FISHES 43. Bib or Pout. Gadus lutcus, Linn. Occurs at Lowestoft according to Mr. Gur- ney in Dr. Lowe's list. I did not notice it on the Brown Ridges in September 1895, but it is recorded from the deep water off Lowestoft and from other grounds in the neighbourhood, in the International Investigations. 44. Whiting. Gadus merlangus, Linn. Abundant both inshore and on the trawling grounds. They are caught with hook and line from the piers of Lowestoft Harbour in autumn and large numbers are landed by the trawlers. Many small specimens are taken by the shrimpers and also by the large trawlers ; in fact I did not see any over 13 in. long. The trawlers often throw overboard all the whiting caught at the beginning of a voyage and save only those taken in the last hauls, as they are of little value after being in ice for several days 45. Coal-fish. Gadus virens, Linn. Plentiful at Yarmouth according to Paget, but this probably refers only to fish landed by the trawlers, for the coal-fish belongs to more northern waters ; in the records of the Interna- tional Investigations it is only occasionally recorded from grounds about the Dogger. 46. Ling. Molva vulgaris, Flem. At Yarmouth according to Paget ; is recorded once or twice from the Lowestoft deep water {Intern. Invest.).
- 47. Burbot. Lota vulgaris, Cuv.
Occurs in the Waveney. 48. Five-bearded Rockling. Motella mustela, Linn. At Yarmouth according to Paget. PLEURONECTOIDEI 49. Halibut. Hippoglossus vulgaris, Flem. The halibut being a northern deep-water fish is not commonly taken off the Suffolk coast, but a specimen 5 ft. 4 in. long was mentioned in the Norwich papers of 15 February 1873 as taken ofiF Yarmouth ; Buckland records another, 6 ft. long weighing 161 lb., from the same place in 1867 ; a third, above 7 ft. in length and weighing over 300 lb., is recorded in the Norfolk Chronicle of 29 April 1876 as taken from the ■deep sea ofiF the eastern counties. 50. Turbot. Rhombus maximus, Linn. Mr. Gurney obtained a large specimen at Lowestoft which was caught in the deep chan- nel opposite the esplanade, and he heard that two had been taken at the head of the inner harbour just below Mutford Lock. Turbot are fairly plentiful on the Lowestoft trawling grounds and of considerable size. 5 1 . Brill. Rhombus laevis, Linn. Taken with the turbot in about equal numbers on trawling grounds. 52. Scald-fish or Scald-back. Arnoglossus laterna, Walb. I saw several specimens of this fish taken in the trawl on the Brown Ridges in September. I have shown that the male of this fish when mature has the anterior rays of the dorsal fin elongated. This was formerly considered to be a distinct species and named A. lophotes ; I have not seen this form in the North Sea, it is known to live in deeper water than the young specimens. 53. Plaice. Pleuronectes platessa, Linn. Abundant on the trawling grounds and forms one of the most valuable parts of the catch of the trawlers. I found that the plaice on the Brown Ridges were mature at a smaller size than those from more northern grounds such as the Dogger Bank, all over 13 in. being mature, while of the more northern plaice the limit is about 17 in. The smallest mature on the Brown Ridges are 9 in. long, while on the northern grounds none are mature under 13 in. : these figures refer to females, the males being mature at a somewhat smaller size. In this respect the Lowestoft plaice are similar to the Channel plaice studied at Plymouth. The naturalists of the International Investigations have studied by means of the rings of the otoliths the relation between age and size on different grounds, but have not yet published a full account of the relation between age and maturity. They find that on shallow grounds like those off Lowestoft, as well as on both sides of the North Sea farther to the north, plaice are much smaller at the same age than those from deep water or from the Dogger Bank. According to Dr. Garstang the lower rate of growth on shallow grounds is due to overcrowding and consequent scarcity of food, but other conditions, such as temperature, probably have an influence on the growth. The marking experiments of the Inter- national Investigations show a marked general tendency in plaice in this part of the North Sea to migrate southwards in winter and northwards in summer. 54. Lemon Dab. Donovan. Pleuronectes microcephalus, This fish, called usually lemon sole by fisher- men and dealers, is very scarce on the Brown Ridges where the water is shallow, but more plentiful in the deeper water off the Suffolk coast. 167
