 304-396 6
33 13 336 379°9 325-347 2
ty gu 402°8 Ane
214 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
COMMON DAB—continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight} No. of
In Smoothed in Fish.
In Cm. | taches. | AVerage: Average. Range. Ounces.
34 3 455 |. 14929 4) 450-460 2
5 SBE 474°5 | 449°4 439-510 See 2
35 2 445-7 | 469:8 | 389-481 15°1 3
a (anes 468°7 | 4791 | 389-573 4
36 143, | 505 | 487 | 446-559 3
a9) ses meh | 501°2 ae noe
37 =; 4 6143.) 8.45220 446-552 3
5 es 517 | §49°3 a 1
38 45 ay, | 577 Ps
5; Nee 637 oes net me 1
39 158 ry = a be rd
D ee an 693°5
40 Z t | Ane | wel oe ase
5 as 750 | te | a 26°5 1
41 164 Aa | ae | aie a 5B
5
42 1s
FLOUNDER.
5 .
12 3
5
13 53
5
14 4
15 i 31°3 i ud ts 1
5 .
16 6,55
5 af
17 ret
5 st
18 74
5
19 }
5
20 i Py oe i a
5 om 78:7 a 66- 85 2°8 3
21 8} wae 85°4 ve A ay
5 a 92 93°5 ¢ is 1
22 } ns 103 % at if
5 i 124 11S | eddie i 2
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 21h
FLOUNDER—continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Soh PR A : 4 __| Weight] No. of
| lq | in Fish.
In Cm. In Average. Smoothed Range. Ounces.
| Inches. 5 5
_ Average.
23 9a ie 126°7
oe ae ” 135°5
24 sa . 141-2
a) 147 150 137-157 2
5 | z Ae 162 “)
20 | eee as 170
26 =| 103 177 176 170-184
popu acess ae 184
oe} 2 & | 191 197°7 170-212 ie 2
oe re. 2195 | 209°3 219-220 > 2
2 | ll | 218 223+] 184-234 % 4
cal\eenes : 235°6 x A a
29 | we | 245-7 «| 247-7 241-248
Se4l es ‘ 261°8 s Oe =
30 | 43 | 276 279°4 9°8 1
5 | ... | 276 294-4 = oh 1
31 123, | 313-7 | 3093 297-340 “i 3
a aire % 324-4 ee a of
32 g 1 308 340°5 304-312 a) 2
Sen OS S 355-5 as . a
33 13 | 403 372'3 347-481 ih 3
iealp 2. Ne 400-9 a m
34 @ | 420 410-2 382-453 3
5B]. | 415-7 | 4951 354-481 4
35 g | 4495 | 4407 439-460 15-9 2
cn es im 458 2 io ”
36 14%, | 467 482°8 1
ce ae . 523°3 ms
37 es te 543° i x
ee ee 580 5611 538-623 2
38 1 | 588 583-9 1
ee xs 606-6
39 158 - 625°3
Spelt @.: re 643-9 . ts Zs
40 2 | 6625 | 683°5 560-765 23°4 2
a ee 702:2 es o my
4l 16% o 741-7 Pe
Bal os ie 781°3 és
42 * | 821 2 1
216 Part LII.—Twenty-second Annual Report
LITTLE SOLE.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
rs Weight | No. of
In Smoothed = silts
In Cm. Inches, | 4Vetage- Lanne Range. Ounces.
6 28 Be Se oh 6
i) of 2°72 ae Py Si) 09 4
7 3 3°22 B15) 3°0- 3°4 aa 6
a5) 4:28 4°23 3°8- 4:8 ae 9
8 3h 5:18 5:20 4:3— 5:8 18 5
5) 6:15 6°34 5°0- 7°3 et 2
9 ts le, 7°53 6:°9- 9:2 11
5 ne 8°75 9°18 7°8-10-0 8} 11
10 15 11:0 10°77 aa sie 1
5 12°57 12°96 12°1-13'2 ke 3
11 4-5. 14:4 13°96 a ae 1
5) 14:9 ae 5) 1
TURBOT.
| |
25 9g |
5 “
26 103
eee
27 8 |
28 ll
5 ae
29 de }
5
30 42
5
32 5
5 Pe
33 13 as fe = ¥
5 810°5 ey 750-871 2
34 3 | 9828 ny 29-2 1
5 ih 890 4
35 3 eee
5 ‘ 951 ae 828-1090 3
36 14,5, © 971 = ?
5 fe 991 1000 I
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 217
TURBOT— continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight{ No. of
in Fish.
Range. Ounces.
| In Cm.
aincaihed
Average. |
In
yt
| Inches. Average.
: 1039
1034 1072 ie
1143 1108 1090-1289
= ee
1147 1155
1175 Hee
z Pa eee wae wee eee
al |
Oa | se Eo ies ie wy,
|
43 15 Re a8 ae eh <a
44 173 | 1827 a Me 64:5 1
a
46 184 es 2173 be ae a
48 a ne ee oe
5 be 2520 a < 7 1
49 19,5, ar 2613 a ne
50 | 444 | 2706 ne a 95° 1
51 20,15 ee ne he 2 i
peace. 2 Oe 3052 ee a 0
53 x a ae Ae aon Su
45: oe 3399 ne ae Bee 1
—
Aa
or
nr
3441
3483. ise BS 12°3 a
4300
59 234 -
218 Part IIl.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TURBOT—continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight} No. of
‘ | in Fish.
In Cm. sant Average. neces Range. Ounces.
9) a
60 8 Bs os
a) 338 5117 1
61 24
62 ys 5217
5
63 a ae “je sist dis
5 ext 5317 5268-5367 187°7 2
64 25
3) re
65 3
xa)
66 2 a he
5 te fist 6376
67 263°5
i) nf
68 is
69 15 1 6301 ae 1
5) a0 7435 a
70 27 8569 1
71 i 8745 :
12 284 | 892) 315 1
73 16
5
74 is
75 29,°5 10227
76 g
3)
Us
a3) ine
78 30% as a Mae ae
3) seg 11533 10323-12121 407 4
79
5
80
5
81
5
82
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
Range.
243 339
312- 219
319- 368
326— 389
311- 361
347- 396
328 432
318- 481
396- 552
411- 516
474— 410
460- 552
524- 580
566— 595
583- 729
701-715
821- 839
879- 962
874— 984
935-1055
977-1005
1019-1140
981-1189
1097-1281
1451-1557
BRILL.
Length. Weight in Grammes.
| In ; p Rieaihed |
peakuse Tnehes,| mae Average.
| 25
| BY Eee
26 104
3) rd 248 Ese
27 3 301 283°7
5 sa $34 302°2
28 11 315 320°6
29) ay 344°7 337°]
29 s 351°7 344°1
5 : 336 351°9
30 14 368 360°5
29) 377°5 380°9
31 1255; 397°3 406°4
a) aes 444 °4 440°3
32 § 478°4 471°0
5 a 490-2 495°3
33 13 517°4 517°6
2) a 545°2 542
34 3 Nac 562°9
) a 580°7 587°9
30 2 sea 622
2) clas 659°3 655
36 14,5; ey 683
5 oe 708 720
37 tc For 769
3) a 830 824
38 be ae 873
39 153 917 912
2) a 947 953 l
40 3 995 978
3) Sat 991 1022
41 163 1079 1052
i) oe 1085
42 os sr
2) ree
43 43 1169
44 178 sag
9) sig 1373
45 $ oat
46 184 1503
47 4 7
Average
Weight} No. of
in Fish.
Ounces.
1
4
2
3
3)
EA 2
130 3
aes 4
6
5
8
4
5
4
23°3 3
5
“4
4
35°1 2,
We 2
2
2
41°3 7
1
53:1 3
220 Part ITI.—Twenty-second Annual Report
BRILL—continwed.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight | No. of
Smoothed in Fish.
Average. Range. Ounces.
In
In Cm. | tches.
Average.
5 a 1565) 0 2 ae) ie ee 1
ns
[e.2)
aa
49 193; 1940 sae 1699-2181 68°5 2
B | ous | 2145 A “! 1
5 | a | 27 a 4 cs A
52 ds | 2145 bf a i 1
HALIBUT.
99 rf 84 “3-0
5 ns na 113°5
50
6°9
9°6
HALIBUT—continwed.
Length. Weight in Grammes,
In smoothed |
In Cm. | Average. Bregene Range.
Inches. = Average.
on
4622
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
Average
Weight
in
Ounces.
bo
bo
222 Part ITI—Twenty-second Annual Report
HALIBUT—continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight} No. of
‘ in Fish. |
In Cm. jae Average. eee Range. Ounces.
100 Me oe 372 1
5 10534 10501 site
101 es ae 10478-11385 3
5 9230 10468 te 1
102 10591 ee 1
D SoC
103 ee ee
5 12597 444°8
104
5
105
9) 14726 : 1
112 ae ade
) 14839 524 1
113 -
119 ath oe ws
5) 18271 i 17252-19291 2
120 20787 20152 set 1
2) er 20399 sis
121 20844 20979 736 1
2) 21693 21399 a 1
122 ne 22090 Bi
3) as 22288 ee
123 22487 1
126 ae hi
5 28150 1
134 25375 San sles 1
5) he 27414 968 weg
135 29453 sa ne 1
LONG ROUGH DAB.
4 13% 33 er 1
5 ap 51 ‘49- 53 2
5 2 sH6
5 sh ‘97 89- ol one 4
6 3 12 13 ll- 1:4 04 5
5 an 16 1°53 12-— 1°85 ce 9
7 3 1°86 1:93 17 - 2:0 15
5 is. 2:26 2°31 19- 28 a 18
8 3% 2°76 2°68 24- 3:1 ‘09 16
Length.
=< In
InCm. Inches.
5 P
9 ral
2
10 it
3) ee
ll 442
15) Bee 9
12 ra 9
45 - 11
13 54 13
i Ret 14
14 4 17
i : 18
15 é Pape
5° a 25
16 633; 27
co hs 29
17 44 32
15 ane 35
18 7k 39
iD) 45
19 4 48
5 Bot 55
20 g 59
oa a
21 84
22 H
ay ste
23 94
“by 7
24 Ts
2 I
5; sth
26 104
“3 ae
Dep 8
15, ee
28 11
sty :
29 is
ay
OU
“IS Or
WAP Nore
wo Oocrr
wed Sow
Tow
OD
LONG ROUGH DAB—continwed.
Weight in Grammes.
Smoothed
Average.
re Go OO
OO Or
“I or
~1O> Or
or
eee lool ed
et =) DH Orcs = oo
wre Oro ve SOU Ooi
bo bo ky
2 w& bo
Non
none Pwo
mANWwWo Wo or
ORS Pew
a7 on
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
Average
Weight} No. of
in
Ounces.
Oru Hm C2 bo
me OO
OID
—
wwsd 660 AKG
AD DAK 2BHH SOst
| ell eel eee
Nw a) CO CO Or wm oO m~I1mD> ore
HO =)
wesw bonorw
oa
Ie
bo ko bo
wy)
(=)
bo
BS)
14
2:1
43
59
bo
bo
Oo
—
bo H CO SD Cr 1 Onl Co Or cr
a
LO bo Or
Nore
224, Part I71.—Twenty-second Ainual Report
WHITING.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight; No. of
In Smoothed m —
In Cm. | tches, | AVerase: Average. Range. Ounces.
6 15 1
5 ne :
7
5 374 1
8 ae “a
3) 4:3 3°9 +
9 5:1 Hell 4-4 ve 7
5 6-0 5'8 5-4 we 12
10 74 ek 6°8 26 5
73) 80 8:2 7:3 8
ll 9°25 9:2 8-0 6
5 10-4 10°8 9°8 8
12 12°8 12°4 11:4 7
3) 14:1 14:1 1133 3: a
13 15:5 15'8 13°4 11
5) Wf 7/ 17°4 16°5 11
14 19-0 19°3 Wall 10
5 2171 21-1 17-6 10
15 23°53 23°8 22 8 6
se) 27:0 26°6 24 aid 6
16 29°6 29°3 26°5 7
*) 31:4 32'2 29°5 3
17 356 Se 32 4
5) 38°6 38°2 33 5
18 40°5 41°3 36°4 8
13) a 44°] e
19 47-1 47°8 40°5 5
5 ae 50°7 Rss aor
20 53°2 54:0 49°5 1°5 5
st5) 58°6 577 50°7 soy 4
2) 61:3 62:1 52 11
5 66°5 67°3 66 2
22 74:1 [2ei 64 9
15 77°4 19 65 19
23 85°7 85°6 72 14
5 94°1 93°9 82 19
24 102°4 102°4 83 12
5 110°6 110°6 101 - ee 9
25 118 118°2 102 4-2 15
aby 125-2 127°3 107 I4
26 137°7 1361 121 10
3) 145°4 146°1 136 9
27 opel 157°6 154 12,
5) 172°4 168°1 148 14
28 176°9 1781 157 14
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 225
WHITING—continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight} No. of
in Fish.
In Cm. a es. | Average. eee Range. Ounces,
=) das 185°2 187°7 159 -205 6
29 Ts 191°0 193°8 165 -205 . 14
5 ee 205°1 202-2 199 -213 sie 7
30 y 210°6 213°6 188 -228 76 11
3) ss 225 225 223 -255 ore 7
| 31 12355 2394 237 217 -276 Se 13
|
5 = 247 252°5 252 -273 ae 9
| 32 2 71 264 242 -331 Be 8
5 te 274 272 256 -312 a 10
33 13 270 279 & SRE 4
5 Pre 293 292 263 -354 Sec 9
34 3 312 309 306 -361 Ses 6
5 ies Fis 322 ee ts Sei
35 = 332 332 298 -411 12:0 8
5 ‘ eed is am Bes
36 14,3; 351 357 sf Bee Ls
ime ee eee 378 378 341 -432 a 8
3% | 15 sue ate a ae sae
o% leer os 392 ae -
38 CO 43 407 407 ns ie 2
oT | 356 430 428 400 -524 Ste 4
39 | 153 | 446 462 404 -524 es 5
5 = 509 504 474 -545 Ke 2
40 2 513 oe - oc 1
5 ls 588 542 ee sis I
ALS 3) 105 546 sas ch it
aey | honeee oes 586 spb aa
42 15 ae oo ad
3) Fic 613 © 517 -680 4
43 | 3 oh sas See ae
44 | 173 569 1
45 :
5 A
46 18%
47 $ 903 oa oe 1
5 se 859 893 723 -977 3
48 g 984 1
49 | 1933;
|
5 |
\
226 Part [11.—Twenty-second Annual Report
HADDOCK.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight | No. of
] in Fish.
In Cm. Sanh Average. eae Range. Ounces.
6 23
25) ae
7 z
8 34 ae Sh ae
ao he 4°6 16 1
9 ts Ae 583 : an ia
5 tee 6:1 6:3 5:6 = 6:6 22 5
10 45 YH 78 70- 7:4 25 2
‘oO a 9:1 8'8 8 — 9:8 8
11 dfs 10:2 10°8 96 — 115 4
5 bie 12-0 11°9 11:1] — 12:7 12
12 2 13°5 13°6 12 Se liaiety 9
5) se 15°4 15°4 14°6 — 16°5 8
13 54 17-2 17°6 UG = N32 10
5) i 20°1 19°8 18°2 — 23°6 12
14 4 Par | 226 2) oo 8
73) she 25°5 Done 22°9 — 31:2 17
15 Z 28:0 283 24 —- 30°3 99 16
53 31°4 31:0 2989935 ie 16
16 6 55 33°7 33°8 BA = sell 12
“5 36°3 36°6 32°3 -— 40°3 16
17 wa ants; 39°7 | 36-6 — 43-5 21
73) 43:0 44:0) 38 — 48°5 19
18 74 49:2 48°3 44 — 53°5 22
io ies §2°7 53°0 48:1 -— 59 28
19 3 57:2 56°5 51°8 — 61 18
$5) 59°7 61°4 55:2 — 68°3 13
20 $ 67°4 65°7 64:2 - 73 2°4 ll
“5 70°L 70°3 68°6 — 71 3
21 84 73°3 75°4 72°4 — 76 ae 6
5 ee ina 82°8 as aoe ne
22 rr 92°7 91:4 | 91°6 — 94:5 u 3
5 Ae 98°8 97°4 90°5 -106°3 Pre 3
23 94 100°7 102°6 96:5 -105 ee 2
73) fete 108°3 109°3 99°5 -122°5 de 10
24 a 119-0 1183 4112 ey, Sie 3
255 “ile 127°6 128°7 114°5 -135°6 tes a
25 g 142°5 1402 |126 -162 5:03 15
a5) ie 150°5 150°2 | 131°6 -177 0 23
26 104 157°5 157°3 | 188 -184 ad 24
5 aan 164°0 165°6 |148 -184 Aa 23
27 s 7h 174°6 161-206 sa 30
Be ise 184-4 1841 162-206 dit 19
28 11 192°7 194°9 176-219 <ak 17
TS Te
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
HADDOCK—continued.
Weight in Grammes.
Length.
In Cm In Average
* | Inches. —
5 207°7
99 a 216°0
“5 227°8
30 43 241°4
5 260°7
31 1233, 265'8
a) 288 °5
32 8 289°9
5 300°6
33 13 324°8
5 Le 332-7
34 3 350°9
5 366°2
35 2 384°5
5 402°3
36 143, 430°7
qs: 442°5
5) 493°3
8 44 502°5
5 550°9
39 153 572°8
5) 591
40 2 Dio
+5 nh 610°3
4] 164 31
*5 iat 667°9
42 pat vieie
2 as 744°7
43 43 751:7
3) 754
44 172 798
ty 780
45 2 see
ty ee 878
46 184 856
5 fee 887
47 4 1060
48 re 1033
3 aa eae
49 19,5, 1063
Smoothed
Average.
Range.
170-229
198-238
207-267
213-269
241-284
238-304
240-347
255-307
247-347
276-368
297-385
311-412
325-432
318-432
325-496
361-517
389-510
420-509
432-588
417-559
467-616
523-637
530-641
573-974
523-696
549-736
566-782
722-785
715-864
750-759
730-892
715-850
729-1027
870-1191
976-1090
948-1182
Average
Weight} No. of
Ounces.
in
85
13-6
20°25
bo
=
2. NS
22
Fish.
ve He bO wow:
7
Part 17. —Twenty-second Annual Report
228
Length.
| In
In Cm. Inches.
51 207;
5) a
52 is
a) aes
53 2
5 ie
54 214
3) ae
55 3
3) cr
56 225
75) aie
57 it
5 is
58 8
5) we
59 234
9) oe
60 3
5) at
61 24
‘dD ve
62 is
$3) 4
63 8
5 sc8
64 25
35) “oe
65 3
45) oe
66 z
45) a
67 2655,
5) vale
68 ts
“D See
69 18
5 an
70 278
a5) aes
71 2
5)
72 28%
5) sine
73 ar
HADDOCK —continued.
Weight in Grammes,
Average.
1440
1628
1635
1915
2110
3214
Smoothed
Average.
1205
1228
1303
1358
Range.
1076-1295
1281-1387
1345-1451
1387-1501
Average
Weight} No. of
in Fish.
Ounces.
-
3
‘5
508 | 3
1
1
Bee
4
113 q
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 226
HADDOCK—continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight | No. of
In Smoothed ne he
In Cm. Inches. | “¥e™@ge Average. Range. Ounces.
74 18 | 3691 es 3002-4290 a 3
COD.
2 Le oa ce ane
i) al Ske l
3 1s 18 ie 1
5 "37 oe 1
4 tr 65 63-67 as 2
5 2 1-04 BOE? 3-07 Bb 2
6 3 sad ser
7 Z Any ge
8 34 4-4 ie 4:3 - 4:4 op 3
5 ve 4°65 501 46-— 4:7 Ai 2
9 2s 6:0 5°78 54 - 6°8 a zt
5 6°7 6°83 62 7°6 a 8
10 it 7'8 7°93 ils —428e0 03 4
5 9°3 9°47 8°4 - 10:2 a 4
11 42, 11°3 11°10} 10:3 - 11:9 ar 12
5 12°7 13°1 11-7 — 13° ats 9
12 7 15-2 15:0 14°3 - 16°5 oh 5
5 jvc 17°3 162 - 17°8 oe 11
13 54 19°7 19°7 16°8 — 20°7 ah 9
5 21:3 21°8 19 — 22°4 a 1]
14 4 24°6 24°6 21 - 29 ae 7
5) 27°8 27°38 | 24°6 - 30°6 of 10
15 g 31:1 30°7 30 - 31°6 it 4
5 33°3 34:0 30°2 - 35°5 af 4
16 6y; 37°6 37°5 34 - 405 if 4
9) 41°7 41:2 40°5 - 43 P 2
17 tt 44:4 45°4 40°4 — 47°8 i 5
5 bug 50°0 49°3 45°6 - 54°5 2
18 7% 53°5 54°00 | 50 - 56 A 3
5 585 57°9 58 - 59 a 2
19 s 61°7 62°9 59°4 — 64 oes 2
7) 68°5 66°8 | 68 - 69 ae 2
230 Part III,—Twenty-second Annual Report
COD—continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight} No. of
in Fish.
In Cm saa Average. eee Range. Ounces.
20 g 70°1 ma 66°5 - 73°8 2.5 2
5 ae 746 75°9 aac Se 1
21 8} 83 83:0 | 83 —- 83 2
9) 4s 90-2
22 ty 97°4
5 HF 103°5
23 93 111°8 110°7 | 105-119°3 aie 3
5 fe is 116-8 | oi so ies
24 Sy 121°8 123°1 | aa ba 1
5 135°6 1351 | me 1
25 g ae 146°5 5.2
5 157°8 158°3 Sa 6
26 103 170°6 169:1 149-184 fio 4
5 se 179 179 175-184 sas 2
27 8 non 189 sat
9) se 187°7 198°5 177-198 aoe 4
28 11 218°8 210°7 194-248 S08 7
3) Age 209 | 217°8 191-219 S08 3
29 ve | 225°5 231°8 219-232 Le 2
5 sae 261 252°5 233-284 oe 9
30 yh 271°5 271°8 255-304 9°6 6
5 ace Ay, 283 sae sf
31 1235 296 294°] 278-311 5
‘5 36: 303°5 3061 | 297-318 4
32 g 319 | 3241 | 290-333 6
a) oe 349°38 | 350°4 | 318-389 5
33 13 382 | 3669 | 368-396 2
aH | ieee Pe Ala S8 0d of s
34 133 394°5 392°9 382-404 4
9) a 403°5 | 410 382-425 2
35 3 ee die, ADD « 14:8
5 sl ast 432 ae de oY
36 l4i5 429-7 | 441°9 396-456 ane 4
5 fe 4622 | as
BYE | ts 494°7 482-9 466-516 4
cD. 5)| Gees 491°8 493°5 467-538 6
38 48 494 520°8 460-528 ss 2
5 a 576 5 547°8 573-580 Pot 2
39 158 573 | 685°8 oe 1
|
5 Bae 608 599-2 506 Boe 1
40 2 616°7 614°3 595-637 21°8 2
5 ve8 618-2 620°6 536-680 aes 4
41 164 5925 | 6412 581-604 * 2
5 re 675°5 | 658°5 615-736 sah -
42 an 658 °7 671:1 581-779
Length.
