CHAPTEB
V.
SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS IN THE l\ŒORAY FRITH.
TABLES XIII. TO XXVI.
1887—1897.
IN 1884 the Moray Frith was worked only by some of the
comparatively few trawlers then in Scottish waters, but it was
not searched with that avidity which marked the pursuit of
shes within its area a few years later.
Few opportunities
occurred in 1884 for its investigation, and, besides, it did not
form so prominent a subject in the shery affairs of the day as
it does now.
F ortunately, however, in April 1884 three hauls
of the trawl were made, in the ordinary course of work, off the
coast of Oaithness and on Smith Bank, and these afford an im—
portant comparison with the subsequent work of the “ Garland,”
and with the region just outside the limit as observed in 1898.
The remarks made on this area in 1884 were as follow :—
“ The three hauls on Smith Bank (8th and 9th April) afford an
interesting comparison with the Bay of Aberdeen.
Thus they
gave more cod than the 15 hauls in the latter (37 against 38),
and also an excess of young
cod (codling), viz. 21 against 16 at
Aberdeen.
It cannot be said, therefore, that the adult cod
came
to Smith Bank for the purpose
of spawning.
In their
stomachs were young haddocks, young whiting, and sand—eels,
so that the latter occasionally go
to the deep water at a distance
from land.
The large size of the haddocks is noteworthy, for
none
of the kind terrned small were procured.
The average
number per
haul was 604, or next to the Forth in rank in this