INVESTIGATIONS IN MORAY FRITH, 1889—1892.
191
trawling in territorial waters must” have served to protect
immature plaice (owing to their very special distribution) more
than the young
of other shes, this sh is 'diminishîng in
abundance year by year,” it is curious that in the Moray Frith,
the records of the year show that the number of plaice
captured there was nearly ve times that of 1891, and thehighest in the whole decade.
Such are the uncertainties of
shing operations.
Each han]
17 44 plaice. Dabs, on
,
the other hand, were reduced by nearly one—half.
The phenomenal total (for the region) of 1,2381 on Station
'
IV. along the shores of the Dorn0ch_ Frith on the 2nd of
September, is worthy of note.
This was made up of 894
plaice, 309 dabs, and 35 other shes.
_
The closure of the entire Moray Frith on the 22nd Novem—
ber, 1892, caused the Fishery Board to increase the number of
stations in the area from 6 to 16.
The ten additional Stationsare as follow :—
.
'
VII.
3% miles o Tarbet Ness E. by % S., length 3—12— miles,
22 to 28 fathoms, sand and mud.
'
VIII._
12 miles off Tarbet Ness E. by S., length 3%—
28 to 31 fathoms, sand and mad.
»
’
IX.
I‘arallel with VIII. and 4 miles further east, 3 miles
Long, 28 to 32 fathoms, sand and mud.
_
X.
3% miles from Lossiemouth, 3% miles long, 13 to 15
fathoms, sand and shells.
'
,
—.
XI.
Across Smith Bank, 5 miles long, E. by N., 18 to—25'
fathoms, sand and shells.
_
XII.
At right angles to XI. on Sn'nith Bank, length 5
miles, depth 18 to 21 fathoms,sand and shells.
'
XIII.
Parallel .with'XII., outside Smith Bank.
.
.
'
XIV…
3 miles E. by S. % S. of Clyth Ness, 5.miles long,30
fathoins, sand and shells.
XV.
miles” SE. by E. of Ord' of Caithness,.6 miles
long, 23 to 31 fathdms, sand and 1DUdN: of Macdu} 6
fathoms,
.
'
_.
_
"
',
‘
1
To avoid complexitÿ in tables a few (9) unsaleable
as solenettes,
pipe-shes, and sea-scorpions have been
.