- In
In Cm. Eechod
5 Ag
43 +8
“5
44 178
2 we
45 a
5 ae
46 184
os ay
47 4
ey abe
48 =
dy aint
49 19,5,
=i as
50 14
5 nee
51 2045
Dd a
52 ts
ts aa
53 Z
x a
54 214
3) 5
55 2
ff ae
56 223,
25) =:
57 ts
13, ane
58 1
ay ee
59 234
a3) aa
60 :
5 on
61 24
‘D soe
62 ts
5 at
63 3
"5 aes
64 25
“5 ce
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 231
COD—continued.
Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight} No. of
in Fish.
Average. Tn Om. | inches, | Ave*S® | Average. | Bare | Range. Ounces.
679 | 700°4 1
763°4
864 820°8 ‘YT
835 859°4 1
879°3 :
920: 4 906°6 843— 963 325 5
920 938 1
973 965 941— 1005 2
1002 | 968 : il
963 986 ]
1026 | 1005 991— 1062 2
1004 1013 963-1097 3
1010 1044 935-1100 7
1117 1080 1068- 1
; 1113 ar és
1114 1139 1054-1175 2
1189 1182 1
1243 1232 1232- 1254 2
1265 1295 1246-1281 3
1378 1346 1253-1572 3
1395 1373 1303-1536 3
1347 1374 1274-1451 3
1381 1405 1345-1402 4
1486 1466 1416-1557 2
; 1532 4
1702 | 1608 1670- 1734 ‘9
1589 1660 1458-1826 7
1689 1646 1451-1820 4
1661 1680 1494-1791 4
1691 1719 1
1805 1792 1805-1805 2
1880 1865 eee 2
t 1910 !
1964 1940 1798-2209 4
: 2020 i,
2108 2057 2025- 9294 3
2043 2088 1812-2293 4
2113 2129 2004-2290 3
2231 2174 ; 1
; 2177 as
2124 2207 2004-2208 “4
f 2357) ¥
2524 2499 2259-2790 2
2517 2528 2400-2761 4
232 Part ITI.—Twenty-second Annual Report
COD—continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight} No. of
2 in Fish.
In Cm. ee Average. fea ean Range. Ounces.
65 3 Ags 2569 sie 90°7 ae
5 ee 2588 2598 2153-2838 ed 3
66 252 2638 2680 at oa
5 ae 0 2744 2471-2818 ae 3
67 262; | 2914 2878 2740-3151 a 4
zs) : 08 2975 ae ie cue
68 gs | 3037 3027 2945-3144 ae 4
5 wh ve 3069 7, si a
69 48 | 3101 3116 ae ba 1
7 ee ae 3233 | 3038-3384 r: 3 |
70 273 3420 3380 oa 120°7 1 .
5 “i Aer 3488 er bie .
71 3 3557 3581 3413-3639 sas 8 |
5 =e sis 3697 59 be Hu.
72 284 3738 3865 a ot 1 |
zi .. | 4161 He 3646-4418 1H 4 |
73 as wef opie ADO eee Ann
25)
74 48 ve iS - a Re
5 234 4074 ie 3951-4149 e 3
75 29,5; | 4000 ote 3823-4178 141 2
i)
76
5
Tee si 4602 Br 4276-4928 2
78
79 a 4985 Ar 4312-5607 “tes 7
80
‘5
81
9) ae 5501 pets 4027-6542 ode 3
3) a 6514 at 5b 230 1
83
i)
84
5 aes 6655 ok 6202-7193 oe 3
5
‘5 Fat 6542 gtk 6485-6599 ae 2
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 233
COD—continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight | No. of
in Fish.
In
Range. Ounces. }
Inches.
Smoothed
In Cm. Average.
Average.
6806 Ls 6287-7816 a 4
7558 te 7045-8071 - 9
7208 {: 6061-8581 ie "5
7866 i 6797-8935 278 3
8347 ad 7944-8836 is “4
8440-10025 a a
7590-10053 as Me
9134-9713 i 9
9702 ts 8156-10642 ) ‘5
10194 a: 8326-11455 | 360
9942 Bc 9318-10253
10506 a 9742-11753
ml ww wo’
10947 A, 9914-11420
9) 11158 aco Si Sen 1
103 10936 Soe 10181-11899 wae 5
11361 as 10082-12489 Sc 3
— Oe
12141 a 10930-13410 | 429
12239 a 10404-14075 i, 9
ile) ive) ive) ite) Jo)
[e°2) ~I for) or ca
oO On Or Or > Hr
A 2 RAN ae st He VE Os SE et RR a Oe aa A Rl |
=) ie.) Je}
% = fe
Do Ri: Gi oo: mR:
234, Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
COD—continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight} No. of
in Fish,
In Cm. tore es, | Average. ek Range. Ounces.
110
5
Ill
9)
112
5)
THE NORWAY POUT.
3 13 B15 i 29-34 As 2
4 13%
5 ies <
5 2
9) ee
6 3 aon
7 2 2°5 09 1
5 a 2°9 2°84 1
8 3k 3°13 3°19 1
5 oe 3°55 3°75 3:2 - 38 4
9 Ps 4°58 4°56 3-2 - 53 13
“tas on 5°55 5:49 4°7 ~ 64 13
10 a5 6°35 6°69 a5 — 70 2 ll
5 aa 7:18 7°38 5:3 — 8°7 19
11 4,5 86 8:10 7:3 - 96 14
5) ae Pal 9:7 7°3 -10°9 17
12 3 10°8 10°87 10°3 -11°8 3 9
5 ae 121 12°41 10°9 -12°9 7
13 5} 14°34 13°81 12°7 -15°2 5
05) bee 15 15°81 12:4 -17:2 ll
14 4 18°1 17°87 17:2 -19:2 8
*5 ee 20°5 20°57 17°8 -26°5 14
15 $ 23°1 23°5 180 -28:2 8 15
33 me 27:0 26:27 23°6 -20°9 ae 10
16 6:5. 28°7 29°1 23:1 -31°7 ee 16
5) he SED 31'8 28°7 -35°8 7
17 +4 35°1 34°98 38 -38°4 3}
5 Ss 38°34 37°9 35°7 -41°4 5
18 7k 40°3 41:2 33°3 -47:0 1°4 5
5 sie 44°9 44°6 sae sit 1
19 4 48°7 50°3 47°4 -50°1 2
6 57:2 re 572° -57°3 <8 2
19°8 60:0 se ae 21 1
20:2 67:1 eee 1
of the Fishery board for Scotland. 235
GURNARD.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight | No. of
in Fish.
Range. Ounces.
In Cm. | In joe eee
verage.
Average.
| Inches. a)
4 135
5 2 is “48
Hm OO OO
1)
Ww bob
9 2 *% a ie
5 = 5-93 i 56 —- 66
Or
i¢2)
1
ele oor)
Omweo
a7
aT)
5 aba 109 36 10°2 — 12°0 38
3) age 49°3 aon 44 ~ 54 UEGh
19 3 61
5 " 85 83°3 85 — 85 3-0
22 u 83°5 85:8 | 79 - 88
24 TF 143-5 112 107-120
26 102 141. fda s| 192) | 148
236 Part ITI.—Twentieth Annual Report
GURNARD— continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Averag
Weight] No. of
in Fish.
In Cm. red Average. yous Range. Ounces.
2) 157°7
27 é oe ees -s ¥ Bac
“Oo 174°7 oe 163-183 sat 3
28 1] 8 Wire| =e Ary Abs
a9) si 179°6 be 170 -186 a? 5
29 ie 6 nf ei ae
30 Li 227-0 $5 205-255 80 5
2) fe 237 235 me ae 1
31 123; 241 249 3 re 1
5 oe a 269 Gh ne 4A
32 8 297 289°7 x A 1
5 =8 ae 303 Sof 3 ae
33 13 309 312 285 -333 oe 2
5 324°3 isis 307-361 11°4 5
34 3 ee Ser a Sor aes
35 ; aa to es cae va
36 14,3; 337 bon wet tee 1
|
OW 45 |
9)
38 1é
|
3) ‘ |
39 153 |
5 a
40 3
41 164 573 Aa | ane 20-2 1
75) |
42 ts |
5) |
SS SS EE LE PTET BE AE EE EY
HERRING.
1°86 2 00131 48
2°91 1} 0:0582 14
4°3 1} "32 31-34 01 4
4°8 1g "42 sf 38-47 il
8:0 34 2:98 Be 27- 32 1 5
5 Bhs 3'8 3°63 35 - 4:0 3
9 q's 4:1 4°27 34 - 49 8
5 ase 4-9 4:97 4:4 - 5:5 11
10 tt 59 590 53 =. 7 2 5
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 237
HERRING—continued.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
Re Weight | No. of
In Smoothed 2 HS
In Cm. Inches. | AVev@ge: | 4 verage. Range, Ounces.
9) sve 6-9 70 60- 82 9
11 45, 8-2 82 | 76-— 9-4 11
9) He 9°5 94 | 84-11°4 23
12 3 10-9 10°6 9-5 - 12 12
9) ae 11°9 F214) 10:2 13 21
13 54 14:0 13°8 13° -— 14:7 9
5 u. 15°6 15°8 15 - 159 6
14 4 17°9 17 16:2 - 18 9
5 Bas 19°35 19°9 18°6 — 20°7 6
15 g 22-4 23°4 21°8 — 22°8 7 9
‘5 28°4 26°0 ok 1
16 65; 27°3 29:1 26 - 28 3
5 31°5 30°8 30. - 33 4
Vi H 33°6 34:1 31 — 35 7
5 od 36°'8 36 - 38°7 6
18 7s 39°6 40°3 37 — 42°5 10
9) : 43-2 43°4 38 47 14
19 5 47°3 475 44 -— 52 a
3) 52-1 51°1 49°5 — 57 6
20 g 53°9 55°1 52°8 — 55 E9 2
9) 59°3 60°0 57°1 — 63:2 5
21 8+ 66°7 66°9 60°8 — 72°6 4
) ae 74°'8 75°9 72 — 85 5
22 = 863 81°5 83 - 89 3
5 88°4
23 94 91°5 94:2 82 -101 4
5 101-2 98°8 93 -113 8
24 zz | 103°6 10671 85°5 -114 sr 1]
i) 113°6 110°8 108 -117 53 7
25 z 1152 119°8 113-118 4:0 4
5 130°5 126°3 120 -143 6
26 104 133°3 136°2 118 -160 L7
5 144°8 143-9 126 -168 17
Pal 3 153°7 153°9 141 -186 22
d 163°2 163°3 151 -188 11
28 11 172°9 1740 149-195 14
5 he 185-9 185°2 158 -213 16
29 ys | 196°9 194°8 185 -218 8
5 ae 201°7 208°8 178 -212 12
30 43 | 227-9 219°5 188 -253 8:0 12
a 1 229°4
31 123, | 236°7 236°8 | 204 -280 7
5 244°3 248°0 {228 -259 3
32 g 263 wae 260 -266 9-3 2
Part I1].—Twenty-second Annual Report
SPRAT,
Length. | Weight in Grammes. Average
Weight Ne. of
j in ish
In Cm. ‘Tn.Om.| aches. | AYE E® |‘Average, | Range Ounces Average. case Range. Ounces.
4 1; Ce y ec
5 12 50 er Baa aa 1
5 2 67 67 63-75 02 8
5 ste 84 “88 7-10 Aes 28
6 3 1:14 17 ‘92- 1°3 04 20
i) se 1°53 1:57 1-2 whe 15
7 e 2°04 2:02 16 - 2:3 ‘07 21
5 be 2°48 2°59 2°0 — 2°8 ahs 33
8 3h 2:90 3°05 2°4 — 3°6 38
5 + 3°76 3°72 3°3 - 4:3 14
9 ty 4°59 4°63 3°8 — 5:3 11
3) 5°53 5°56 4:9 - 65 14
10 +8 6°55 6°76 55-8 23 12
45 hi 8:2 8:08 71 - 9:2 ie 20
11 44 5 9°5 9°48 78 -11'8 27
5 Fe 10°75 10°86 9:7 -12°9 AS 28
12 2 12°34 12°46 10°8 —14:2 “4 33
"D = 14:27 14°34 12:2 -15°4 - 15
13 53 16°4 1
LUMPENUS.
a en rine il ai a anon hea | je;
15 53 a Be 3
3) uae 4:4 15 1
16 625 : Ne i
5 5:0 - 1
I it 5:17 5°32 42- 6 3
05) 5'8 5°91 1
18 74 ie 6-41 ie
3) Ba wT 6°86 3
19 4 7°25 75 72- 73 2
3) me 81 7°65 TA = 18°F ae 3
20 § 76 8°07 (Ra 7/18) “27 2
i) a 85 8°7 : aa 1
21 84 oe | 9°38 sah ns
3) He 9:9 | 10-09 8°8 — 10°7 6
22 14 10°45 10°68 10°4 - 10°5 2
9) sas 7 11°45 10:4 — 13:71 2
23 93 12:2 12°45 10°3 — 14°7 5
3) as 13°4 12°93 12°3 — 13°8 4
24 1's 13:2 13° ai 12°8 -— 13°7 Hs 2
3) tee 14°7 13°8 - 15°6 52 2
25 Z ee #
nnn ee EAAaEE EEE EN SERRE
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 239
LUMPENUS—continuwed.
Length. Weight in Grammes. Average
_ Weight] No. of
I Smoothed oe HAE.
In Cm race Average. pes ‘ae Range. Ounces.
|
3) ase
26 104 162 1
5 re
27 8
5
28 11 20:2 18 —- 22-4 71 2
5
29 %
5
30
POGGE.
5 |
79) |
6
5
i
5
8 3h 3°72 » 3°42- 3:93 13 6
5 oR 4:5 4°47 3°93-— 4:94 se 12
9 2s Bee | 5°46 4°45- 5°83 : 12
5 6°48 6°34 5°15- 6 85 ah 14
10 415 7°34 7°36 6°88— 7°66 26 3
5 8:25 | 8°74 7°87- 8:64 Bis 2
11 45, 10°62 10°55 1
5 re 12-77, \e 12:30 ok es 1
12 3 13 52 13°80 12°71-14°63 “48 4
5 ee 15:12 15°38 15-1525 set 2
13 54 Be 17°51 ws a
5 ee 21:27 19°64 75 1
14 4 20°13 a - ape 1
15 ks Fee ee a to: en
ee eee
240
Part III —Twenty-second Annual Report
PLAICE.
SHOWING THE CALCULATED WEIGHT AT VARIOUS SIZES.
Length in
OCentimetres.
Cnantanr WN
Weight in Length in
Grammes. Centimetres.
009 36
075 37
52, 38
598 39
1:167 40
2°017 41
32 42
4°78 43
6 ‘807 44
9°338 45
12°428 46
16°134 47
20°513 48
26°013 49
31-509 50
38 °240 ol
45°868 52
54°454 53
64°042 54
74°700 55
87°793 56
99-420 57
113°603 58
129-075 59
145:900 - 60
164°107 61
183°781 62
208:102 63
227 °720 64
252°072 65
278°159 * 66
305920 67
335 °543 68
366 944 69
406 °450 70
Weight in
Grammes.
435 632
472°947
512°336
553°861
597500
643°515
702°346
742-357
795°360
850°838
908 °824
969-398
1032-600
1115°295
1167°200
1238 °436
1312°856
1390-065
1470°249
1553 °443
1648 °160
1729147
1821°760
1917°624
2016°792
2119-322
2225-269
2370°411
2447-360
2564°174
2684344
2808 -225
2935°552
3068281
3251 °592
PLATE VI.
Common Dab.
= sae s
De
~.
PLATE VII.
*
a
+
Witch .
4
Cod.
Haddock.
Sprat.
Herring.
| |
27
aS
N
1 { = N + ©
DS
®
ae | 2 ee {LS one [e ae eee male
\ |
. |
+ — + ——— ++ - + ~
ir |
.
_— t = i = =)
= ue — = =| te = L o
|
= she -
3 x 2 By) = EY a o 6 © . ~ rc = |
— 1 : L tL xi | n ee =i il i = 1 ee L
oS ° ° e sc oS o =
5 a g Se g g g g g 3 g g 2 s @ g aie aul er
SPRAT PLATE VIII.
Tie =I A= Hf ll |
2 | 7 [
Aberdeen Bay, Cromarty 9
I 16th April 160 Firth —— — Aberdeen Bay,
(61 fish). 19th December
(74 fish)
140 T
ea i ~ fo
aesiiea
ro ro 4 80 zt ig
3) 4S 7) 8) 9) to) aT 12) x8) Rpeioeaee
,
Il 30| 18th-24th October
5 | | 0 ; + (112 fish).
Lunan Bay,
28th June a
(81 fish). roll 1 ==,
Je
20
20 L ie = 1
Se sree we ee! “IO Reaeeershe np A Be GD sy Th Gm ah
me 15
3 — 7 10
3 eueracen ad | Wii wot oH ses a + Aberdeen Bay,
9th: December 4 December
a (39 fish). zi | ] viet (26 fish). 10
18 8 5
Cromarty Firth, | |
12 16 8 10th January ot all 17
CHEE) | | ab Dog Hole, Aberdeen,
Bs | | 28th Novem
10 : 10 7 2 4 (14 fish).
gig tes
9 all 1 |
8 5 6
| Leet] 7 o aL Gan Tann ce SO nth ENG 14
a Aberdeen Bay
6 L | 11 80 1st June Y
4) 75) lee 8! 9) 10) 1712) 18) 14 8 ir Sana te (58 fish).
5 7 20th September
: ia (6 fish), 25 f
- c 4 1 i=
Forth IT., | Ll |
8 anti 140 oo 9th May
2 (669 fish). Pat) 25 ey ah ee ve 20 ~—4 Ainy Ga Ge Oe ssa ah
1 |
= L 1 L 16 —+—
3 2 Sa Hh ees SNC ST}
10 ~——-
4
Aberdeen Bay,
= 12th December ~ ; Ie
(74 fish). 4 .
SG GY Be ty sO ah Te ae ay
20 T : f : , ; joes
Suns EA EE GN aS LONE OM PLC rd em Le
15
tot =
5 ol kee! ee ‘
Ags 6) 7 (epee iol aa) eh as! ae
SPRAT
“i
Dornoch,
28th December
(736 fish).
1 3 5
Burghead, Burghead, Dornoch,
80} 1st April 180 25th December 300 Slst Maroh 160
(74 fish). (6535 fish). (870 fish).
25 160 }-____——_ | = 280 140
20 140 260 120
15 120 240 100
ae
i
PLATE IX.
9
Dornoch,
25th December
(185 fish).
10 ae 220 80
rr a 20} ——} 200 =
i 1 60 => 180 40
Beeuiy (8s. 10) In Vieheis eae
2 o———— 160 mies oo
Burghead,
150} ++ 28th December
(490 fish), 20 140 oe -
eal a Ly Pn slp be tae hte ae
140 =
| 4 see 120 r 8 iz
10 11 12 18 14 Dornoch,
490 = 600 11th November
aan eo (1693 fish).
27th December
120 (137 fish). oe
————S | 80
10 | 500 fo)
60}
100 4650 we
40
™ | ne 50
20 =|
BY 360 ay
1 1
Te Seer PGW BIE 3 sey
70 al 300 200,
6
Dornoch,
al _| 22nd October sr |
(41 fish). |
S 50
50} 8 | 200
40 | 25
o 200
20 | %
9 10 11 12 13
10 =
Seat peno nen: DeNO Nine wie yene he Se aes dia eB ah
ia 25
CC cae ca Gee Ween ie ae |
100
15
50
5
Selma big OC WE Ua t4
10
All December
Collections
combined
se
Sie aaa
|
@
ees
dale dis!
i aa , sa
ie 6 ‘ . ¢ 7 ae ee ewes nea rane she Vhs? RNY
ary + tee pre
Rctet Rin aeroae E = (m
re f ;
Tv ebeertertea maki es,
<
Cee 5
SPRAT
April. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. April. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. | Jan. eb. | Mar.
epee Sean cile i ae
. ee
| Z _ Se
| = x
s =I =a = eae 5 =
} i = I = is = | “ap
50} | —|_ | | BI | iI .
. ae
E
:
20 ; =e | mall Ie =e | | 4
we = | all
5 bt) Ii af -
| l 19
4 =! = 18 i 45
17
Witch.
= t +— Off Burghead, 16 ia
| 28th December. a
- 4 5 35|-
18
se 12 1 30
u
ic 7 10 25
9
=I 8 20
7
6 15
5
=r 4 10
3
2 5
1
ZS
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 2 22 2% 26 8 3 32 Bf 36 SB 40 42 44 46 48 60 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 o % 26 98 [90 88 34 3B Bm 40 42 44) 46 48) G0 10) 22) 14) 16) 185 (BO) 22) a4) BB) RBH AD aa EASE) HSaNAD Dy Ada aE ED
| | | | | | | | |
Sia ——} =i A it on
Witch. Witch. 9
aM EAUR Ge teen A=T. ope. Hecti sie
Collections in Aberdeen Bay 10 —{— =Townet Collections,
and Moray Firth in 15th July to lst August. = 7
Octoberiencaaoveniber: Rest of curve=5th September. a LESSENS ANE
ae ie 9 : en Forth, St. V.,
The rest of the curye=Off Burghead, ii 7 10th May 1901. i
le 14th November. L| 25 le
Tl 7 > 8 a8 4 Black="5 cm. grouping.
| 28 Red =1 cm. Ty =
| | : e %
21
em
4 { =I | 6 20
19
{Lt = = aed |) a ss
17
if === el 16
16
+ ad = + | He ale ai 14
13
if ic + i t 2 2
i
— tt 1 10
i
Si :
he
2 4 6 B&B 10 12 1 16 18 20 22 %& 36 88 30 sz 34 8
7
ie
6
| 5
;
| 4
3
2
1
=
4 2 %
6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 2 26 o8 80 o2 Sf 36 38 49 42 44 46 48 50 10 21 2 13 MM 1 16 iW 18 19 20 2
22 93 Bf 2 2 BM 8 9 30 SI 32 38 SM 35
Norway Pout,
off Aberdeen.
16th December.
Sen MSm ID AUC 12 18) 0h) im. 10 8 9 1) Wo 1 WW i {G97 18 19
I
Norway Pout, Norway Pout,
off Shetland, 20 off Shetland,
16th October Slst August &
(928 fish). Ath September.
200 off Shetland,
(36). SNR Fore 19th October.
4th October 1903
a 180
/\ 100
20
40
5 6 7 8 8 10 11 W 48 1 1G 46 17 18 19 90 21 22
Z1
9 10 11 12.18 16 15 16 17
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 241
_ HADDOCK.
SHOWING THE CALCULATED WEIGHT AT VARIOUS SIZES.
epee ee SS 2 SS eee
Length in Weight in Length in Weight in
Centimetres. Grammes. Centimetres. Grammes.
1 008 36 367 °200
2 063 on 398 639
3 “213 38 431'846
4 504 39 467-023
5 ‘984 40 503°733
6 1°700 41 542°408
7 2-700 42, 583073
8 4:030 43 625°720
9 5°738 44. 6707449
10 7870 45 717°188
ll 10°476 46 766:034
12 13°600 47 817-087
13 17297 48 870-400
14 22566 49 914°465
15 26563 50 983800
16 32239 51 1043963
17 38 :°665 52 1107:018
18 45900 53 1171°662
19 53°980 54 1239°300
20 62°967 55 1309°470
21 72-884. 56 1444-332
Pepe 83°806 57 1457-468
93 95°754 58 1535°531
24 108°800 59 1616°333
95 122-974 60 1700°000
26 138°377 61 1786 °340
27 154°913 62 1875°641
28 180°529 63 1967°870
29 191°941 64. 2063290
30 212°500 65 2162°144
31 234°455 66 2262-764.
32 257-911 67 2367 °005
33 282846 68 2474°580
34 309 °322 69 2585 °366
35 337 °440 7 2699-524
24:2 Part I11—Twenty-second Annual Report
IV.—NOTES ON SOME RARE AND INTERESTING MARINE
CRUSTACEA,
By Tuomas Soort, LL.D., F.L.S.
(Plates XIIL.—XV )
CONTENTS.
PAGE.
Preliminary Remarks, ‘ : é : : : ; . 242
Copepoda :—
Fam. Monstrillide, . : : : : : ‘ ye 2:8
Fam. Choniostomatide, . : : : ; : . 250
Amphipoda, ; : : : ; : 5 : : . 257
Sympoda, ‘ : . : : 4 : : ; . 258
Description of the Plates, . : F : ; : : >» 209
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
In the following notes I have described a number of minute Crustaceans
belonging to the Monstrillide and the Choniostomatidee—two families
of Copepoda containing aberrant and parasitic forms of more than usual
interest. A few forms belonging to other groups more or less rare in the
Scottish seas are also recorded here.
The species recorded here belonging to the Monstrillide are as
follows :—
Monstrilla grandis, Giesbrecht.
us longicornis, I. C. Thompson.
5 gracilicauda, Giesbrecht.
anglica, Lubbock.
> dubia, T. Scott, sp. n.
Thaumaleus thompsont, Giesbrecht.
“ rigidus (I. C. Thompson).
5 zetlandicus, T. Scott, sp. n.
= rostratus, 'T. Scott, sp. n.
”
The following are the names of the seven species belonging to the
Choniostomatidze which are also described :—
Stenothocheres egregius, Hansen, new to British Fauna.
Spheronella paradoxa, Hansen, _,, - 5
BS minuta, T. Scott, sp. n.
me callisome, T. Scott, sp. n.
Fe cluthe, T, Scott, sp. n.
lf pygmea, T, Scott, sp. n.
55 amphilochi, Hansen,
A description is furnished of each of the species mentioned above, and
this is illustrated by drawings which have been prepared by my son, Mr,
A. Scott, A.L.S., who also prepared most of the dissections required,
The preparing of these dissections wasin some cases rendered more
difficult when the species happened to be represented by only a single
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 243
specimen whose appendages were not very obvious even with a moderately
high magnification.
Some moderately rare species of Amphipoda and Sympoda are recorded
at the end of the paper, the names of which are as follows :—
Hyperia medusarum (O. F. Muller).
Tryphana malmi, Boeck.
Anonyx nugax (Phipps).
Hoplonyx cicada (Fabr.).
Harpinia pectinata, G. O. Sars.
Metopa borealis, G. O. Sars.
Paratylus faleatus (Metzger).
Megaluropus agilis, Norman
Idothea neglecta, G. O. Sars.
Hudorellopsis deformis, Kryoer,
Pseudocuma similis, G. O. Sars.
The following are the descriptions of the various species referred to :—
COPEPODA.
Fam. MonsTRILLIDz
Genus Monstrilla, Dana, 1848.
Monstrilla grandis, Giesbrecht. PI, xiii., fig. 11, 12; pl. xiv., fig. 9-11;
ple xv., tig. 1, 2.
1892. Monstrilla grandis, Giesb., Pelag. Copep. des Golfes v.
Neapel, p. 588, pl. 46, fig. 2, 8, 11, 17, 19, 24, 25, 35, 39.
Description of the Female:—In this species the antennules of the
female, which are moderately stout, are scarcely equal to one-fourth the
length of the animal; their structure is somewhat similar to that of the
antennules of MW, gracilicauda, but the articulations are rather more
distinct (fig. 9, pl. xiv.).
The fifth pair of thoracic feet are sub-cylindrical, about twice as long
as broad, and with a somewhat bi-lobed extremity (fig. 10, pl. xiv.) ; the
exterior lobe bears three sete, the inner one is small but the other two
are elongated. The inner lobe appears to be furnished with only a single
apical seta, but our dissection shows what appears to be the base of a
seta on the inner margin of this lobe, the seta itself having probably
been broken off; the position of this seta is indicated on the drawing by
dotted lines.
The abdomen consists of three segments, but the first, which is larger
than the next two combined, is divided into two portions by a pseudo-
articulation as shown by the drawing (fig. 11, pl. xiii., and fig. 11, pl. xiv.) ;
the second and third segments are sub-equal and are together much
smaller than the first segment.
The furcal joints are each provided with six sete, one being situated
on the outer edge near the base of the joint while the others spring from
the apex (fig. 11, pl. xiv.); one of the apical setz near the inner edge is
very small.
The female represented by the drawing (fig. 11, pl. xiii.) measures
4°25 mm. (about + of an inch).
Description of the Male :—The male is much smaller than the female ;
the specimen represented by the drawing (fig. 12, pl. xiii.) measures only
2 mm. (5% of an inch).
244 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
The antennules of the male, which are proportionally rather longer than
those of the female, are five-jointed, the last joint being hinged to the
preceding one (fig. 1, pl. xv.).
The first and second segments of the male abdomen are not coalescent
as in the female, but otherwise the two sexes are nearly alike.
The armature of the furcal joints (fig. 2, pl. xv.) is similar to that of
the female.
The fifth pair of feet resemble very closely the fifth pair of the male of
M. longiremis.
Habitat—Head of Loch Fyne (Firth of Clyde), November 28, 1899,
one female, and January 30, 1901, a male and a female.
Professor G. S. Brady records a Monstrilla, obtained at Cullercoats
in July, 1900, which he thinks may be the male of M. grandis,
Giesbrecht,* and I, C. Thompson mentions the occurrence of the same
species in the vicinity of the Channel Islands.
Monstrilla longicornis, I. C. Thompson, PI. xiii., fig. 1-7.
1890. Monstrilla longicornis, I.C. Thompson, Trans. L’pool. Biol.
Soc., vol. iv., p. 119, pl. iv., figs. 1, 2, and 4 (6).
1892. Monstrilla longiremis, Giesb., Pelagischen Copepoden des
Golfes von Neapel, p. 589, pl. 46, figs. 10, 14, 22, 37, and
41 (9).
1962. : ete longiremis, T. Scott, 20th Rept. Fishery Board
for Scotland, pt. iii., p. 469, pl. xxv., figs. 3 and 4 (9).
The antennules in both the female and male are elongated and slender,
being in some examples nearly half as long as the cephalothorax and
abdomen combined; but their length seems to vary to some extent in
different individuals, and those of the male appear to be proportionally
rather longer than in the female. ‘The male antennules are composed of
six joints, and the articulation between the fifth and sixth is so hinged
that the sixth joint can be folded inwards ; the second and last joints are
of nearly equal length and considerably longer than any of the others
(fig. 6). In the female antennules all the joints except the first appear
to be coalescent, so that each antennule is apparently only two-jointed
(fig. 3). |
The fifth thoracic feet of the female consist each of a sub-cylindrical
plate, but the proximal half of the leg is rather wider than the lower half
and is defined from it by a distinct notch on the inner margin, and from
this notch there springs a moderately long seta; three other sete spring
from the distal extremity of the leg, but the innermost one is short while
the other two are elongated; all the setze appear to be more or less plumose
(fig. 4).
The fifth feet of the male are somewhat rudimentary, each being
represented by a single moderately long plumose seta which springs from
a small tubercle near the lower ventral margin of the last thoracic seg-
ment. The genital appendages are narrow and spiniform (fig. 7),
The furcal joints in the female are each furnished with five moderately
long sete, but there are only four sete to each of the furcal joints in the
male, This appears to be the only British species of Jfonstrilla in which
the number of furcal sete in the female is five.
The male of Monstrilla longicornis does not appear to have been
previously recorded except by I. C. Thompson,
* Nat. Hist. Trans. Northumb., Durham, and Newcastle, vol. xiv., p. 64, pl. iv., fig. 1-3.
+ Journ. Marine Zool. and Microscopy, vol. ii., p. 97 (No. 8, December, 1897).
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 245
The following are the localities whence I have obtained this species
and the dates when the different specimens were collected :—
Firth of Forth, between Fidra and the Bass Rock, October 18,
1890 (9).
Firth of Forth, east of Inchkeith, August 14, 1891 (2 & S).
Firth of Forth (locality not stated), 1893 (Q & 3).
Firth of Forth, Station V. (to the west of May Island), August 30,
1894 (9 & 3).
Firth of Forth, Station V., July 24, 1901 (9).
Firth of Tay, at Buddon, December 5, 1902 (9).
Thirty-five miles east of May Island (per ss. ‘“Glenogle,” of
Aberdeen), August 20, 1903 (2 & 3).
Off Aberdeen about ten miles, November 11, 1901 (9).
Firth of Clyde, off the Ayrshire coast, November (date not stated),
1895 (9).
Firth of Clyde, head of Loch Fyne, December 11, 1897 (9).
Firth of Clyde, Whitefarland Bay, Arran, July 6, 1899 (¢).
Solway Firth, Luce Bay (per Andrew Scott), November 26, 1901 (9).
Larne Harbour, Ireland (per Andrew Scott), January 14, 1904,
The female represented by the drawing (fig. 1) measured 3:1 mm.,
which is similar to the size given by Dr. Giesbrecht ; the length of the
male which the drawing represents (fig. 2) is 2 mm.
One or two of the more obvious characters by which Ji. longicornis
may be distinguished from other forms are the long and somewhat slender
antennules, the form and armature of the fifth pair of thoracic feet,
and the number of the furcal sete. The structure of the abdomen
appears also to differ to some extent from the other species of Monstrilla
recorded here.
It may be remarked further that the integument in this species when
examined with the microscope and under a moderately high power is seen
to have a granular appearance not observed in other species (see the
drawings, figs .1 and 2).
That I. C. Thompson’s Monstrilla longicornis is identical with MM,
longiremis, Giesbrecht, must, I think, be admitted. The long antennules,
the granular appearance of the integument, the number of furcal sete, and
the structure of the abdomen show that it can be nothing else, and as
Thompson’s name was published two years before that of Dr. Giesbrecht
it must be restored. Thompson does not appear to have seen the female
or Dr. Giesbrecht the male of this species.
Monstrilla gracilicauda, Giesbrecht. PI. xiii., fig. 8-10; pl. xiv., fig. 15.
1892. Monstrilla gracilicauda, Giesb., op. cit., p. 587, pl. 46,
figs. 9, 16, 18, 29, 32, 43.
In the female of Monstrilla gracilicauda the antennules are rather
shorter than in the species just described. They appear to be four-
jointed, the first three being small, while the end joint is equal to the
eutire length of the other three (fig. 8, pl. xiii.).
The fifth pair of thoracic feet (fig. 15, pl. xiv.) are sub-quadrate in out-
line, rather longer than broad, and somewhat gibbous at the distal end as
shown in the drawing; each foot is furnished with three plumose sete,
one on the outer aspect and two at the apex, the feathering is very
delicate and can only be seen by using a moderately high magnification.
The abdomen consists of four segments, the first segment, which
246 Part ITI. —Twenty-second Annual Report
appears to consist of two coalescent segments, is of a sub-cylindrical form
but tapers slightly towards the distal extremity ; it is about one-third
longer than the breadth at the widest part and nearly twice the entire
length of the next segments. The third segment is only about half the
length of the second one.
The furcal joints are each provided with six sete arranged as shown in
the drawing (fig. 10, pl. xiii.), but one of the seta is very small.
The length of the specimen represented by the drawing is 3°l mm.,
which is somewhat larger than that stated by Dr. Giesbrecht. No males
of this species have been observed hitherto.
M. gracilicauda has been collected at the following places :—
Firth of Forth, above Queensferry, June 26, 1890 (9).
Firth of Forth, off Musselburgh, September 29, 1892 (@).
*35 miles east of May Island, Firth of Forth (per s.s, “ Glenogle ”),
August 20, 1903 (9).
Firth of Clyde, Whitefarland Bay, Arran, July 6, 1899 (9).
Firth of Clyde, near head of Loch Fyne, November 28, 1899 (9).
Monstrilla anglica, Lubbock. PI. xiii., fig. 13; pl. xiv., fig. 12-14.
1857. Monstrilla anglica, Lubbock. Ann, and Mag. Nat, Hist.
(2), vol. xx., p. 409; pl &., fis. 12.8:
1900. Monstrilla (?) dane, Scott, 18th Ann. Rept. Fishery
Board for Scotland, pt. 111., p. 398, pl. xiii., fig. 15-20.
Description of the Female.—The specimen represented by the drawing
measures 3°2 mm. (nearly 3 of an inch); it has a general resemblance in
size and structure to Monstrilla longicornis, but is scarcely so robust (fig.
13, gpl. sxai1s):
The antennules are elongated and slender and indistinctly three-jointed ;
the basal joint is as usual very short; the next, which is not very clearly
defined, is also small, but longer than the basal joint; the remaining
portion consists of a single piece which may be made up of two or three
coalescent joints (fig. 12, pl. xiv.).
The fifth pair of thoracic feet are sub-cylindrical in outline, and nearly
twice as long as broad; each foot is furnished with two elongated apical
sete, and the inner margin, which is nearly straight and shorter than the
outer margin, terminates in a small rounded process, beyoud which the
distal portion of the foot becomes narrower as shown in the drawing
(fig. 13, pl. xiv.).
The genital filaments are scarcely equal in length to the furcal sete.
The abdomen appears to consist of three segments; the first segment
is about twice the length of the second, while the second is about one and
a half times the length of the third.
The furcal joints are each furnished with six setze (fig. 14, pl. xiv.).
Habitat.—F¥irth of Forth, west of May Island, July 26, 1901 ; thirty-
five miles east of May Island, August 20, 1903, per s.s. ‘“‘Glenogle.”
Females only were observed in both gatherings.
This species resembles M. longicornis in size, in the elongate antennules,
and to some extent in the structure of the abdomen, but differs very
distinctly in the armature of the fifth pair of thoracic feet, and in
possessing six instead of five furcal setee ; and the integument appears to
want the minutely granulated structure observed in M. longicornis.
The specimens recorded by me in Part III. of the Eighteenth Annual
Report of the Fishery Board for Scotland from the Firth of Clyde appear
to belong to Lubbock’s Monstrilla anglica; these specimens were
* This specimen was of a fine green colour.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 247
apparently imperfect as regards the furcal hairs, and no doubt helped to
disguise their relationship with the species named. Having now obtained
specimens in fairly good condition, [am enabled to give a few accurate
figures of the female which may be of interest as supplementing Dr.
Bourne’s very fine drawings of the male. (See the Quarterly Journ. of
Micros. ‘Science, vol. xxx., pt. 4, new series, Feb. 1890.)
Monstrilla dubia, T. Scott, sp.n. PL. xiii., fig. 14; pl. xiv., fig. 16-18.
Description of the Female.—Body moderately slender ; length of the
specimen represented by the drawing is 3°3 mm. (fully $ of an inch).
The cephalothoraciec segment is about one and a half times the entire
length of the remaining thoracic segments and abdomen.
The abdomen is composed of three segments ; the first segment is about
equal in size to the last segment of the thorax, the second is smaller than
the next, while the second and third are together scarcely as long as the
first segment (fig. 14, pl. xiv.).
The antennules are moderately stout and about half as long as the
cephalothoracic segment, and composed of four joints ; the first and third
joints are small, the second is about half as long again as the third, while
the fourth is equal to the entire length of the three joints (fig. 16, pl. xiv.)
The fifth pair of thoracic feet are moderately slender; each foot is
_narrow and sub-cylindrical at the proximal end, but becomes wider
distally and terminates in two lobes; the outer lobe is larger than the
inner and is furnished with three moderately long sete, the inner lobe is
narrow and appears to be devoid of setz as shown in the drawing (fig.
17, pl. xiv.).
The furcal joints are each provided with four elongated hairs, one of
them springs from near the base of the outer margin, two spring from
the apex, while the fourth is attached on the inner aspect and near the
middle of the joint, as seen in the drawing (fig. 18, pl. xiv.).
Habitat.—F¥irth of Forth, east of Inchkeith, August 14, 1891; and
head of Lech Fyne (Firth of Clyde), November 11, 1897, and November
28, 1899. No males have been observed.
Remarks.—The Copepod of which I have just given a description
does not agree with any described species known to me. The characters
by which it may be distinguished are the following three: first, the
structure of the abdomen, the first segment of which is as large as the
segment of the thorax next to it ; second, the peculiar form of the fifth
pair of thoracic feet; and, third, the number and arrangement of the
furcal sete.
Monstrilla dubia as described and figured here has a somewhat close
resemblance to the female of M. dame as represented by the beautiful
drawings of Professor Claparéde,* and especially by figure 3, taf. xvi.,
which shows the female from the under side; the proportional lengths of
the abdominal and of the posterior thoracic segments are almost identical,
but the furcal joints are represented with only three sete ; there is also
a slight difference in the length of the second joint of the antennules,
Had a separate drawing of the fifth pair of thoracic feet of the female
been given by that author the identification of the species would have
been rendered more certain.
* Beobachtungen uber Anatomie und Entwicklungsgeschichte wirbelloser thier an der
kiiste von Normandie, Angestellt, p. 95, taf. xvi., fig. 1-6 (1863).
248 Part I11—Twenty-second Annual Report
Genus Thaumaleus Kroyer, 1849.
Thaumaleus thomsoni, Giesb. Pl. xiv., fig. 1-4.
1892, Thaumaleus thomsent, Giesb., Pelag. Copep. des Golfes v.
Neapel, p. 584, pl. 46, fig. 7, 27, 31, 36, 40.
1902. Thaumaleus thompsont, Scott, 20th Ann. Rept. Fishery
Board for Scotland, pt. iii., p. 470, pl. xxv., fig. 5, 6.
In Part III. of the Twentieth Annual Report of the Fishery Board
for Scotland, I published a description with figures of the male of
Thaumaleus thompsoni taken in Lerwick Harbour, Shetland. Recently,
when examining a small collection of Monstrillas that had been captured
from time to time during the past twelve or fifteen years, I found a single
female of the same species that had been taken in a tow-net sample
collected off Scarborough on July 9, 1893, during some investigations on
behalf of the Fishery Board for Scotland ; this specimen I will now
briefly describe, and illustrate the description with figures showing a few
of its more characteristic features.
The specimen referred to was elongated and very slender, and
measured 4°8 mm. in length (about $ of an inch). The cephalothoracic
segment was about equal to twice the entire length of the remaining
segments of the thorax and abdomen combined (fig. ay pleexive):
The antennules are short and stout, and appear to consist of four
joints; but the third, which is small, seems to be partly coalescent with
the second (fig. 2, pl. xiv.).
The fifth pair of thoracic feet are moderately large, foliaceous, and are
abruptly wider at the distal extremity, the result of a lobe-like process
on the inner distal aspect; each foot carries three apical sete, the
innermost of which is considerably shorter than the other two, as shown
in the drawing (fig. 3, pl. xiv.).
The abdomen consists of two segments ; the first is fully half as long
as the last segment of the thorax, and larger and more dilated than the
second segment, The short furcal joints carry three moderately elongated
sete (lig. 4, pl. xiv.).
The structure of the fifth pair of thoracic feet, and the form of the
abdomen referred to above, seem to be characteristic of this species.
Thaumaleus rigidus (I.C. Thompson). PI. xiii. fig. 15--17; pl. xiv, fig. 19.
1888. Cymbasoma rigida, I. C. Thompson. Linn. Soc. Journ.
Zool., vol. xx., p. 154, pl. xiii., fig. 1-4.
1890. Monstrilla rigida, Bourne. Quart. Journ. Micros. Science,
VOLixxx, plixxxyal,, tie; 8, Wil, 02,
1892. Thaumaleus claparedii, Giesb., op. cit., pp. 381-385, taf.
46, fig. 5, 15, 21, 26.
Description of the Female.—Length of the specimen represented by
the drawing (fig. 15, pl. xiii.), 2°7 mm. (+ of an inch). The cephalothorax
is moderately stout, rather wider near the anterior end, and nearly twice as
long as the entire length of the remaining segments. The abdomen is
composed of two segments ; the first is about one and a half times the
length of the last segment of the thorax, and the proximal half is more or
less dilated ; the second segment, which is smaller than the first, is
probably composed of two coalescent segments, as a slight constriction,
dividing the segment into two portions as shown by the drawing (fig. 15,
pl. xili., and fig. 19, pl. xiv.), is observable in all the specimens examined,
The antennules are short and stout and appear to be four-jointed, the
first and third joints being very small (fig. 16, pl. xiii.).
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 249
The fifth pair of thoracic feet are rather longer than broad, the
terminal portion being distinctly small and wider than the proximal
half; each foot carries three moderately long apical sete, as shown in
the drawing (fig. 17, pl. xiii.).
The fureal joints, which are of moderate length, are each furnished
with three sete (fig. 19, pl. xiv.).
Habitat.—Mauchrie Bay, Arran, Firth of Clyde, September 17, 1886.
St. Andrews Bay, August 7, and off St. Monans, Firth of Forth,
September 6, 1890. Dornoch Firth (Moray Firth district), July 30,
1895. Whitefarland Bay, Arran, Firth of Clyde, July 6, and between
Arran and the Ayrshire coast, November 9, 1899. All the specimens
obtained were females,
Remarks.—I have adopted I. C. Thompson’s name for this form in
preference to that of Dr, Giesbrecht, as I am convinced, after examining
a number of individuals and comparing them with the descriptions and
figures of Thompson and Bourne, that Thaumaleus rigidus (1. C.
Thompson) and 7. claparédii are identical. The antennules of the
female in both are short and stout, and although Thompson’s figure
indicates a greater number of articulations than is observed in 7’. claparédit,
this may be due perhaps to certain constrictions having been mistaken for
joints ; but what I rely on chiefly is the structure of the abdomen and the
form and armature of the fifth pair of thoracic legs of the female, which,
so far as they are represented by both Thompson’s and Bourne’s figures,
are practically the same as the similar parts of 7’. claparédii represented
by the drawings of Dr. Giesbrecht.
Thaumaleus zetlandicus, 'T. Scott, sp. n. xiii igs 18s 190s pl save,
fig. 20-22; pl. xv., fig. 3, 4.
Description of the Female.—Body moderately stout and elongated ;
length of the specimen represented by the drawing (fig. 18, pl. ii.), 4-°8 mm,
(nearly 1 of an inch). The cephalothoracic segment is about one and a
half times the entire length of the remaining segments of the thorax and
abdomen.
The abdomen is composed of three segments; the first segment is
distinctly larger than the last segment of the thorax and about twice the
entire length of the next two abdominal segments ; these two segments are
sub-equal, but the second is slightly the longer of the two (fig. 22, pl. xiv.).
The antennules, which are short and moderately stout, are composed of
four joints; the first and third joints are smaller than the others, while
the end joint is about equal to the entire length of the other three
(fig. 20, pl. xiv.).
The fifth pair of thoracic feet are short and broadly foliaceous and
terminate in two broad rounded sub-equal lobes, the outer one of which
is provided with three moderately long setw; the inner lobes do not
appear to carry any setze (fig. 21, pl. xiv.).
A male belonging apparently to the same species as the female
described above is considerably smaller than it, and the cephalothoracic
segment is only slightly longer than the combined lengths of the other
thoracic segments (fig. 19, pl. xiii.). The length of this male, which is
represented by the drawing just referred to, is 2°6 mm. (or nearly +; of
an inch), The antennules are five-jointed and longer than those of the
female (fig. 3, pl. xv.); the abdomen appears to consist of four segments,
the first two are sub-equal and are each distinctly smaller than the last
segment of the thorax, while the last two are together only a little
longer than the preceding segment. ‘The number of furcal hairs is the
same as in the female (fig. 2, pl. xv.).
Halitat.—Lerwick Harbour, Shetland, October 15, 1901.
250 Part L11.—Twenty-second Annual Report
Remarks,—The more obvious characters by which this species may be
distinguished are: the structure and lengths of the female antennules, the
three-segmented abdomen, together with the proportional difference in the
size of the first segment with the preceding segment of the thorax and
the other two abdominal segments; and lastly, the peculiar form of the
fifth pair of thoracic feet, as indicated by the various figures.
Thaumaleus rostratus, T, Scott, sp. n. Pl. xiv., fig. 5-8.
Description of the Female.—The length of the specimen represented by
the drawing (fig. 5) is 39 mm. (about 52, of an inch); the first
cephalothoracic segment is moderately stout, tapering gradually in front
into a blunt pointed rostrum; while posteriorly the body becomes
gradually narrower towards the distal extremity (fig. 5, pl. xiv.).
The abdomen is composed of three segments; the first segment is as
large as the next two together, but the second is very small.
Each of the furcal joints is provided with three sete of moderate
lengths, arranged as shown in the drawing (fig. 8, pl. xiv.).
Antennules short and moderately stout, four-jointed and sparingly
setiferous ; the first and third joints are small, the second is about one
and a half times the length of the third, while the last is equal to the
entire length of the other three joints (fig. 6, pl. xiv.).
The fifth pair of thoracic feet are short and foliaceous, and each
terminates in two unequal lobes; the outer lobe, which is narrower than
the inner and projects somewhat beyond it, is furnished with three
moderately long sete; the inner lobe is broadly rounded and provided
with a single seta (fig. 7, pl. xiv.).
Habitat.—Lerwick Harbour, Shetland, October 15,1901. Three or
four specimens were obtained, all of which were females.
Remarks.—The form just described is readily distinguished by the
produced forehead and by the form and armature of the fifth pair of
thoracic feet.
Fam. CHontostoMatip&, Hansen (1887).
Genus Stenothocheres, Hansen (1897).
Stenothocheres egregius, H, J. Hansen. PI. xv., fig. 5-10.
1897. Stenothocheres egregius, Hansen, The Choniostomatide,
p. 89, pl. i, fig. 1 a-e.
The Spheronella-like form which I ascribe to Stenothocheres egregius
was obtained in the marsupium of Metopa borealis, G. O. Sars. The
female represented by the drawing (fig. 5) measured about ‘68 mm. in
length (nearly =, of an inch) ; the body was almost spherical in shape,
but was rather longer than the height.
The antennules are small (fig. 7), and the end joint, which is furnished
with two moderately long spine-like terminal sete, is about one and a
half times as long as the preceding one.
The antennz are very minute and composed of two sub-equal joints,
and they are each armed with a comparatively stout terminal spine (fig. 8).
The maxillipeds were damaged while being removed for the purpose
of mounting, but the second pair, so far as they could be made out,
appear to be moderately strong with stout terminal claws as indicated in
figure 6.
The first pair of feet, though very small, are comparatively stout and
two-branched, and both branches appear to be two-jointed ; the inner
branches are furnished with three apical spines, the middle one being
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 251
maderately elongated, while the other two are short; the outer branches,
on the other hand, are provided with one terminal spine which is
moderately stout (fig. 9).
The second pair appear to be more slender than the first, and the inner
branches are only one-jointed and bear a single moderately long apical
spine; the outer branches, which are two-jointed, are only armed with a
very short spine at the apex (fig. 10).
The abdomen is very small and provided with two furcal joints which
bear a few minute sete.
The Amphipod on which the parasite was observed occurred in a
surface tow-net gathering collected in Aberdeen Bay on October 16, 1903.
The parasite agrees very closely with the description and drawings of
S. egregius, Hansen, as given in that author's Monograph of the
Choniostomatide referred to above, avd therefore, though the Amphipod
on which it was found (Metopa borealis, G. O. Sars) is a different species
from that mentioned by Dr. Hansen as the host S. egregius, I am
satisfied that the parasite I have described belongs to that species.
The Amphipod on which Hr. Hansen obtained his specimens of
S. egregius belonged to Metopa bruzelii (Goés.).
Splueronella paradoxa, H. J. Hansen, PI. xv., fig. 17-19.
1897. Sphwronella paradoxa, Hansen, The Choniostomatide,
p. 118, pl. iii., fig. 4 a-l; pl. iv., fig. 1 a-h.
The female of this Sphwronella represented by the drawing (figs. 16
and 17) is smaller than those described by Dr. Hansen, being only ‘57 mm.,
whereas the smallest of the specimens mentioned by that author was
‘71 mm. But with the exception of the difference in size the specimen
recorded here agrees very well with the species to which it is referred.
The specimen was found in the marsupium of Bathyporeia pelagica
(Bate). The figure representing a side view of the parasite shows the
posterior thread-like attachment considerably twisted upon itself and
terminating in a sucker disc; the only other appendages visible are at
the anterior end, and comprise a pair of antennules and a pair of powerful
maxillipeds.
Six specimens of Bathyporeia were found to be infested with
Spheronella, and all the parasites observed appeared to be adult females.
The body of the female, represented by the drawings, is seen to be nearly
globular, particularly when viewed from above.
The antennules are three-jointed, the end joint being the longest one
and the penultimate joint the smallest; they are each provided with a
few sete (fig. 18).
The maxillipeds (fig. 19) appear also to be three-jointed ; the first
joint is very large, but the other two are smaller; the third is armed
with a moderately stout terminal claw, and as the articulation between
the first and second joints forms a hinge, the last two joints, together
with the terminal claw, can be folded upon the first, and this allows the
maxillipeds to be used as powerful grasping organs.
No males were observed.
Habitat—In the marsupium of Bathyporeta pelagica (Spence Bate),
collected off Lossiemouth, Moray Firth, December 29, 1903.
Spheronella minuta, T. Scott, sp. n, Pl. xv., fig. 11-15.
An adult Spheronella was obtained in the marsupium of a specimen
of Perioculodes longimanus (Spence Bate) from the Dornoch Firth,
collected by the bottom tow-net on December 28, 1903. Dorsal and side
views of the specimen are represented by fig. 12, 11. The length of the
specimen is ‘48 mm. (about =, of an inch).
252 Part I1I.—Twenty-second Annual Report
The antennules appear to be three-jointed; the first joint is nearly
twice as long as the second, while the third is equal to rather more than
the entire length of the first and second (fig. 13).
The first maxillipeds are very small, and consist of a single stout joint
armed with a moderately strong terminal claw (fig. 14).
The second maxillipeds are rather more slender and elongated than the
other pair; the basal joint is twice as long as broad ; the next two are
small and narrow, and appear to be hinged to the basal joint; the
terminal claw, which is moderately stout, is slightly curved (fig. 15).
Dr, Hansen states that he obtained female Spheronellas in the
marsuplums of three specimens of Perioculodes longimanus from
Denmark, and that they appeared to be identical with S. paradoxa, the
only appreciable difference being their smaller size, Dr. Hansen’s exten-
sive knowledge of this curious and difficult group of Crustacea precludes
any doubt concerning the accuracy of the identification of these specimens,
I am therefore inclined to regard the Spheronelia found on the Perioculodes
from the Dornoch Firth as a somewhat different form from those he
observed, and have described it provisionally under a distinct specific name.
This Spheronella from the Dornoch Firth Perioculodes appears to
differ not only in size and shape from S. paradova, but also in the size
and proportional lengths of the joints of the antennules and in the size
and structure of the second maxillipeds,
Spheronella callisome, T, Scott, sp. n. Pl. xv., fig. 20-27.
The Spheronella I record under this name was obtained on a specimen
of Callisoma crenata (Spence Bate) collected at the mouth of the Firth
of Clyde on February 7, 1899. The parasite is an adult female and
measured *86 mm. in length (= 54 of an inch), The body seen from
above is nearly globular, and the cephalon is seen projecting somewhat
beyond the anterior aspect in the form of a moderately conspicuous
tubercle (fig. 21). Seen from the side the body is broadly oblong, with
both the anterior and posterior ends boldly convex. The anterior portion
of the body appears to be thickly beset with minute hairs (fig. 20 and 21).
The antennules are three-jointed; the middle joint is very short, but
the other two are moderately elongated (fig. 22).
The antenne are very small and uniarticulate, and are each furnished
with a single terminal seta about as long as the antennal joint (fig. 25),
The mandibles are slender, elongated, and sub-cylindrical (fig. 24).
The maxille are stout, and are each apparently composed of a single
piece, and armed with two moderately stout terminal sete, while a third
seta springs from a minute lateral process, as shown in the drawing (fig. 25).
The first and second maxillipeds have each of them moderately stout
basal joints, and they are each provided with strong terminal claws
(fig. 26, 27).
The ventral filament, which is furnished with a terminal sucker-like
disc, is long and slender, and twisted upon itself as shown in fig 20.
This Spheronella does not agree with any described species known to
me.
Spheronella cluthe, T. Scott, sp. n. Pl. xv., fig. 28-30.
A single adult female of this Sphwronella was obtained in the
marsupium of a specimen of Harpinia pectinata, G. O. Sars,* found in a
tow-net gathering collected in moderately deep water at the mouth of the
Clyde estuary, and nearly midway between Ailsa Craig and Sanda
Island ; this tow-net gathering was collected on November 14, 1899.
* Some remarks on the distribution of this Harpinia will be found among the Notes
on Amphipoda at page 256.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 253
This parasite, which appears to differ from any other Sphwronella
known to me, measures ‘74 mm. in length (about =, of aninch). Its form
is almost globular, especially the dorsal view, but seen from the side the
height is rather less than the width (fig. 28, 29).
The only appendages that could be satisfactorily made out were the
second maxillipeds, and these are moderately elongated and slender, and
are each provided with a slender terminal claw (fig. 30).
There does not appear to be any previous record of a Sphewronella
having been found on Harpinia pectinata.
Spheronella pygmea, T. Scott, sp. n. Pl. xv., fig. 31-34.
The adult female of this species represented by the drawings (fig. 31
and 32), whether viewed dorsally or from the side, is seen to be of a
nearly oval form, the length being equal to about one and a half times
the breadth. This parasite, which is very small, measures only *49 mm.
in length (about J; of an inch).
The antennules and antennz appear to be rudimentary, while the only
appendages of which a satisfactory examination was made were the first
and second maxillipeds represented by the drawings (fig, 33, 34).
The first maxillipeds, which are very small and uniarticulate, are armed
with a moderately stout terminal claw (fig. 33).
The second maxillipeds are elongated and three-jointed ; the inner
distal angle of the first joint is produced so as to forma small bifid
projection ; the first and second joints are sub-equal in length ; the third
is small and narrow, and bears a somewhat feeble terminal claw (fig. 34).
Habitat.—This small Sphwronella was obtained in the marsupium of a
specimen of Pseudocuma similis, G. O. Sars. No males or post-larval
females were observed.
There does not appear to be any previous record of a Spheronella
from this species of Pseudocuma.
Spheronella amphilochi, H, J. Hansen. Pl. xv., fig. 35, 36.
1897. Spheronella amphilochi, H. J. H., op. cit., p. 139, pl. vil.,
) fe. 38 aud pb;
The Spheronellu I record under this name was found in the marsupium
of Amphilochoides odontonyx (Boeck) (= Amphilochoides pusillus, G. O.
Sars).* The specimen represented by the drawing (fig. 35) is a young
female, and as Dr. Hansen has only described the adult form of the
species from a solitary example, a satisfactory comparison between our
specimen and his description and figures could not be made. Dr.
Hansen’s specimen was, however, found on the same species of Amphipod,
and this favours the identification of the two parasites as being the old
and young females of the same species. The young female I am
recording measured only "14 mm. in length (about ;4, of an inch), but
the size of the adult described by Dr. Hansen was ‘54 mm.
A specimen which appeared to be an adult female was taken from the
marsupium of the same Amphipod in which the young one now recorded
was obtained, but it was somehow lost ere it could be thoroughly
examined and figured.
The posterior part of the body of the young female is distinctly hispid,
and the thoracic legs were furnished with long and slender terminal hairs,
as shown in fig. 35. Near the middle of the dorsal aspect a number of
slender bristles were observed.
* Crustacea of Norway, vol. i. (Amphipoda), p. 222. See also the supplement to the
volume, p. 690, where the author restores Boeck’s name, A. odontony, for the name used
in the body of the work,
254 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
The second maxillipeds were moderately powerful, but the other
appendages were smaller and weaker.
As this young female agrees with none of the other young forms
described by Dr. Hansen, I prefer for the present to regard it as the post
larval stage of his Sphceronella amphilocht.
As a list of the genera and species of the Choniostomatide described
by Dr. H. J. Hansen in his interesting work on that curious group of
parasitic Copepoda may be useful, I give it here. To this list I have
added the few odd forms mentioned in the preceding notes, and one or
two others recorded in previous Reports. The names of the hosts on
which the parasites have been obtained are also given, and I have indicated
by an asterisk (*) such of the species as up till now have been observed
in Scottish waters. This will show how much room still remains for
further research among these minute organisms.
The names of the parasites are arranged in alphabetical order on the
left-hand side of the page, while the names of the hosts on which they have
been found are placed immediately opposite.
Names of the Parasites. Names of the Hosts.
Gen. Aspidoecia. Erythrops elegans, G. O. Sars ;
*Aspidoecia normant, Giard and HH. serrata, G. O. Sars; L. ery-
Bonnier. throphthalmus (Goés.); &.
microphthalmus, G. O. Sars ;
and HL, abyssorum, G. O. Sars.
Gen. Choniostoma.
Choniostoma hanseni, Giard and | Hippolyte gaimardti, M.-Edw, and
Bonnier. H. polaris (Sabine).
Choniostoma mirabilis, H. J. 9 gaimardii, M.-Edw.
Hansen. 7
Gen. Homeoscelus.
Homeoscelus mediterranea, | Iphinoé trispinosa (Goodsir).
HM. J.-H. :
Homeoscelus minuta, H. J. H. Diastylis lucifera (Kroyer).
Gen. Mysidion.
Mysidion abyssorum, H. J. H. Erythrops abyssorum, G. O. Sars.
commune, H. J. H. Erythrops serrata, G. O. 8.; #.
abyssorum, G. O.8.; and Par-
erythrops obesa, G. O.S.
bP}
Gen. Spheronella, H. J. H.
(a) Spheronellas pajrasitic on Amphipoda.
Spheronella abyssi, H. J. H. Astyra abysst, Boeck.
acanthozonis, H.J. H,| Acanthozone cuspidata (Lepech.).
amphilochi, H. J, H. | Amphilochoides odontonyx (Boeck).
i bs (=Amphilochoides pusillus, G.
O. Sars).
i antillensis, H. J. H. | Corophiwm bonelii, M.-Edw.
BS argisse, H. J. H. Argissa hamatipes, Norman (=A.
typica, Boeck).
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
Names of the Parasites.
Names of the Hosts.
Spheronella atyli, H. J. H.
a bonnieri, H. J. H.
a caliopti, H. J. H.
* . callisome, T. Scott
os capensis, H. J. H.
+ chinensis, H, J. H.
cluthe, T. Scott.
+ danica, H. J. H.
HM dulichie, H. J. H.
+3 elegantula, H. J. H.
a Frontalis, H. J. H.
" giardu, H. J. H.
if gitanopsidis, H.J.H.
’ holbolli, H. J. H.
x intermedia, H. J. H.
BS irregularts, H. J. H.
nf leptochetra, H. J. H.
se longipes, H. J. H.
As messinensis, H. J. H.
$ metope, H. J. H.
ne microcephala, Giard
and Bonnier.
minuta, T. Scott.
paradoxa, H. J. H.
sf vestita, H. J. H.
Paratylus swammerdami(M.-Edw.).
Protomedia fasciata, Kroyer.
Calliopius leviusculus (Kroyer).
Callisoma crenata, Spence Bate.
Lemboides afer, Stebbing.
Corophium bonellit, M.-Edw.
Harpinia pectinata, G. O. Sars.
Corophium crassicorne (Bruz.).
Dulichia monocantha, Metzger.
Cheirocrates sundewalli (Rathke).
Ampelisca macrocephala, Lill}.
Protomedia fasciata, Kroyer.
Gitanopsis arctica, G. O. Sars.
Paramphithoé boeckit, H. J. H.
Bruzelia typica, Boeck.
Metopa rubrovittata, G. O. Sars.
Leptocheirus guttatus, Grube.
Ampelisca tenuicornis, Lillj.
Gammaropsis melanops, G. O. Sars.
Metopa bruzelit (Goés.).
Ampelisca typica, Spence Bate.
Perioculodes longimanus (Spence
Bate).
Bathyporeia norvegica, G. O. Sars ;
B. pelagica (Bate); and B.
robertsoni (Bate).
Microprotopus maculatus, Norman.
(b) Spheronellas plarasitic on Isopoda.
Spheronella affinis, H. J. H.
is curtipes, H. J. H.
3a munnopsidis, H. J. H.
Janira maculosa, Leach.
» spinosa, Harger.
Munnopsis typica, M. Sars.
(c) Spheronellas pjarasitic on Sympoda.
Spheronella decorata, H. J. H.
rh dispar, H. J. H.
- insignis, H. J. H.
2B marginata, H. J. H.
5 modesta, H. J. H.
pygmea, 'T. Scott.
Gen. Stenothocheres, H. J. H.
* Stenothocheres egregius, H. J. H.
>. sarsi, H. J. H.
Gen. Salenskya, Giard and Bonnier.
*Salenskya tuberosa, Giard and
Bonnier.
Diastylis rathkei, Kroyer.
Eudorella truncatula (Spence Bate).
Diastylis cornuta, Boeck ; and D.
rostratus, Goodsir (=D. levis
Norman).
Iphinoé trispinosa (Goodsir).
ELudorella emarginata (Kroyer).
Pseudocuma similis, G. O. Sars.
Metopa bruzelli (Goés), and
Metopa borealis, G. O. Sars.
Stenothoé marina, Spence Bate.
Ampelisca spinipes, Boeck.
256 Part III —Twenty-second Annual Report
AMPHIPODA.
The following notes on some species belonging to the Amphipoda and
one or two other groups of the Malocostraca obtained in plankton—
samples collected during the investigations recently carried out by Dr.
T. Wemyss Fulton in the North Sea and the Moray Firth—may be of
interest.
Hyperia medusarum (O. F. Muller). This species, which appears to
have a decidedly northern and Arctic distribution, and of which there is
so far no authentic British record, was obtained in a surface plankton-
sample collected about 180 to 185 miles east by north of Aberdeen on
October 8th, 1903. One or two full-grown females and several young
specimens were noticed. In the same gatherings there were observed
Clione borealis and Limacina retroversa—two northern Pteropods—as
well as Tryphosa nanoides, Hoplonyx cicada, and some other and
commoner forms.
Tryphana malmi, Boeck. This curious and brightly coloured little
Amphipod occurred in a surface gathering collected off the Ord of Caith-
ness, Moray Firth, on November 21st, and in a bottom gathering collected
off Lossiemouth on December 29th, 1903. This is the first time I have
met with 7yphana so close to the Scottish north-east coast, but the Rev.
Canon A. M. Norman records its occurrence at Banff, whence specimens
were sent to him many years ago by Thomas Edward,* Professor G. O.
Sars in his great work on the Crustacea of Norway records this species
from three different places on the west coast of Norway, and only from
deep water ; he states further that Boeck also obtained it in deep water
in Hardangerfjord.t The only other localities which Norman gives in
his note on the distribution of the species are the Faroe Isles and North
Atlantic, lat. 18° 8’, long. 30° 5’ W. (Stebbing). Zryphana malmi may,
however, be less rare than the apparent dearth of information concerning
its distribution would seem to imply. I have obtained it in at least two
plankton-samples from the Shetland Islands, in addition to the two
mentioned above.t
Anonyx nugax (Phipps). This species, rarely met with in the British
seas, was captured in Aberdeen Bay on December 28rd, 1903. The species
was taken for the first time in Scottish waters in February, 1889 ; on
that occasion it was obtained near May Island, at the mouth of the Forth
estuary.§ It was again met with in January, 1901, in the Cromarty
Firth, when specimens collected on the 10th of that month by Mr. F. G.
Pearcey were forwarded to the Fishery Board’s Laboratory at Bay of
Nigg, near Aberdeen,|| and the present record of its occurrence in
Aberdeen Bay is the only other occasion on which it has been observed
off the east coast of Scotland. None of the Scottish specimens of
Anonyx nugax have attained to anything like the size of some Arctic
examples,
Hoplonyx cicada (Fabricius). This species, which, like the last, is
also a northern form, has already been referred to in the note on Hyperia
* British Amphipoda of the Tribe Hyperiide, &c., Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., (7), vol.
v., p. 183 (January 1900).
+ Crustacea of Norway, vol. i., Amphipoda, p. 18.
+ Conseil permanent International pour l’exploration de la Mer; Bull. des Results,
Pt. D., for August, 1903, pp. 44-47.
§ Eleventh Ann. Rept. of the Fishery Board for Scotland, Part III., p. 212, pl. v., fig.
18-20 (1898).
|| Wineteenth Ann. Rept. of the Fishery Board for Scotland, Pt. III., p. 2&8 (1901).
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 257
medusarum ; but the largest specimen observed in the collections under
consideration was obtained in the same gathering with Anonyx nugax,
from Aberdeen Bay. ‘Though the species appears to be widely distributed
along the west side of the British Islands, the records of its occurrence on
the east coast of Scotland appear to be very few, and its presence in
Aberdeen Bay is all the more interesting.
It may be stated that the gathering from Aberdeen Bay collected on
December 23rd, 1903, contained a considerable number of other species
of Amphipoda besides the two I have specially mentioned, and the names
of the following may be given, Acidostoma obesum, Tryphosa longipes,
Ampelisca spinipes, Iphimedea minutia, and one or two fine specimens of
Amathilla homari. Specimens of Diastylis rostrata and Siriella armata
were also observed.
Harpinia pectinata, G. O. Sars. The occurrence of the single specimen
of Harpinia pectinata already mentioned in connection with Spheronella
cluthe, whose host it was, is of sufficient interest to be specially referred
to in these notes. ‘The only stations that may be considered as within
the British limits where this species has hitherto been observed “are all to
the west of Ireland and between Ireland and Rockall.”* Its capture at
the mouth of the Clyde estuary may be an indication that it may be
found in other places when carefully sought for. H. pectinata, which
seems to be confined to moderately deep water, is a form that may easily
be mistaken for a more common species, the characters by which it is
distinguished being not easily made out without dissection. Professor
G. O. Sars speaks of it as being “by no means rare” off the south and
west coasts of Norway and occurring, asa rule, in company with H.
neglecta. The Rev. T. R. R. Stebbing has seen the Clyde specimen and
confirms my ideutification.
Metopa borealis, G. O. Sars. The occurrence of this species in
Aberdeen Bay has already been referred to under the Choniostomatide
as one of the hosts of Stenothocheres egregius. Metopa borealis, like M.
alderi and one or two other members of the same genus, has an unarmed
telson, but with the assistance of Professor G. O. Sars’ excellent mono-
graph, it need not be confounded with any of the other species referred
to. MM. borealis is a northern form, but appears to have a fairly wide
distribution ; it is one of the rarer forms recorded by Dr. Robertson from
the Hirth of Clyde.
Paratylus falcatus, Metzger. One or two specimens of Paratylus
falcatus were obtained in a tow-net gathering collected in the Dornoch
Firth on December 26th, 1903. Though this Paratylus bears a strong
resemblance to P. wncinatus, G. O. Sars, the tooth-like posterior projec-
tions of the segments of the metasome on the dorsal aspect readily
distinguish it. I have found both forms in Scottish waters, but neither
of them very common.
Megaluropus agilis, Norman. This somewhat curious species, readily
distinguished by the peculiar form of the eyes, was obtained in a bottom
plankton-sample collected on December 29th about three miles off
Lossiemouth, Moray Firth.
ISOPODA.
Idothea neglecta, G.O. Sars. Professor G. O. Sars in his great work on
the Crustacea of Norway, now in course of publication, has in Volume II.
* British Amphipoda, by Rev. A. M. Norman; Ann. and Mag. Nut. Hist., (7), vol.
yv., p. 337 (April, 1900),
R
258 Part II1I.—Twenty-second Annual Report
(Isopoda) described as distinct species one or two forms which previously
have apparently been included with the Isopod known as /dotea tricuspt-
data, which was in consequence considered to bea variable species. One of
the forms referred to, which Professor Sars has raised to specific rank is
named by him Jdothea neglecta,* and he states concerning it that it
“occurs along the whole Norwegian coast from Christiania Fjord to Vadsé,
and is often found in great abundance among decaying alge in depths
ranging from six to twenty fathoms.” This form is probably not un-
common round the coasts of Scotland, and is, I think, included among
the varieties of ‘ /dotea tricuspidata’ described in Bate and Westwood’s
Sessile-eyed Crustacea.t Idothea neglecta appears to be moderately
frequent in some parts of the Clyde estuary ; my friend Mr. Alexander
Patience of Glasgow, who first directed my attention to its occurrence in
the Clyde, has obtained a considerable number of specimens, which he has
been kind enough to let me examine, and there are several specimens in
the collection in the Fishery Board’s Laboratory, Bay of Nigg, which are
also from the Clyde district. The average size of the male of this Idothea
is stated by Sars to be 25 millimetres in length (=1 inch). One of the
specimens in the Laboratory is, however, much larger than that, being 33
millimetres, while others in the same collection measure 28, 27, 25, and
20 millimetres. The female is much smaller than the male, its average
size being, according to Sars, only 16 millimetres. All the specimens in
the Laboratory have been collected in different parts of upper Loch Fyne
during 1897 and 1899.
Idothea neglecta has not yet been recorded from the east coast of
Scotland.
SYMPODA.
Eudorellopsis deformis (Kroyer). This curious little species was
obtained in a plankton-sample collected by the s.s. “‘Glenogle” about
fifty miles to the eastward of the May Island, Firth of Forth, on August
20th, 1903 ; the species has been observed in various other localities, but
very sparingly and usually in moderately deep water.
Pseudocuma similis, G.O. Sars. This species has already been referred
to as the host of Sphwronella pygmea under the Choniostomatide ; a
few specimens occurred in a plankton-sample collected in moderately deep
water about three miles off Lossiemouth, in the Moray Firth, on December
29th, 1903. Pseudocuma similis resembles the more common LP. cercaria
very closely, and this may be the reason it has only recently been
recognised as a British species.
A considerable number of other microcrustaceans, more or less interest-
ing, have been noticed in various plankton-samples collected during the
recent fishery investigations carried out under the direction of Dr, Fulton
in the North Sea and Moray Firth. These may be described in a sub-
sequent paper dealing more generally with that group of marine organisms.
I take this opportunity to substitute other generic names in room
of two that have recently been adopted for certain forms of Copepoda,
but which I now find to be pre-occupied.
(a). Genus Platypsyllus, T. Scott, Twentieth Report of the Fishery
Board for Scotland (1902), Pt. IIL, p. 455. I find that Platypsyllus
was used in 1869 both by Dr. Ritsema and Professor Westwood for a
* Crustacea of Norway, vol. ii., p. 84., pl. xxxv, fig. 1.
+ British Sessile-eyed Crustacea, vol. ii., p. 381, text figs.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
259
genus of Coleoptera, its use by me for a genus of Copepoda must therefore
apse, and the name I propose to substitute for it is Jeanella, the diminu-
ive of the proper name Jean.
(b) Genus Paranthessius, T. Scott, Twenty-first Report of the Fishery
Board for Scotland (1903), Pt. IiI., p. 120. This name has already
been used by Professor Claus for a genus of Copepoda different from that
described in the Report mentioned, and it must therefore be replaced by
another, and the name I propose to substitute for it is Heteranthessius.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES.
PLATE XIII.
Monstrilla longicornis, I. C. Thompson.
Fig. 1. Female, dorsal view
Fig. 2. Male, dorsal view
Fig. 3. Antennule, female : :
Fig. 4. Fifth pair of thoracic feet, female
Fig. 5. Abdomen and caudal furca, female
Hig. 6. Antennule, male : 2 - :
Fig. 7. Abdomen and caudal furca, male, ventral aspect
Monstrilla gracilicauda, Giesbrecht.
Fig. 8. Female, dorsal view
Fig. 9. Antennule, female : :
Fig. 10. Abdomen and caudal furca, female,
Monstrilla grandis, Giesbrecht.
Fig. 11. Female, dorsal view
Fig. 12. Male, dorsal view
Monstrilla anglica, Lubbock.
Fig. 13. Female, dorsal view
Monstrilla dubia, T. Scott, sp. n.
Fig. 14. Female, dorsal view oe:
Thaumaleus rigidus, I, C. Thompson.
Fig. 15. Female, dorsal view
Fig. 16. Antennule, female < :
Fig. 17. Fifth pair of thoracic feet, female
Thaumaleus zetlandicus, T. Scott, sp. n.
Fig. 18. Female, dorsal view ;
Fig. 19. Male, dorsal view - “
PLATE XIV.
T haumaleus thompsoni, Giesbrecht.
Fig. 1. Female, dorsal view
Fig. 2. Antennule, female : -
Fig. 3. Fifth pair of thoracic feet, female : :
Fig. 4. Abdomen and caudal furca, female : .
Diam.
x 26°5.
Sees
x 40.
Xe d3.
x 80.
bh
x “180;
xeDe
XD ss
x 79:
SOS
x Stn
oe RAS
2G.
Se Bhs
x ais0>
x 130.
ster I
po UALS
x 20°5.
Oe LOE
ee TE
KO
260
COIS Or
5, U5).
5 Eh
Noe
Part ITT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
Thaumaleus rostratus, T. Scott, sp. n.
. Female, dorsal view
. Antennule, female
. Fifth pair of thoracic feet, female
. Abdomen and caudal furca, female
Monstrilla grandis, Giesbrecht.
: Antennule, female ,
. Fifth pair of thoracic feet, female
. Abdomen and caudal furca, female
Monstrilla anglica, Lubbock.
. Antennule, female
. Fifth pair of thoracic feet, female
. Abdomen and caudal furca, female
Monstrilla gracilicauda, Giesbrecht.
Fifth pair of thoracic feet, female
Monstrilla dubia, T. Scott, sp. n.
. Antennule, female :
. Fifth pair of thoracic feet, female
. Abdomen and caudal furca, female
Thaumaleus rigidus, I. C. Thompson.
Abdomen and caudal furea, female
Thaumaleus zetlandicus; T. Scott, sp. n.
. Antennule, female
. Fifth pair of thoracic feet, female
. Abdomen and caudal furca, female
PLATE XV.
Monstrilla grandis, Giesbrecht.
. Antennule, male .
. Abdomen and caudal fur an fornia le
Thaumaleus zetlandicus, T. Scott, sp. n.
. Antennule, male.
. Abdomen and caudal furca, male
Stenothocheres egregius, Han.
. Side view, female
Dorsal view, female
. Antennule, female
. Antenna, female .
. Foot of first pair
. Foot of second pair
Spheronella minuta, T. Scott, sp. n.
. Female, side view
. Female, dorsal view
. Antennule
. First maxilliped .
. Second maxilliped
Diam.
x 26°5.
elt),
x os
ay, 7).
BBY
ee 7M),
eg 7
XGeDoe
a 7)
x 97.
Xo:
x 64.
x 106.
Xedos
x 130.
x 64.
x 2293
x iegoe
x 59.
x 106.
By 593),
poate! <7):
Xeaoos
oes
a ale
xe7sile
~ Sis
x 781.
x 106.
x 106.
x 781.
x 7818
x Wels
x
Ww
=
<
a
a
= = ——
; Nail aed bi SO ns ah tae
y
a-~
po ait e
Se gp 3
a a} wats "
a
PLATE XIV.
ne gee ee
| Ww te =>
PLATE Xv,
- i
ca ee Ps
+ LU > \s
ea) lee ae ri
4
é
.
‘
\ >
Pa \
\
i
‘
30.
36.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
Spheronella paradoxa, Han.
. Female, side view
. Female, dorsal view
. Antennule
. Maxilliped
Spheronella callisome, T. Scott, sp. n.
. Female, side view
. Female, dorsal view
. Antennule
. Antenna .
. Mandible.
. Maxilla :
. First maxilliped .
. Second maxilliped
Spheronella cluthe, T. Scott, sp. n.
. Female, side view
. Female, dorsal view
. Second maxilliped
Spheronella pygmea, T. Scott, sp. n.
. Female, side view
. Female, dorsal view
. First Maxilliped
. Second Maxilliped
Spheronella amphilochi, Han.
Female, side view
Antennule of the same .
CE a PoF ore Mead eS) enh Pas
x XX
Cates) PAS PAS
262 Part II[.—Twenty-second Annual Report
V.— REPORT ON THE OPERATIONS AT THE MARINE
HATCHERY, BAY OF NIGG, ABERDEEN, By Dr. T.
Wemyss Fuuron, F.R.S.E., Superintendent of Scientific
Investigations.
During the season of 1903 the operations on the hatching of plaice
were continued on a considerable scale as in previous years, and under
the same conditions as are described in preceding reports. It need only
be stated that the supply of fertilised eggs is obtained, not by stripping
the ripe fishes of their eggs and milt, as is done in some other marine
fish hatcheries, but by retaining the fishes from season to season in a
large tidal pond, feeding them, and at the spawning season simply
collecting the eggs from the water by appropriate means, and trans-
ferring them to the hatching apparatus. For this method, a large
retaining pond is necessary, and the one constructed at the Bay of
Nigg has answered its purpose admirably, the fishes remaining in it
throughout the year in good health and supplying their eggs at the
proper period with a minimum of trouble to the attendants, and with
good results in regard to the success of incubation.
One of the consequences of this system which contrasts with the
condition at Dunbar, where the fishes were merely retained in the pond
for some time before the spawning began, is that spawning goes on for
a much longer time than used to be the case under the former system.
It begins earlier and may continue longer, the dates varying with the
temperature to some extent, but the extent of the season is always
greater. Thus at Dunbar the collection of eggs did not as a rule com-
mence till March, the principal reason being that the fishes had not had
time to become accustomed to their restraint in confinement after being
placed in the pond, and they retained their eggs instead of spawning in
a natural way, very often with fatal results, as described in previous
reports. In point of fact they did not spawn until they had become
accustomed to the conditions in which they were placed. The respective
dates for the beginning of the spawning at Dunbar and at the Bay of
Nigg are as follows :—
9th March to 8th May = _ 60 days
23rd March ,, 23rd May = 61 ,,
Sth March 3, Sth May = 61>),
22nd February ,, llth May = 78 ,,
15th February ,, 7th May = 81 ,,
10th March ,,; 29th April= 50 ,,
10th March ,, Sth May = 56 ,,
22nd January ,, 2ndMay = 100 ,,
8th February ,, 25th April= 76 ,,
23rd January ,, 16th May = 113 ,,
It will be observed that the mean duration of the spawning process
at Dunbar owing to this delay in its commencement was sixty-five days,
while at the Bay of Nigg the mean duration has been eighty-six days,
or twenty-one days longer. In the first season at the Bay of Nigg the
hatchery was not ready in time, and in the third season the beginning
of spawning was delayed by cold, though the termination, which was
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 263
earlier than usual, was natural. The ordinary duration of the spawning
season of the plaice appears to be about the longer periods, extending
over three full months and part of other two—and the observation is of
some importance in fishery investigations.
Eggs were observed in small numbers a few days before the regular
collection began, and a few were found after the date when the collection
ceased. The total number of eggs secured from the pond by means of
tow-nets was about 65,940,000, the eggs being measured in a vessel of
known capacity and the number thus estimated. Spawning took place
for the most part in March, the numbers of eggs secured in the various
months being as follows :—
January, - - - 240,000
February, : - - 11,840,000
March, - . . - 37,080,000
April, - - - - 15,900,000
May, - - - - 880,000
In some years the bulk of the spawning occurs in the early part of
April. On some mornings in March last year as much as five gallons
of eggs were taken from the pond. Of the number of eggs collected
81 per cent. were hatched, and the remainder succumbed at one stage
or another in the apparatus; there is reason to suspect that some of
the eggs which are lost in this way are not fertilised, a tendency having
been shown to economise the space in the pond by having in it an
unduly large proportion of females at the expense of the number of
males.
The estimated number of fry which were hatched and kept fora
period in the apparatus was 53,600,000, and they were afterwards
placed in the sea, most of them being liberated a few miles off Aberdeen,
by means of a fishing yawl. At the request of the line-fishermen
further up the coast a number were set free on three occasions oft
Fraserburgh, the total distributed there being about 16,000,000.
The particulars as to the distribution of the fry and the details as to
the numbers of eggs collected throughout the season are given in the
tables appended, which also show the variations in the temperature and
the specific gravity of the water in the spawning pond and on the
beach.
The number of fishes kept in the pond to act as the breeding stock
was as usual supplemented in autumn by others caught by means of
trawlers and brought alive to the hatchery in large tubs; for there is
always a certain amount of natural mortality among them, particularly
during the summer. The plaice, as hitherto, were fed on mussels, which
are usually removed from their shells, but are sometimes enly crushed.
The ponds and apparatus, which have been described in preceding
annual reports, continue to serve their purpose well, and the water
supply, both in regard to temperature, density, and purity, is very
suitable for the work. The only changes that have been made in the
arrangements consist in the removal of the water tumbling-box from
the inside of the hatchery, where it was served with the incoming water,
to the outside, where it is now operated by the out-flowing water. The
box is necessary to provide the motive power to the Dannevig hatching
apparatus, and it was found to interfere to some extent with the
pressure of the water to one side of the hatchery and thus to retard the
supply. Also by the fitting up of the tank-house for scientific experiments
it was found necessary to divert a portion of the water from the
reservoir tank for this purpose, and the change necessitated a little more
pumping early in the mornings.
264 Part III —Twenty-second Annual Report
The question of attempting to rear the fry on a fairly large scale has
been considered. It not unfrequently happens that at the end of the
hatching season young metamorphosed plaice are found in some part of
the apparatus, which have succeeded in passing the post-larval stages,
although it is not easy to get such forms when it is attempted to rear
them. The difficulty is in providing a supply of suitable food, and it is
proposed to utilise a tank to act as a receptacle for spawning inverte-
brates, so that the water, enriched with the embryos and larve may be
used to supply the young fishes.
For a few years the placing of the fry in Loch Fyne has been inter-
mitted, and they have been distributed, as described, along the coast of
Aberdeenshire. The reason for doing so is in order to enable observa-
tions as to the abundance of young plaice on the beaches in Loch Fyne
to be made under natural conditions, without artificially reared fry being
placed there in the same season, and the push-net examination of these
beaches is being continued each summer. The fry were originally
taken to Loch Fyne without such observations having been made
beforehand, and there were therefore no data for comparing the abun-
dance of the young plaice in the years in which the fry were put into
the Loch. From the natural fluctuations which take place with fish
everywhere, it is obvious that it is desirable to have observations carried
on long enough to be able to distinguish one cause of fluctuation from
the other, just as in cases where the influence of a method of fishing, or
of stopping it, requires to be tested in the same way.
During the hatching season the hatchery was visited by deputations
of fishermen from the coast of Aberdeen, as in previous years, at the
request of the Technical Education Committee of the County Council,
and they received demonstrations as to the processes employed.
[ TABLES.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
265
TABLE I.—Showing the Daily Progress of the Hatching Operations,
as well as the Temperature and the Specific Gravity of Water
in the Pond, and on the Beach.
| Jan.
Date.
20
Or oo co iw) e
Voy fey CN tery
Number of
Eggs
Collected.
60,000
40,000
20,000
40,000
40,000
40,000
120,000
40,000
120,000
280,000
40,000
200,000
400,000
200,000
320,000
160,000
320,000
200,000
480,000
560,000
480,000
600,000
800,000
Number of
Eggs
found Dead
in Boxes.
60,000
80,000
120,000
260,000
Number of
Fry
put out.
Total Stock
in Boxes.
60,000
100,000
120,000
160,000
200,000
240,000
240,000
360,000
400,000
520,000
800,000
730,000
980,000
980,000
1,380,000
1,580,000
1,820,000
1,980,000
2,300,000
2,500,000
2,500,000
2,360,000
3,420,000
3,900,000
4,500,000
5,300,000
5,040,000
The Sea
Pond
at Noon.
The Sea
Water in the | Water on the
Beach
at Noon.
266
Date.
Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
Number of
Eggs
Collected.
1,320,000
880,000
320,000
1,240,000
880,000
1,160,000
720,000
1,680,000
1,200,000
1,040,000
1,160,000
980,000
960,000
1,720,000
1,600,000
1,280,000
960,000
1,320,000
1,440,000
2,000,000
2,360,000
1,160,000
1,200,000
2,060,000
3,500,000
1,280,000
1,520,000
TABLE I.—continued.
Number of
_ Eggs
found Dead
in Boxes.
100,000
140,000
320,000
380,000
220,000
480,000
270,000
220,000
330,000
360,000
260,000
460,000
360,000
400,000
320,000
220,000
Number of | mo441 Stock
Fry
put out.
4,000,000
3,800,000
in Boxes.
6,360,000
7,240,000
7,560,000
8,700,000
9,580,000
10,600,000
11,320,000
11,320,000
12,680,000
13,880,000
14,920,000
16,080,000
16,680,000
17,420,000
17,420,000
19,140,000
20,260,000
21,540,000
22,230,000
28,550,000
24,770,000
24,770,000
22,440,000
22,440,000
24,440,000
25,340,000
22,280,000
24,340,000
23,980,000
27,080,000
28,040,000
29,340,000
The Sea The Sea
Water in the} Water on the
Pond Beach
at Noon. at Noon.
emp.|Sp. gr.iTemp.|Sp. gr.
Cent. Cent.
5197272 5:9" 27-0
4°8 | 27°3 | 5:7 | 27:0
4°4 | 27-2 | 5-4 | 27:1
46 | 273 7 5 27°0
4-4 | 27:4 | 5:3
4:5 | 27:2 | 5:0 | 27:2
4:6 | 27-2 | 5:1
4°38 | 27:3 | 5:0 | 27:0
AST 27cm vO-Om eaten
4-4°| 27-2 | 5:0 | 2770
A380) :27:1 53) 2768
4:6 | 27-2 | 5:2 | 27:0
4°8 | 27:2 | 5-1 | 27:0
4-9 27-0 5:0 | 2771
5°0 | 27°4 | 51 | 27:0
4:8 | 27°3 | 5:1 | 27:9
5:0!) 27:5 I S25) 27
AT) | 212 WD On| ere
49 | 27:5 | 5:14) 27-2
5b | 27:4 | 5:3 27-0
Brot | 27:4 || bo eT
52 2r3 | bo ieziee
5't | 27:4 | 5:1 | 27:0
5-0 | 27-2 | 5-4 | 27-0
5-2 | 27-4 | 5:2 | 27:2
5:6) 1) 27s5 1) vos 70
5:5) | 2id bz
54 | 27:5 | 5:4 | 27-1
59 | 27°6 | 5:2 | 27:3
62 | 27:4 | 5:4 | 27-4
6:0 | 27°3 | 5:8 | 27-2
5:8 278 1 08 1 2k
Date.
April 1
9
4
C55 (CON ST Ope Oxy ee 109.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland.
TABLE I.—continued.
267
Number of
Eggs
Collected.
1,220,000 |
1,240,000 |
1,960,000
2,240,000
2,040,000 |
|
1,560,000 |
1,040,000 |
1,960,000
1,160,000
560,000
800,000
720,000
1,220,000
440,000
400,000
400,000
800,000
440,000
340,000
400,000
400,000
820,000
Number of
Eggs
found Dead
in Boxes.
260,000
320,000
280,000
450,000
340,000
420,000
520,000
280,000
4£0,000
300,000
470,000
320,000
280,000
400,000
320,000
240,000
260,000
340,000
Bhatia of Total Stock
put out,
4,300,000
4,000,000
6,000,000
8,000,000
4,400,000
in Boxes.
26,000
26,920
26,640,000
28,600,000
28,150,000
30,050,000
26,050,000
27,670,000
27,670,000
28,710,000
2,750,000
23,470,000
22,990,000
24,650,000
25,810,000
25,900,000
26,700,000
27,420,000
27,100,000
28,320 000
20,480,000
20,880,000
20,880,000
20,880,000
21,360,000
17,400,000
17,500,000
17,640,000
18,040,000
18,040,000
17,700,000
18,520,000
The Sea The Sea
Water in the {Water on the
Pond Beach
at Noon, at Noon.
Temp.|Sp. gr.Temp.|Sp. gr.
Cent.
6:0 | 27°2 27°3
6:2 | 27:3 271
64 | 27°5 272
6:3 | 27-4 27°5
6-1 | 27-2 27°3
6:2 | 27°6 27-4
6-4 | 27:3 27°3
61 | 27:1 27°0
6°6 | 27°4 272
64 | 27°5 271
6-1 | 27°3 27-4
6°4 | 27°6 27°3
7:0 | 27:3 272
72 | 27-4 27°0
6°8 | 27°7 27°3
7:0 | 27°8 27°0
6°8 | 27°6 27 °4
65 | 27-4 27'8
6:0 | 27°5 27°3
59 | 27°8 27°4
54 | 27°4 272
Sel 276 27°7
5:0 | 27°3 27°4
4:8 |. 27:2 272
4°9 | 27°4
5:0 | 27°3
5°8 | 27°4 27°2
6°4 | 27°6 275
6°6 | 27°5 27°3
268 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
TABLE I.—continued.
The Sea The Sea
Water in the} Water on the
Number of ahi
Date. dees o found a Fi ey Lege iT eeoe rae
* | in Boxes, :
Temp.|Sp. gr. Temp.|Sp. gr.
Cent. Cent.
April 27 Bl 180,000 18,340,000} 6:3 | 27°8 | 6:1 | 27:3
Bhi 4s) 18,340,000} 6:0 | 27:°5 | 6:2 | 27:5
3 29 wes 160,000 18,180,000 6:4 | 27°3 | 6:2 | 27:2
» 30 400,000 ve 7,300,000 } 11,281,000
May 1 11,281,000
WZ 11,281,000
TO 400,000 11,680,000
Rae ee 160,000 11,520,000
of 300,000 11,820,000
Hee 11,820,000
ny. Ob 6,500,000} 6,320,000} 7:0 | 27:2 | 7:3
een 6,820,000} 7:6 | 27:3 | 7:4
» 9 6,820,000 8:0 | 27:5 | 7:2
SLO 60,000 140,000 6,240,000} 8:4 | 271] 76
5p al 6,240,000} 8:3 | 27:2 | 7-7
ap att 60,000 6,180,000} 7:5 | 27:3 | 7:2
,, 13] 60,000 6,240,000] 81 | 27:5 | 7-4
ek! a08 a 4,300,000 } 1,940,000% 8°8 | 27:4 | 7°6
ap Als 40,000 1,980,000 f 8:6 | 27:2 | 7:3
FLO 20,000 2,000,000} 91 | 27:4 | 7:8
ren UE
as
kt
5p AY “ih i 2,000,000
Totals, | 65,940,000 | 12,340,000 "53,600,000
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 269
TABLE 11.—Showing particulars in connection with the
Distribution of Fry.
pe btier acceso ommacdiatiays [ucoeent Woes at a eae
», 20] Three miles off Girdleness, as Fair. 3,800,000
», 26] Off Aberdeen Bay, between three and 5:37 tc 4,300,000
four miles,
April 1] In Aberdeen Bay, three and a half miles Hae ae 4,000,000
off.
op 6 | Off Fraserburgh, two miles off Lighthouse. 56° =, 6,000,000
», 15) Off Fraserburgh, outside the breakwater. A Sea rough. 8,000,000
», 20} About two miles off Aberdeen. 59° Be 4,400,000
., 30)| About three miles off Aberdeen. = ies 7,300,000
May 7 | Three and a haif miles off Girdleness, 62° as 5,500,000
,, 14}! About three and a half miles off Aberdeen eos oe 4,300,000
Bay.
;, 20) Fraserburgh, about two and a half miles ale Wind light. 2,000, 000
off,
270 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
VI.—ON THE POST-LARVAL AND EARLY YOUNG STAGES OF
THE WITCH (PLEURONECTES CYNOGLOSSUS, Liyy.).
By H. Cas. Wiuuramson, M.A., D.Sc., Marine Laboratory, Aber-
deen. (Plate XVI.)
A very complete series of post-larval and young witches has been
- collected by Dr. Fulton and these he has handed to me for descrip-
tion.
This form is especially interesting in that it has a very long post-larval
period; it reaches a large size before it takes up a bottom habitat, ze.
before its transformation from a bilaterally symmetrical fish to a flat-fish,
Drawings of eight post-larval and two young stages are shown in
Plate XVI. Anextended and detailed description is not necessary, as
these serve sufficiently to indicate the general form and the arrangement
of the black pigmentation so far as the latter has survived preservation.
All of the specimens had been preserved ina solution of formaline in
seawater.
Cunningham* was the first to observe the larva of the witch, and
his description may be here incorporated. He says— ‘The larva is
not different from that of the other species cf Plewronectes ; its length is
3°9mm.; there is no pigment in the eye; a number of very minute points
are scattered down the sides.” About 48 ares after hatching, “the
length is now increased to5‘9mm. . . . 3 the median fin-fold is
much wider; the eye is slightly pigmented, and pigment is largely
developed in the skin of the body ; the cutaneous chromatophores form five
well-marked transverse stripes arranged in longitudinal series along the
sides, three of them on the tail, are in the region of the rectum, and one
about the pectoral fin.”
Holt? gives a more detailed account of the larva and early post-larva.
The additional particulars which he furnishes are the following :—The
larva, hatched from an egg captured in the sea, “had pigment of a pale
chrome colour by reflected light, and of a dark yellow by transmitted light.
This extended over the head, eye, and throughout the trunk and free
caudal region,and over the yolk . . . . Inthe nextstage black
pigment is associated with the yellow, and also appears independently
along the margin of the dorsal fin. Ina ee two days old, hatched
from artificially fertilized eggs the length is 55mm. We now find a
change in the arrangement of the pigment, which is broken up into three
distinct bars in the post-anal region. Moreover, the yellow pigment now
exhibits a greenish colour by transmitted light.”
A drawing of an early post-larval stage (derived from artificially
fertilized eggs) ten days after hatching accompanies the following
description :—‘‘ The eyes are black, with a bluish lustre ; the lower jaw is
very prominent, the pectorals very large, the otocysts large. The post-anal
region is very slender, especially the part ventral to the notochord ; the
latter is very stout. The urocyst is larger than before. A ventral patch
of black chromatophores has appeared midway between each post-anal
pigment bar. The most anterior bar, that in the region of the pectoral
fins, has lost its distinction, Pigment is absent from the dorsal fin in this
region, whilst there has taken place a considerable development of pig-
ment in the lower jaw and anterior ventral region ; the coloured pigment
* Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinburgh, xxxiii., Pt. I., 1887.
t Se. Trans. Roy. Dublin Soctety (2), iv., 1893.
of the Fishery Board for Scotiand. 271
is now orange by transmitted light, except in the median fin, where it is
brown” (Holt .
Previous to the publication of the paper just referred to, Petersen* had
described a post-larval pleuronectid measuring 32mm. in length. He
considered it to bea Halibut (Hippoglossus vulgaris), Kylet and Holt and
. Byrne have recently described post-larval stages of the witch, and these
agree closely with Petersen’s form, which is apparently really a witch.
It has, moreover, the spinous armature of the operculum to which Holt and
Byrne draw special attention.§ The fin-ray formule for these specimens
were as follows :—Petersen’s—Dorsal, ca, 104; Anal, 88; Caudal, 82.
Kyle’s specimens (two in number)—Dorsal, 103 (105); Anal, 83, 85 ;
Caudal, 18. Holt and Bryne—Dorsal, 108; Anal, 95.
The post-larval witch is a characteristic form which cannot be con-
founded with any other known species. Its main characters are its long and
narrow post-anal body ; the well-marked triple-bar arrangement of pigment
on the same ; the prominent head and snout, and its extended transforma-
tion period. Kyle in this connection says, in referring to the two examples,
12 and 14mm. long respectively, described by him, that their ‘most striking
features, in addition to their length and relative thinness, are the long head,
the projecting snout, with the deep depression over the eyes, and the
early stage of metamorphosis.” In Dr. Fulton’s collection the largest
post-larval (7.e. pelagic) witch measures 40mm., while the smallest young
witch (7.e. transformed) measures 44mm. Holt describes one of the
latter which measured 42mm.
The only other pleuronectid of our waters which approaches the witch
in having a lengthy post-larval period is the Lemon Sole (Pleuronectes
microcephalus). Post-larve of this form have been found measuring
27mm. (Holt), but the general shape of the pelagic stages of this species
is very different from that of the witch ; the outline of the former is oval,
whereas that of the latter is elongated.
The witches from which the drawings were made exhibited black pig-
ment only. The pigment other than black has disappeared since they
were preserved; and in some cases the black pigment has faded consider-
ably. This probably accounts for the fact that some variation on the
pigmentation is found in the forms described, especially as regards the
marginal fin. The outer edge of the marginal fin was, moreover, some-
times frayed, and in consequence the presence of pigment there was not in
these cases determined.
It is hoped that the sketches here supplied will aid in the diagnosis of
preserved examples. A number of the drawings are of natural size; the
majority are enlarged, It is sufficient to note that the post-larval char-
acters are constant ; the general form, which is more readily indicated by
the sketches than by a word-picture, is, when taken along with the bar
arrangement, sufficient to indicate the species. A brief note will be
given of each of the stages illustrated.
The first (Fig. la) is an early post-larval example, measuring in total
length 5:'2mm., in greatest breadth °75mm. It has the typical pleuronectid
form, viz. a short abdomen and a long post-anal region. The marginal
fin shows no trace of fin-rays ; the caudal fin is still diphycercal. The
pigment is well marked. At the point of the mandible-there are a few
black pigment spots, and in the pectoral region there is a ventral group
of spots. On the hind dorsal area of the abdomen a group of large
chromatophores is visible, and along the keel of the abdomen there is a
* Report of the Danish Biological Station, iv., 1893.
+ Journal of the Marine Biological Association, vol. vi., No. 4, Dec. 1908.
{ Report on the Sea and Inland Fisheries of Ireland, 1901, Pt. 11., Dublin, 1903.
§ Dr, Petersen has informed me that he is satisfied that the form is a witch.
272 Part [II.—Twenty-second Annual Report
row of similar pigment corpuscles. The eyes are black. The post-anal
region is marked by three main transverse bars of chromatophores ; they
are equi-distant from one another. Each bar consists of a dorsal and a
ventral moiety. The hindmost is in the region of the future caudal fin,
and is large. Between the bars there are three pigment groups situated
ventrally on the edge of the muscle-segments ; they may be termed secon-
dary groups, in contradistinction to the main broad bars. Of the post-anal
pigment groups just mentioned, the hind main bar alone extends on to the
marginal fin. Only one pigment spot was, in addition, found on the
marginal fin; it was situated on the ventral fin. A ventral view of this
post-larva is shown in Fig, 1b.
In Fig. 2 a specimen similar in size to one of those described by Kyle
is reproduced. It measures 12°5mm. in length, and in greatest breadth
reaches about 3mm. A greater amount of pigment is found in this
individual than in the preceding. Along the ventral edge of the muscle-
segments in the post-anal region a few more intermediate or secondary
pigment spots are seen, and some pigment was made out on the ventral
marginal fin in large and small spots. Anterior to the anus the condition
of the preceding specimen holds. The caudal pigment is now diffuse ;
the caudal fin-rays are being laid down and the tail region is becoming
heterocercal, The rudiments of the interspinous bones are indicated by a
somewhat opaque part of the marginal fin, next the muscle-segments.
The interspinous bones, still very small, are to be made out in the next
figure (3), a drawing of a post-larva measuring 14mm. in length and
5mm. in greatest breadth. In this specimen the large pigment corpuscles
on the hind part of the optic lobes were prominent. A natural-size
sketch of this post-larva is given in Fig. 9.
A witch 18mm. in length is reproduced in Fig. 4. The fin-rays are
now almost completely formed, and the tail is nearly homocercal
in character. A row of small pigment spots along the junction of the
ventral interspinous bones and the fin-rays is made out.
In Fig. 5 all the interspinous bones and the fin-rays are formed. This
example is of the same size as the specimen recorded by Holt and Byrne.
In length it measures 25mm., in greatest breadth it reaches 7°5mm.
The fin-ray formula is—Dorsal, about 110: Anal, about 95; Caudal, 22.
Fig. 7a is an enlarged drawing of a witch measuring 34mm. In it
the pigment was not very prominent ; it had probably faded.
A post-larval form, measuring 38mm., is shown in Fig. 12. Trans-
formation is not yet completed. A drawing of the left side of the head
of this example appears in Fig. 8.
A completely metamorphosed witch, measuring 44mm., is reproduced
in Fig. 13. Holt described one which was a little smaller, viz. 42mm.
The migration of the left eye to the right side of the fish is a slow
process. In the fish measuring 25mm. it has moved to a noticeable
extent. It then appears a little above the ridge, when the fish is viewed
from the right side (Fig. 5). In the large post-larva, 38mm. (Fig. 12),
the eye is on the ridge; in another, measuring 40mm., the migration was
not completed (Figs. 6a and 6b).
Dr. Fulton examined the last-mentioned specimen (40mm. long)
shortly after it was killed in formaline. He found that the only pigment
then visible was black. It was distributed as follows:—On the snout
and jaw there was a collection of little specks; on the front of the lower
jaw a like collection. A group of spots was present on the optic lobes,
while a broad band of spots was conspicuous on the hind part of the
abdomen. On the median line there were, on the post-anal body, six
equi-distant pigment patches. The dorsal interspinous region showed
eight fainter patches, while five or six similar patches were seen on the
ventral interspinous region.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 273
During the post-larval period the pigment on the two sides of the body
remains practically identical. It is only in the larger specimens, e.g.
38mm., that it is possible to detect a lighter shade of pigment on the left
side than on the right.
With the transformation, however, a very marked difference is noted
(Fig. 13). The fish itself becomes more opaque, and its upper surface
(the previous right side), shows a large quantity of pigment. Posterior
to the anus there are on the upper surface seven broad patches across
the median line of the body ; on the dorsal fin there are five broad patches
with intermediate smaller patches, and on the ventral fin three broad
patches with smaller intermediate groups. The under or blind side,
however, retains the post-larval pigmentation ; in this case it resembled
that found in the post-larva measuring 38mm. (Fig. 2).
Holt and Byrne draw attention to the presence of spines on the
operculum of the post-larve. I have found tbis spinous armature in the
example measuring 12°5mm. (Fig. 2). In the preceding specimen,
5'2mm. (Fig. 1), it was not made out. It was found in all the succeeding
post-larval witches, and the spines were equally developed on both sides
of the body. The sketches indicate with approximate accuracy the
number and arrangement of them.
In the metamorphosed example, 44mm. long (Fig. 13), teeth were found
on the operculum. Two large teeth projected from the posterior part of
the operculum, and dorsal to these three were two (or three) other similar
teeth. They were equally developed on both sides of the fish.
No spines were made out on the operculum of either side in the young
witch measuring 59mm. in length.
Small teeth (in the jaws) were made out in the smallest member of
the series, and they were present in all the other post-larval stages. 'I‘hey
are not numerous. Teeth were not seen in the smaller bottom form,
LITERATURE.
CunNINGHAM.—‘‘The Eggs and Larve of Teleosteans,” Trans. Roy. Soc.,
Edinburgh, vol. xxxiii., Pt. I., p. 97 (Plates I. to VII.). 1887.
CunnINGHAM.—‘‘ Marketable Marine Fishes.” London, 1896.
Hotr.—‘‘ On the Eggs, Larval and Post-larval Stages of Teleosteans,” Sc. Trans.
Roy. Dublin Society, ser. 2, iv., p. 455, Plates I. to XV. 1893.
Hott AND Byrne.—‘‘On a Young Stage of the White Sole (Plewronectes
cynoglossus),” Report on the Sea and Inland Fisheries of Ireland for 1901,
Pt. II., p. 67, Plate III. Dublin, 1903.
Kyie.—‘‘ Halibut (ippoglossus vulgaris, Flem.) or Pole-Dab (Pleuronectes
cynoglossus,” Journal of the Marine Biological Association, vol. vi., No. 4.,
Dec. 1903, p. 618, 1 plate.
M‘IntosH AND Prince.—‘‘On the Development and Life-Histories of the
Teleostean Food and other Fishes,” Trans. Roy. Socy., Edinburgh, Vol.
xxxv., Part III. (No. 19), Plates I. to XXVIII.
M‘IntosH AND MastERMAN.—‘‘ British Marine Food-fishes.” London, 1897.
PETERSEN.—‘‘ On some Zoological Characters of Young (Post-larval) Flat-fishes,”
Report of the Danish Biological Station, iv., Appendix IL., 2 plates, p. 126.
Copenhagen, 1893.
274
Part 111.—Twenty-second Annual Report
EXPLANATION OF PLATE XVI.
N.B.—No attempt has been made in the drawings to insert the proper number of
interspinous bones and fin rays.
Fig. la. Post-larval, Pleuronectes cynoglossus, 52mm. long; “75mm.
ig.) Ub: Dots do.,
Fig. 2. Do., do.,
Fig. 3 Do., do.,
Fig. 4. Do., do.,
Fig. 5 Do., do.,
Fig. 6a. Head of post-larval, do.,
Fig. 60. do.,
Fig. 7. Post-larval, do.,
Fig. 8. Do., do.,
Rico: Do., do.,
Fig. 10. Do., do.,
Fig. 11. Do., do.,
Fig. 12. Do., do.,
Fig. 13. Young, do.,
Fig. 14. Do., do.,
greatest breadth, . x
do., ventral view.
12‘5mm. long ; 3mm. greatest
breadth, d ESN
14mm. long; 3mm. greatest
breadth, P aPerx
18mm. long; 5mm. greatest
breadth, ; ane
25mm: long ; 7°5mm. greatest
breadth, . : eS
40mm. long ; right side, x
40mm. long ; left side, x
34mm. long; 13mm. greatest
breadth, : x
38mm. long: left side, x
14mm. long, natural size.
28mm. long, do.
34mm. long, do.
38mm. long, do.
44mm. long, do.
59mm. long, do.
ca
ca
ca
ca
ca
Ca
ca
ca
ca
19
loror kor) or) oO or)
F. B. REPORT. 1904. PLATE XVI.
AM
uti
/
YT)
Ps) \ |
Vif, Las)»
y aa} .
H.C. W.
Figs. 9-14. A. H. Waker. Tar Witen—Pleuronects cynoglossus.
ral ma)
W
J
'
aa
i
\
oa
\
}
}
-
of the Fishery Board for Scotland, 275
VIIL—ON SOME PARASITES OF FISHES NEW TO THE SCOT-
TISH MARINE FAUNA.
By Tuomas Scott, LL.D., F.LS.
Plate XVII.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Preliminary Note, . : : : : : t . 275
Part I. Copepoda Parasita—
Fam. Dichelestide,. , : é ; 2 : <1 20
Part II. Trematoda—
Fam, Tristomatide, 278
Part III. Note on a Post-larval Fish attacked by Podon
Leuckarti, . 279
Description of the Plates, . : é ; . ; : ; . 280
PRELIMINARY NOTE.
Some time ago Dr Fulton, Scientific Superintendent to the Fishery
Board, kindly handed to me for examination aspecimen of Trygon Pas Bee,
Lin., Which had been captured in the Dornoch Firth on October 22, 1903.
This specimen measured about 144 inches across the pectoral fins and about
244 inches from the nose to the extremity of the very slender tail; it was
thus not more than about the average size of this kind of fish, yet it
yielded on examination no fewer than four different species of ectozoa.
Two of these species belong to the Copepoda and two to the Trematoda,
and only one of them, viz., Brachiella pastinace, van Beneden, appears
to have been previously described. Descriptions and drawings of these
apparently new forms are given here. .
Moreover, while examining some organisms set aside from former
collections, I found a specimen of Lerneea lusci, Bassett-Smith, obtained off
Aberdeen in January, 1902; as this parasite has not before been recorded
from Scottish waters, I have had a short description, with drawings of it,
prepared for this paper.
I have further to state that at the end of this paper will be found a
description and drawing of a very curious Natural History group consist-
ing of a larval fish, somewhat emaciated, and two small Crustaceans, which
appear to be attacking the fish ; for this interesting specimen I am indebted
to my friend and colleague, Dr Henry Charles Williamson.
The drawings have been prepared by my son, Mr A. Scott, A.L.S.
I propose to describe the various organisms mentioned in the order in
which they are referred to above.
PART I.—COPEPODA PARASITA.
Fam. DICcHELESTID.
Genus Hudactylina, van Beneden (1853).
Eudactylina minuta, T. Scott. Pl. xvii., figs, 111.
Description of the Female.—The length of the specimen represented by
the drawing (fig.1), measuring from the forehead to the end of the furcal
276 Part I11—Twenty-second Annual Report
joints, is about 1-lmm.(about 54 of an inch), but that represented by figure
2 is slightly larger, and measures about 14mm. The segments, especially
along their dorsal aspect, are rough with minute scattered spines. The
body is slender, as in the species previously described, but the fourth and
fifth segments are rather more dilated than the others. The cephalosome
is about equal in length to that of the first two segments of the metasome
combined. The first segment of the metasome is a small one, while the
next two are each rather longer and stouter than the one immediately
preceding ; the last segment of the metasome is considerably smaller than
the third one. The segmentation of the urosome (abdomen) somewhat
resembles that of Hudactylina similis, A. Scott.
The antennules, which are short and stout, are apparently five-jointed,
as in those of the species referred to, and their armature is also similar to
that of Hudactylina similis, but, on the other hand, there is a distinct
difference in the proportional lengths of the joints,—the third being longer
than the second joint and the fourth scarcely twice as long as the ultimate
one (fig. 3).
The antenne, which are moderately elongated, have a general resemblance
in their form and structure to those of the other described species; but the
second joint, which is about as long as the third, is produced on the inner
aspect and near the distal end so as to form a single stout and prominent
spine, and a single powerful hook-like spine with a thickened base carrying
a few small sete is articulated to the extremity of the third joint (fig. 4).
The mandibles and maxille do not present any marked difference from
those of Hudactylina acuta, van Beneden.
The first maxillipeds, which resemble the same appendages in Hudacty-
lina similis, are armed with a moderately stout terminal claw, and the end
joint is furnished with a row of minute course denticles along the inner
edge (fig. 5).
The second maxillipeds are large and strong and,form powerful chele;
they are somewhat similar in structure to those of Hudactylina similis, but
the extremity of the claw which impinges against the lower spoon-like
process has the stout apical tooth with a rounded hood-like covering
(fig. 6).
In the first pair of thoracic feet both branches are two-jointed, and both
are moderately stout; the inner branches are sparingly fringed with minute
sete, and armed with two apical spines of unequal length; the outer
branches, which are rather shorter than the inner, are each furnished with
a fringe of minute sete on the outer margin of the first joint, while the
end joint bears several spines round its outer margin and apex ; the inner
spine is of moderate length, but the others are small (fig. 7).
The structure of the second pair has a general resemblance to that of the
same pair in Hudactylina similis and E. acuta, The inner branches, which
are distinctly three-jointed, are considerably smaller than the outer ones,
the first joint bears a longitudinal row of small spines on its inner aspsct,
while the end joint carries two apical spines of moderate but unequal
length. The outer branches are stout and elongated, and, like the inner
ones, appear to consist of three joints, but the articulation between the first
and second joints is apparently nearly obsolete; two short spines which
have their bases dilated spring from the outer margin and near the distal
end of the elongated first joint ; the third joint, which is short and rounded
at the extremity, is provided with a single and moderately stout subter-
minal spine, as shown in the drawing (fig. 8).
The third and fourth pairs are nearly alike, and resemble the same two
pairs in Ludactylina similis, except that the inner branches are furnished
with a number of scattered spinules on their outer aspect; the outer
branches are each of them rounded at the extremity, and provided with
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 277
a single elongated terminal seta, there are a few spines on the outer
margins of the second and third joints, while the first joint bears a fringe
of minute spines along its outer edge (fig. 9).
The fifth pair, which are broadly foliaceous and resemble in their
general outline the same appendages in Hudactylina acuta, van Beneden,
are furnished with several transverse rows of minute spines and three
apical sete (fig. 10).
The fureal joints, which are rather longer than the last abdominal seg-
ment, are each of them armed with two terminal spines—a stout one at
the apex and a somewhat smaller one on the outer edge, as shown in the
figure; a small seta springs also from near the middle of the outer
margin (fig. 11),
Habitat.—On the gills of a specimen of the “Sting Ray,” Trygon
pastinaca, Linn., captured in the Dornoch Firth on October 22, 1903.
No males of the Hudactylina were observed. The fish, as already stated,
measured about 143 inches across the pectoral fins, while its length from
the snout to the extremity of the tail is about 244 inches.
Remarks.—This Hudactylina appears to differ from previously described
species by its smaller size—being little more than half the length of the
smallest hitherto recorded, and from its being found on a different host.
But there are also structural differences which separate it from other forms.
I will recapitulate one or two of these: it differs in the proportional
lengths of the joints of the antennules, in the armature of the antenne, in
the armature of the first maxillipeds, in the structure of the second pair of
thoracic feet, and in the proportional lengths of the segments of the thorax.
Though a number of specimens were obtained, only a small proportion
of them were in good condition for dissection.
Eudactylina acuta, Van Beneden.
1853. Hudactylina acuta, Van Beneden, Bull. Acad. Roy. Belg.,
vol. xx., pt. 1, p. 235; Mem. Acad. Roy. Belg. (1861),
p. [50 Bh xxv.
In my notes on the parasites of fishes in Part III. of the Twentieth
Annual Report of the Fishery Board for Scotland (published October 2nd,
1902), I describe the occurrence of Hudactylina acuta on the gills of an
Angel-fish, Rhina squatina (Lin.), captured in January 1902 about eight
or nine miles south-east from Bychan Ness, and the description of the
parasite is illustrated by a series of drawings. My son had already
obtained the same EZudactyline on the gills of Angel-fishes captured in
the Irish Sea, but there did not appear to have been any previous record
of it from Scotland.
Through the kindness of Mr. Robert Duthie, Fishery Officer—presently
stationed at Girvan, Ayrshire—I am enabled to record this interesting
parasite for the second time from Scottish waters, which, like the speci-
mens previously referred to, was found on the gills of an Angel-fish.
This fish, which was captured by turbot-net fishermen in the seaward
part of the Clyde estuary and landed at Girvan on May 25th (1904), was
secured by Mr. Duthie, who kindly forwarded it to me for examination.
The fish was an immature female, and measured two feet nine and a-half
inches (nearly 83 centimetres) from the front of the head to the extremity
of the caudal fin. This Hwudactyline is an addition to the parasitic
Copepod-fauna of the Clyde.
Lernea lusci, Bassett-Smith. Pl. xvii., figs. 12 and 13.
1896. Lerncea lusci, Bassett-Smith, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist.
(6), vol. xvili., p. 13, pl. iv., fig. 6.
The form described under this name is considerably smaller than the
278 Part ITT.—Twenty-second Annual Report
more common Lerneea branchialis, and hitherto it appears only to have
been observed on the gills of the Brassie or Whiting Pout (Gadus luscus,
Linn.). The specimen I have to record was obtained on the gills of a
Brassie captured about ten miles off Aberdeen on January 16, 1901.
This parasite measures a little over half an inch from the head to the end
of the genital segment. The neck is slender and short, and the append-
ages of the cephalon are moderately developed. Jr. Bassett-Smith
describes the posterior appendage as being sometimes as long as the neck,
which is also characteristic of the specimen now recorded (fig. 13). The
genital segment is considerably dilated and strongly sigmoid, except at
the posterior end where, in marked contrast to Lernea branchialis, it is
only slightly curved ; the twisted egg sacs are proportionally not so slender
as in that species.
Lernea lusci does not appear to have hitherto been recorded from
Scottish waters, having been probably regarded as a form of L. branchialis.
Figure 12 shows the specimen attached to the gill-arch of the fish.
Brachiella pastinace, Van Beneden.
1851. Brachiella pastinace, Van Beneden, Ann. des. Sci. Nat.,
ord ser, 't. XVi5.p.. 116, play. gs.:5,.0:
Two specimens of this Brachiella were obtained in the nasal fosse of
the Zrygon in which the Hudactylina just described was found. One
specimen occurred in each of the two fosse. These two specimens which
were posted to the artist along with a few other things in order to have
drawings of them prepared, failed to reach their destination, and I am there-
fore unable to furnish figures of this species.
PART II.—TREMATODA.
Fam, TRISTOMATIDA.
Thaumatocotyle concinna, gen. et. sp. nov. Pl. xvii., fig. 15.
A large sucker-disc, so characteristic of several of the Trematoda, is
attached to the distal end of the body by a very short stalk which is
apparently flexible. The sucker is nearly circular in outline, and its ventral
surface is divided into thirteen marginal compartments which are separated
from each other by narrow muscular bands ; the compartment at the lower
end of the sucker is larger than any of the other twelve and is of the
form of an equilateral triangle, the blunted apex of which is directed
inwards and reaches fully half way toward the centre of the sucker; the
other twelve marginal compartments are of nearly equal size and are sub-
quadrate in form, as shown in the drawing (fig. 15). Two moderately
slender rods spring from two adjacent muscular bands near the centre of
the disc, and extending to the circumference of the sucker terminate in
little hook-like processes—one on each side of the lower triangular
compartment.
The anterior end, which terminates somewhat abruptly and has a broadly
triangular outline, is bifurcated in the middle. On the ventral aspect,
close to the margin on each side of the fork and extending from it to the
outer angle, there are arranged three small discs which may probably
function as suckers.
The length of the specimen represented by the figure is about 3 milli-
metres (nearly + of an inch), while the breadth at the widest part is
equal to about one fifth of the length ; the body is flattened and in some
specimens nearly transparent, so that the internal structure may to some
extent be discovered.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 279
This Trematode does not agree with any genus or species known to me.
Habitat —In the nasal fosse of Trygon pastinaca, captured in Dornoch
Firth, October 1903.
Heterocotyle pastinace, gen. et sp. nov. Pl. xvii., fig. 14.
Several specimens of the Trematode described under this name were
obtained on the same Tygon pastinaca with the form just recorded, but
they were found not in the nasal fossz but on the gills along with
Eudactylina minuta described in the first part of this paper.
In this Trematode the posterior sucker is slightly oval in outline—the
transverse diameter being greater than that which is longitudinal in the
proportion of about 13 to 11. The edge of the sucker is indistinctly
crenate, and its ventral surface is divided into eight compartments, which
extend from the circumference to near the middle, where they are
interrupted by a small diamond-shaped space representing the point of
attachment of the sucker to the body. The two lowest compartments are
of a slightly larger size than the four upper ones, but the compartment on
each side is about double the size of the one immediately above. More-
over, these side compartments, together with the two lower ones situated
between them, are each sub-divided into two portions by a circular line,
as shown in the drawing (fig. 14). About the middle of the band which
divides each large lateral compartment from the lower one, there is
attached a short rod that terminates in a strony hook.
The body is of a narrow ovate form and is considerably depressed ; the
greatest width is equal to nearly three and a half times the length ;
the total length of the specimen represented by the drawing is only
1-44 mm. (about 2 of an inch). The anterior end is narrowly truncate,
and is without any lateral appendages, as in Phyllonella or Placunella,
which it otherwise resembles.
Besides the occurrence of the four different kinds of parasites from
the Sting Ray mentioned here, Prof. van Beneden has obtained on
specimens of the same species of fish taken on the coasts of Belgium, not
only the Brachiella pastinace—which he found both in the nasal fossze
and on the gills—but also Lerneopoda galei and Ergasilina robusta ; the
first he obtained in the nasal fossee and the other on the gills. The same
writer also records finding five different kinds of Cestoids in the
intestines of Z’rygon.*
PARTE Et.
Note on a Post-LARVAL Fish ATTACKED BY PODON LEUCKARTI.
Plate XVII.—Fig. 16.
It is fairly well known to students of the Entomostraca that these
organisms live to some extent on animal as well as on vegetable matter,
and also that they do not always confine themselves to decaying sub-
stances, but that living specimens, if small enough and in a
weak or sickly condition, are not exempted from being attacked by
them. When examining a gathering of living Entomostraca in whica
Ostracoda are frequent, we may occasionally observe a number of these
minute Crustaceans crowding round some object of general interest, anu,
when the reason for the crowding is investigated, find that they are busy
feeding on a dead or dying companion.
ce aN des cdtes de Belgique leurs Parasites et leurs Commenceaux, pp. 14,
870). y
280 Part III.—Twenty-second Annual Report
But although such incidents are not of rare occurrence among the
Entomostraca, the example to which I would direct attention, where a
post-larval fish is apparently being attacked by two members of the
family Polyphemede, is somewhat unusual. Larval and post-larval fishes
have no doubt many enemies, among which may be included other fishes
as well, and it has also been shown that even the harmless-looking
Sagittae feed upon such larve,t but this is the first time I have observed
Entomostraca presumably attacking a post-larval fish in the manner
shown by the drawing.
As stated in the preliminary note, I am indebted to Dr. Williamson
for this interesting specimen. The fish, he tells me, is a Pleuronectid—
probably Pleuronectes platessa—but its emaciated condition made its
correct identification somewhat doubtful. That these Crustaceans have
become accidentally attached to the specimen is hardly likely, for the
position they occupy and the firm hold they have of the fish, evidenced
by their adhering while extraneous matter was being brushed off, and by
their continuing to adhere firmly though subjected to a good deal of
tossing about, does not favour such an explanation, but tends rather to
support the opinion that they have intentionally seized hold of the young
Pleuronectid, but whether for the purpose of attacking or merely for
resting I am not prepared to say. The specimen is, however, sufticiently
interesting to be recorded here. The fish was observed in a tow-net
gathering ‘collected last year and supposed to be from the North Sea.
The two “Crustaceans belong to the same species, viz., Podon leuckarti.
* Annals of Scottish Natural History, April, 1892, p. 142.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES.
PLATE XVII...
Hudactylina minuta. Diam.
Fig. 1. Female, side view, xy MOTE
Fig. 2. Female, dorsal view, ol
Fig. 3. Antennule, x) 521
Fig. 4- Antenna, x 621
Fig. 5. First maxilliped, x 521
Fig. 6. Second maxilliped, x 390
Fig. 7. Foot of first pair, yi
Fig. 8. Foot of second pair, x 260
Fig. 9. Foot of fourth pair, x 260
Fig. 10. Foot of fifth pair, x 260
Fig. 11. Furcal joints and last two segments of abdomen, x 260
Lerne luscr.
Fig. 12. Female, side view, : , : Bae i ee
Fig. 13. Parasite on gill of Gedus 1 luscus, 5 ; : ES ee 3}
Trematodes.
Fig. 14. Thaumutocotyle concinna, : . . : > xXE9b 25
Fig. 15. Heterocotyle pastinace, x 53
Fig. 16. Larval fish with two specimens of Podon leuckarti attached to it, X39 575
PLATE XVII.
REPORT, 1904.
2%
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 281
VITI—ICHTHYOLOGICAL NOTES.
By Dr. T. Wemyss Futton, F.R.S.E., Superintendent of
Scientific Investigations.
[Plate XVIII.]
CONTENTS.
PAGE
The Young of the Conger, : : : = : = + 98il
A Larval Fierasfer, - : Z = = - 283
The Sting Ray, - : = : : s Z aS O83
The Pilchar ro = = = t : _ 984
The Fecundity of the Sprat, - - - - - - 285
An Albino Plaice, - : : : E - 2286
The Thickback (Solea var ieqata), = = : - 286
Reversed action of the Gill-cover in Biaies! - - - = 28
THE YouNG oF THE ConcER (Leptocephalus).
Two specimens of the young of the conger eel were caught in the
Moray Frth by means of the small-meshed net around the otter trawl,
which has been so productive of rare forms, and as such specimens
are very rarely obtained in British seas, and they differ from one
another in age and characters, I have thought it desirable to give a
description and figures of them here.
The first specimen (Fig. 1) was obtained on 27th December on Smith
Bank, a well-known fishing ground off the coast of Caithness, in 28 fathoms
of water. It was not recognised at the time among the other fishes
caught and the lot were preserved in formaldehyde and taken to the
marine laboratory at the Bay of Nigg. It was only later, when the
material was being worked up, that the specimen was discovered. With
the exception of a slight abrasion on the posterior half it was in good
condition ; the imperfection was probably due to the fish having been
caught by doubling as it passed through the mesh of the net. On
examination some weeks after it was caught it was found to be trans-
lucent, with a whitish opacity, the perfect transparency of the living
form having been affected by the preservative. It was quite soft and
flexible, resembling a tapeworm in these respects, as well as in its
extremely flattened form. In extreme length it measured 145mm.,
(5Z inches), and it is therefore among the largest of the specimens
recorded. Its weight, after the superfluous water had been removed, was
only 0°61 grammes, and its volume was 11 cubic centimetres as nearly
as could be determined. Its bulk in proportion to its length, as will be
seen below, was thus very much under that of the other older but
shorter specimen.
The extreme dorso-ventral height of the body was 13°5mm., and it
was broadest from about 70 to 95mm. from the head; the height just
behind the head was 7mm., or about half of the other. The thickness
of the body was difficult to determine; it was much thicker behind the
head, where it measured about 2mm., and from this point to the
posterior extremity it gradually diminished, the greater part of it being
rather under than over 1mm. in thickness. The length of the head
from the tip of the snout to the gill-cleft measured 10mm., and its
height at the eyes was 5mm., the breadth being 3mm. just behind the
282 Part ITI.—Twenty-second Annual Report
eyes. The eyes were relatively large, measuring 25mm. in diameter
(they are represented as rather too large in the enlarged figure, and as
a little too small in the other figure) ; the anterior edge is situated about
3mm. from the tip of the snovt. The snout is blunt and obtuse and
rounded, and longer than the lower jaw, which is more pointed. The
cleft of the mouth ends rather behind the middle of the eye, and each
jaw is armed with a series of somewhat long, fine, slender teeth, those
in front being the longest ; of these, 34 were made out in the lower jaw
and 30 in the upper.
The pectoral fins, placed immediately behind the gill-opening, were
small and delicate, measuring about 3'‘5mm. in length.
With regard to the pigment, there were two minute specks of black
on the lower part of the gill-cover on the left side and four similar
specks on the corresponding position on the other side. A linear series
of black specks runs along each side of the ventral margin, beginning
about 1lmm. behind the pectoral fin; they are most distinct in the
anterior portion but are continuous to the tail, and in the posterior
part they are much more miuute, numerous, and crowded, giving the
appearance of a very fine black line. Along the lateral line there is a
single linear series of corresponding chromatophores, of which 35 were
counted, and beginning about 35mm. behind the head; they are usually
situated at the junction of myotomes, and are most numerous towards
the tail. No other pigment specks were observed.
Of the myotomes—which are very distinct except at the tail—I
counted 142, but, as stated, those at the posterior extremity are
indistinct.
The second specimen (Fig. 2) was of a different kind in several respects.
It was taken in 24 fathoms, also in the Moray Firth but south of Smith
Bank, on 12th February. In shape it is vermiform rather than
teenioid, and appears to correspond to the Z. punctatus of Kaup, and
which has been shown by Grassi and Calandruccio to be the stage from
which the perfect conger is directly developed. It measures 123mm.
(43 inches) in extreme length, and weighed, after the superfluous water
was removed by blotting paper, 1675 grammes, its volume being 1‘8cem.
It will be seen by comparing these figures with those referring to the
other specimen that the reduction in length is accompanied by a
considerable increase in bulk, since the shorter specimen weighed over |
gramme more than the other, its weight being nearly three times
greater. The volume, as stated, did not increase in the same proportion ;
the discrepancy is perhaps due to the tissues of the younger being less
solid, perhaps to defect in the determination of the volume.
The extreme breadth of this specimen is 105mm. and its thickness
3mm. Its thickness is maintained in a fairly uniform way for the first
two thirds of the length of the body, after which it diminishes rapidly.
The distance from the tip of the snout to the commencement of the
dorsal fin is 44mm. and from the same point to the anus 55mm. The
head is 9mm. in length, 45mm. high, and 3:5mm. broad, and the top is
more rounded than in the younger specimen. The eye is somewhat
smaller, measuring 2mm. in diameter and placed 2°5mm. from the end
of the snout. The lower jaw is shorter than the snout, but not to the
extent represented in fig. 2b. Teeth, so conspicuous a feature in the
younger specimen, could not be made out. The pectorals were more
developed, being longer and, especially, broader, Of the myotomes, not
so distinct as in the other form, 141 were counted. The black chro-
matophores were arranged as in the younger specimen, but none were
observed onthe head. Those along the lateral line are more conspicuous
than those placed along the ventral margin, of which there are 26 in
front of the anus, and they are much more numerous behind, being
crowded together, as in the first specimen, towards the tail.
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 283
The literature dealing with these young forms need not be given here,
as Cunningham has given avery full account of it in some of his papers,*
and he has described a specimen of Leptocephalus Morrisit which he
obtained at Plymouth in June, 1895. Besides the classical papers of
Grassi and Calandruccio, reference may be made to two papers, one by
Eigenmann on “The Egg and Development of the Conger Eel,” and the
other by the same author and C. H. Kennedy, on the ‘“ Leptocephalus
of me American Kel and other American Leptocephali,” both published
in 1901.5
A Larvau Fierasfer.
On 8th October last year a larval Fierasfer was taken in a tow-net
used on board a fishing boat at a distance of about 185 miles E. by N.
of Aberdeen ; the net was used between the surface and twenty fathoms,
the depth at the place being between fifty and sixty fathoms. (PI.
XVITLI., fig. 3, 3a).
The specimen measured 64mm. (23 inches) in length and exhibits the
slender form characteristic of the genus; the yolk, as indicated in the
figure, forms a considerable mass. The remarkably elongated first dorsal
ray was apparently damaged, but enough of it is left to show the
presence of the skinny lobes with which it is provided.
Fierasfer is remarkable for its habit in the adult condition of living
within Holothurians in a condition of commensalism, but it would
appear that its larval pelagic life is one of considerable duration. It is
an extremely rare fish, and even Emery, who has written the classical
monograph on it,$ was able to obtain only a few specimens.
Outside the Mediterranean, specimens have rarely been obtained.
According to Couch, Edwards found six specimens, between 6 and 7cm.
long, in March, 1863, on a sandy bottom off the coast of Banff, but the
record stands in need of confirmation and is passed over by Day. The
latter author mentions only two examples of /’. dentatus, both got on the
south coast of Ireland, one in 1836 and the other in 1852, and there
does not appear to be avy other good British record of its occurrence.
Only other three specimens appear to be recorded for the north of
Europe. One was taken by a fisherman in from 100-200 fathoms on
the Jutland Reef, to the west of the Scaw—and therefore not a great
distance from the locality where the specimen here recorded was
obtained—and it is now in the Royal Museum at Stockholm. The
second specimen was got near Stavanger in 1881, and was described by
Collet; it isin the Bergen Museum.|| The third was a specimen of
F. acus, obtained by H.M.S. Zriton in the Farée Channel, on 9th August,
1882, close to the surface. It measured 104mm. in length, and has
been described by Giinther.4]
Tue Srine-Ray (Zrygon pastinaca).
On the 22nd October a specimen of the sting-ray was taken in the
trawl by one of the trawlers engaged in scientific work in the Dornoch
Firth in from 8 - 13 fathoms. It was a female, measuring in extreme
length 63'0cm., and in extreme breadth 37‘5em. It is noteworthy that
*Journ. Marine Biol. Assoc,, vol. ili, p. 281 ; vol. ii, p. 36.
+lbid.,iv, p. 74.
+Bull. U. S. Fish Comm. for 1901, pp. 37-81. P
§‘‘Fierasfer. Studi intorno alla sistematica, l’anatomia e la biologia delle specie mediter-
ranee di questo genere.” Atti R. Accad. d. Lincet, vii., 1879-80.
|| Christian. Vidensk. Forhandl. 1882, No, 19.
‘| ‘“‘Report on the Pelagic Fishes collected by H.M.S. ‘Challenger’ during the years
1873-1876,” page 27, 1899.
284 Part I1I.—Twenty-second Annual Report
the torpedo described in the Vineteenth Annual Report* was caught near
the same place. On this specimen Dr. Scott found some new and
interesting parasites (see p. 275.) ,
This fish is said by Day to be not uncommon off the mouth of the
Thames and along the south coast, and Dr. Murie states that on the coast
of Kent and at Burnham specimens from 13 to 2 feet are not uncommon,
while in the estuary of the Thames it is not abundant and only small
specimens are found.f Holt refers to two small specimens trawled off
Plymouth, and several taken on the trawling grounds off Salcombe ; and
he says the fish is well known to the local fishermen and hardly deserves
special mention as a rare fish in that district.
It is, however, a very rare fish in Scottish waters. Parnell met with
only one example, which was caught in a salmon-net in the Firth of
Forth,$ and Mr Eagle Clarke, who has brought together all the descrip-
tions of rare species of the Firth of Forth since the time of Parnell, met
with only one specimen which he examined in 1897, and which was
caught off the Isle of May, and it is the only instance he knows of since
Parnell’s record.|| It does not appear, either, that the indefatigable
Edwards of Banff ever came across a specimen.
It is noteworthy that this species, like the torpedo, usually has the
skin smooth and soft; though Day mentions that there are occasionally
some tubercles along the middle line of the back in the scapular region.
The one is protected by its electric organ and the other by the
formidable serrated spine with which its tail is provided, and which is
capable of causing dangerous wounds; they thus differ from the ordinary
rays in this respect.
Tur PincHarD (Clupea pilchardus).
On the 20th June last year a pilchard was taken in a drift-net
employed in catching herrings, about 15 miles off Buckie, in the Moray
Firth, where it was landed. Jam indebted to Mr. Alexander Suther-
land, the Fishery Officer of the district, for the record. It measured
8 inches in length.
In Scottish waters the pilchard is a very rare fish. Parnell, writing
in 1837, says that it was then very rare, although some thirty years
before it was common, and in certain localities found in equal abundance
with the herring; as no authority is quoted the statement may be based
on Parnell’s own observations. He says that a few were occasionally
taken in the summer months on the Berwick and Dunbar coasts, but
that since 1816 no pilchard had been observed in the Firth of Forth.
Day also states that pilchards were more than usually abundant at
Yarmouth in 1780, 1790, and 1799, but he does not mention his
authority.
They are, however, occasionally taken at long intervals. Thus Eagle
Clarke states that Mr. Logan records in the “ Proceedings of the Royal
Physical Society of Edinburgh” (vol. ii., p. 289) that in March, 1861,
considerable numbers of young pilchards were brought to the Edinburgh
market along with herrings and sprats; they were only caught in large
quantities for a few days in March, but they had occurred sparingly
with herring during the previous winter months. Dr. Murie says that
‘Part Lil. ip. 7290,
+ “Report on the Sea Fisheries and Fishing Industries of the Thames Estuary,” p. 169,
Kent and Essex Sea Fisheries Committee, London, 1903.
t Journ. Marine Biol. Assoc. v., p. 198, 1898.
§ ‘‘ Fishes of the Firth of Forth,” p. 440, 1838.
|| Annals of Scottish Natural History, Oct. 1900, p. 215.
7 Op. cit., p. 104,
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 285
a considerable number were taken off Harwich in September, 1868 ;
and a few stragglers are still brought in with the herrings at Yarmouth,
according to Patterson in the Zoologist for 1897.
THe FECUNDITY OF THE SPRAT.
Observations on the fecundity of the sprat have been apparently
rarely made, no doubt from the rarity of ripe sprats among those caught
by fishermen, the only statement on the point, as far as I am aware,
being in my paper on the Fecundity of Fishes in the Ninth Annual
Report of the Fishery Board.* In their work on British Marine Food
Fishes, Professor M‘Intosh and Mr. Masterman say that ‘the mature
female appears to carry about 5000 or 5400 eggs, more or less,” which
agrees generally with what is stated in the paper referred to, but it is
not mentioned whether their remark is based on my observations or on
others of their own confirming it.
Ripe sprats having been caught in the Moray Firth in the
small-meshed net used on board trawlers the opportunity was
taken to investigate the point again, the previous observation having
been founded on only one specimen, and that not very well preserved.
As mentioned elsewhere, it is a striking feature in the ripe sprat that
it is impossible to tell from the external appearance that it is ripe.
There is no swelling caused by the ovaries or testes as in most other
fishes, and on opening the fish the ovaries were found to be very small,
although the eggs were mature and nearly mature. The contrast with
the ripe herring, for example, is marked, and yet the eggs in the latter
are demersal, while most fishes with pelagic eggs have greatly enlarged
ovaries and exhibit abdominal tumefaciion at the spawning time. It
appears, however, that all this is in conformity with the number of
eggs spawned by the sprat. The fish which I examined in 1890,
referred to above, measured 43 inches in length, and was found to con-
tain about 1404 large eggs, and about 4000 smaller ones; the ovaries
weighing 6°5 grains.
The following are the particulars of five females examined,
Length. | weight. | Woiettct |, Ploe, | Novot frota ees.
Mm. Grammes. | Grammes. | Grammes.
1 122 12°8 0°38 032 228 2713
2 120 12:0 0492 041 274 3488
3 124 12:8 0-441 *037 158 1880
4 122 10°5 0-458 058 297 2346
5 120 11°8 0:541 — 147 2484
The eggs enumerated were those which were large and yolked, but
there were many smaller, and in point of fact it would be difficult to
draw a line anywhere between the large and the small, and to say that
so many belong to this spawning season and so many to the next. The
average number of eggs in these specimens was 2582, the small unyolked
being excluded, which is rather greater than the number given for them
in the early paper referred to. On the whole, however, on the
assumption that the small eggs develop and become mature during the
* Part III., p. 268,
286 Part ITI.—Twenty-second Annual Report
course of the spawning season, the number stated in the paper may be
about right, viz., 5000. The duration of the spawning season is not
well known. The floating eggs were procured by the Garland from
23rd March to 19th August,* and it so happened that the extreme
dates were in the same year, so that the period mentioned, comprising
149 days or very nearly five months, may be taken to represent the
extent of the spawning season. How long the individual sprat goes on
spawning is not known, but considering that the period embraces the
warmest part of the year, and that growth is greater then, it is
probable that at least the 5000 eggs are shed. But even in that case, it
is evident that the sprat is one of the least fecund of fishes and,
so far as known, the least of all among the fishes whose
eggs are pelagic. Amid the varied complexities in the life of marine
fishes the explanation is not easy to discover. That the comparatively
early age at which the sprat may reach maturity is not the sole
explanation—though doubtless an important factor—is shown by the
fact that the whiting, which reaches maturity in its second year,
produces a very much larger number of eggs.
An ALBINO PHAICE.
Last year a few post-larval plaice were discovered in the hatching
apparatus, and among them was a small albino specimen, or one in
which the pigment was almost entirely absent. The only pigment
present was a few scattered chromatophores along the rays of the
dorsal, ventral, and caudal fins, on the anterior part of the head between
the eyes, the edge of the lower jaw, and between the jaw and the
pectorals, and about a couple of dozen of minute specks scattered over
the posterior half of the body, mostly near the tail. The eyes were
fully pigmented. The pigment wasa dark umber. The body of the
little fish was transparent, the bottom of the hatching-box being visible
through it. It lived for about a year, and it differed in habit from the
other small plaice living with it in that, while they were nearly always
on the bottom, it preferred the side of the box, to which it clung, close
to the surface of the water. The peritoneal lining of the abdominal
cavity shone through the tissues with a metallic bronze appearance,
THe TarcKpack (Solea variegata).
Two specimens of this species of sole were taken in the small-meshed
net in the Moray Firth—the first on 27th December in 28 fathoms at
Smith Bank, and the other on the following day in 30 fathoms off
Burghead. They were both females—the first measuring 14°8cm. with
the roe well developed, and the second 16*3cm. The latter weighed
38 grammes, the ovaries weighing 1:1 grammes, and the eggs were well
advanced, the larger measuring ‘84mm. in diameter. It is evident,
therefore, that this fish spawns in the Moray Firth, but it is rare.
It is common on the south coast of England, especially (according to
Cunningham)? south of the Eddystone, in from 30 to 40 fathoms. Two
specimens were taken by Holt during the Ivish Survey. It has also
been occasionally captured on the west coast of Scotland, Gunther
describing two immature specimens caught off Cantyre in 65 fathoms
in March 1888,¢ and a few small specimens have been taken by the
Garland in the Firth of Clyde. Day says that it was met with occasion-
ally off Banff by Edwards, but I have not traced the record.
* Masterman—‘‘ A Review of the Work of the ‘Garland’ in connection with the
Pelagic Eggs of the Food Fishes,” Jbid., Part III., Fifteenth Report, p. 234,
+ ‘Marketable Marine Fishes ” p. 259.
+ Proc. Roy. Soc., Hdin. xv., p. 220,
se eS UY a en
Bias”
serene hein
of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 28
—T
Tue GrowtH orf THE HALIBUT.
A specimen of the halibut, which was obtained for me by Mr. Ingram,
the Fishery Officer at Aberdeen, may possibly throw some light on the
growth of this fish. It was caught at Iceland by hook in the spring,
and landed at Aberdeen. It measured 64:0cm. (25 inches) in length,
and weighed 2°350 kilogrammes. On the under surface, extending the
whole length and breadth of the fish, were certain markings, part of
which was plain and part obscure. The following was very clear:
“'T, M. 1901,” and it was succeeded by what appeared to read “AGLI,”
but may have been meant to represent “AUGT,” or August. The
marks were obviously made with a knife, and the curves were angular ;
the cicatrix was very narrow and linear and attached to the subcutane-
ous tissue, and I suppose it occupied the same relative position in the
surface of the fish at first, the skin growing equally all over.
I am informed by Mr. Ingram that the mate of the vessel which
brought in the fish (the Caspania) states that in his time it was a
common custom for the fishing apprentices at Grimsby to ‘“ engrave”
their names in this way on small halibut, and then throw them over-
board. If the date is authentic, it would show that tue growth of the
halibut in proportion to the size it attains is not rapid, because it implies
that about two years and eight months elapsed after the marking was
made, and the fish must at the time have been of a certain size. But
a plaice of about the length given would be probably more than six or
seven years old at least.
REVERSED ACTION OF THE GILL-COVER IN PLAICE.
It may be worth recording that the plaice in the large pond at the
Bay of Nigg Laboratory frequently exhibit a reversal of the usual action
of the gill-cover under certain conditions. In the process of respiration
fishes take in water by the mouth, and by a process like that of
swallowing expel it by the gill-openings. But when the tame plaice in
the pond cling to the side at feeding-time, they very commonly push
their snout and head for some distance out of the water, and it may
then be observed that the water is spouted upwards from their mouth
as a little fountain, an inch or so in height. In this case it is evident
that the water is drawn in through the gill-openings behind, passes
over the gills, and is then expelled by the mouth. The observation has
some interest in connection with the known habits of some other fishes.
EXPLANATION OF PLATE.
Fig. 1. Leptocephalus Morrisii, natural size.
(la.) Head enlarged, side view.
CIDE) 55 es dorsal view.
Fig. 2. Leptocephalus punctatus, natural size.
(2a.) Head enlarged, side view.
2s) ae 55 dorsal view.
Fig. 3. Fierasfer dentatus, larva, natural size,
(3a.) Anterior part enlarged.
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INDEX.
ABERDEEN Bay: Trawling Investigations
in, 19, 22, 23, 30, 32, 37, 38, 43, 44, 47.
Albino plaice, 286.
Angel fish (Rhina squatina): Parasites
of 277.
Anglers : Proportion marketable, 14.
Anonyx nugax, 256.
BALLANTRAE: Herring Fishing, 12.
Brachiella pastinace, 279.
Brill: Proportion marketable, 14.
Relation of length to weight, 219.
Size at maturity, 18.
Burghead Bay: Hauls in, 20, 23, 27, 33,
39, 42, 44, 47.
Calocaris macandree: Attachment of
eggs in, 117.
Cancer pagurus : see Crab (edible).
Carcinus menas : see Shore Crab.
Cat-fish : Proportion marketable, 14.
Choniostomatide, 250.
Coal-fish : Proportion marketable, 14.
Cod: Proportion marketable, 14.
Proportion of immature landed, 19.
—— Relation of length to weight, 229.
—— Size at maturity, 18, 158.
Common Dab (Pleuronectes limanda) :
Proportion marketable, 14.
Relation of length to weight, 212.
Size at maturity, 18.
Conger : Young stages of, 281.
Copepoda parasita, 275.
Crab (edible) (Cancer pagurus) :
History of, 9, 100.
—— Carapace : Changes in, 156.
— Casting of, 121.
— Distribution of, 122.
— Eggs of, 112.
—— Growth of, 125.
—— Impregnation, 101.
—— Influence of temperature on, 125.
—— Migration of, 136.
— Mode of attachment of eggs, 108,
115.
— Muscular system of abdomen of
male, 103.
Spawning, 108.
Crangon vulgaris : Attachment of eggs
in, 118.
Life
Daz, Common : see Common Dab,
Dichelestidee, 275.
Dornoch Firth: Hauls in, 22, 24, 28, 34,
40, 45.
Eacs of Decapod Crustacea: Mode of
attachment of, 116.
of edible Crab:
ment of, 108.
Eudactylina, 275.
acuta, 277.
minuta, 275.
similis, 276.
Eudorella deformis, 258.
Mode of attach-
Fierasfer, 2838.
Flounder (Pleuronectes flesus): Propor-
tion marketable, 14.
Relation of length to weight, 214.
Gadus esmarkw: see Norway Pout.
ralathea dispersa: Attachment of eggs
roy ILNY/,
Growth : see Rate of.
Influence of temperature on, 159.
Gurnard.: Proportion marketable, 14.
Relation of length to weight, 236.
Happock : Proportion marketable, 14.
—— Proportion of immature landed, 19.
Relation of length to weight, 226,
241.
Size at maturity, 153.
Hake : Proportion marketable, 14.
Halibut : Growth of, 287.
—— Proportion marketable, 14.
—— Relation of length to weight, 220.
Harpinia pectinata, 257.
Hatchery ; Work of, 8.
Herring : Investigations on, 12.
Relation of length to weight, 236.
Heteranthessius, 259.
Heterocotyle pastinace, 279.
Hoplonyx cicada, 256.
Hyperia medusarum, 256.
Idothea neglecta, 257.
Immature Fish : Definition of size—limits
of, 17, 18, 19.
Proportion landed.
Isle of May : Hauls off, 48.
Jeanella, 259.
Krynarrp Head : Hauls off, 37.
Lemon Dab (Pleuronectes microcepha-
Jus): Relation of length to weight, 209.
Proportion of immature landed, 18.
290
Lemon Dab: Proportion marketable, 14.
Size at maturity, 18.
Lernea branchialis, 278.
lusct, 277.
Leptocephalus Morrisit, 281.
punctatus, 282.
Ling : Proportion marketable, 14.
Little Sole (Solea lutea): Relation of
length to weight, 216.
Lobster (Homarus vulgaris): Attachment
of eggs in, 117. :
Spawning of, 117.
Long Rough Dab: Relation of length to
weight, 222.
Lossiemouth: Hauls off, 26, 28, 47.
Lumpenus lampetriformis: Eggs of, 203.
Rate of growth of, 202.
—— Relation of length to weight, 238.
Size at maturity, 203.
—— Spawning of, 203.
Lumpsucker : Caught in trawl, 23.
Lybster: Hauls off, 30, 35, 45.
Maia squinado: Attachment of eggs in,
116.
Megaluropus agilis, 257.
Metopa borealis, 257.
Monstrilla, 243.
anglica, 246.
— dubia, 247.
—— gracilicauda, 245.
—— grandis, 243.
—— longicornis, 244.
—— longiremis, 244.
Monstrillide, 243.
Moray Firth: Trawling Investigations
in, 19.
Munida rugosa: Attachment of eggs of.
116.
Nephrops norvegicus: Attachment of
eggs.in, 118.
Norway Pout (Gadus esmarkii): Rate of
growth of, 195.
—— Relation of length to weight, 234.
Pandalus montagui: Attachment of eggs
in, 118
Paranthessius, 259.
Parasites of Fish, 275.
Paratylus falcatus, 257.
Pilchard (Clupea pilchardus), 284.
Plaice: Albino specimen of, 286.
Duration of spawning, 262.
—— Hatching of, 262.
Proportion marketable, 14.
Proportion of small caught by
trawl, 30, 33, 40.
Proportion of immature landed, 18.
— Relation of length to weight, 145,
205, 240.
— Reversed gill-action in, 287.
Size at maturity, 18, 156.
Platypsyllus, 258.
Podon leuckarti, 279.
Pogge (Agonus cataphractus): Relation
of length to weight, 239.
Proportion of Immature Fish landed, 16.
Pseudocuma similis, 258.
Part IIT, Index.
Rate of Growth of Fishes: Relation of
length to weight, 142.
Rate of Growth of Norway Pout, 195.
Sharp-tailed Lwmpenus, 202.
—— Sprat, 171.
—— Witch, 186.
SHORE-CRAB (Carcinus maenas): Impreg-
nation of, 101.
—- Eggs of, 119.
Spawning of, 119, 120.
Skates and Rays: Proportion market-
able, 14.
Smith Bank: Hauls at, 25, 30, 36, 43,
45.
Sole (Solea vulgaris), 14.
Solea variegata : see Thickback Sole.
Spheronella anvphilochi, 253.
callisoma, 252.
cluthee, 252.
minuta, 25).
— paradoxa, 251.
pygmea, 253.
Sprat (Clupea sprattus): Fecundity of,
285.
Growth of, 171.
Rate of Growth of, 171.
—— Relation of length to weight, 238.
Spawning of, 172.
Stenothocheres egregius, 250.
Sting-ray (Trygon pastinaca), 283.
Parasites of, 275.
Tarset Ness: -Hauls off, 45.
Temperature : Influence of, on Growth of
Fishes, 159.
Thaumaleus rigidus, 248.
rostratus, 250.
‘| —— Thompsona, 248.
zetlandicus, 249.
Thaumatocotyle concinna, 278.
Thickback Sole (Solea variegata), 286.
Trawling Investigations, 6, 13.
in Aberdeen Bay, 19.
in Moray Firth, 19.
Proportion of Marketable and Un-
marketable Fishes, 13.
Trematoda, 278.
Tristomatide, 278.
Trygon pastinaca: see Sting-ray.
Tryphana malin, 256.
Turbot : Proportion marketable, 14.
Relation of length to weight, 216.
Wircu (Pleuronectes cynoglossus): Growth
of, 186.
Post-larval and young stages, 187,
270.
—— Proportion marketable, 14.
—— Proportion of immature landed, 19.
Proportion of sexes, 195.
—— Relation of length to weight, 210.
—— Size at maturity, 195.
Spawning of, 186.
Whiting: Proportion of immature landed,
19:
—- Proportion marketable, 14.
— Relation of length to weight, 224.
—— Size at maturity, 18, 150.
Guascow: Prinrep By JAS. HEDDERWICK & SONS,
For His Magesty’s STATIONERY OFFICE.
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