12 



4. From Stoer Head round Cape Wrath to Strathy Point. 



Winter fishing only. January and February, full 

 herrings ; March, spaAvning herrings and spents. 



5. From Tiumpan Head round the Butt of Lewis to Barvas. 



June, July and August, mostly mattie herrings ; 

 September, spawning herrings and spents ; January 

 and February, full herrings ; March, spawning herrings 

 and spents. 



6. From Tiumpan Head, including Broad Bay, to Tolsta 



Head. June, Juty and August, mostly mattie herrings ; 



September, spawning herrings and spents ; January 



and February, full herrings ; middle of March, spents. 



Winter months are January, February and March. 

 There is also a winter fishing and other fishings to the south 

 of Skye,* and at one time the waters off Barra, Atlantic side, and 

 known as the Castle Bay fishing, were fished during May and June.f 

 Fishermen tell me the herrings on these latter grounds were nice, 

 well fed, fat fish, not so long as the winter herrings, but plump 

 and well grown, and without much roe or milt, and that the herrings 

 to the east of Castle Bay Avere smaller than those from the Atlantic 

 side of Barra. The waters here, especially the channels between 

 the islands, contain many unbuoyed rocks, which are a great danger 

 to navigation. 



From the vicinity of the Flannan Islands good catches of 

 winter herrings have been obtained. J 



Only occasionally are herrings caught by Stornoway vessels 

 between Cape Wrath and Strathy Point ; usually the catches are 

 taken between Stoer Head and Cape Wrath. Large catches of 

 spawning herrings were taken from the vicinity of Cape Wrath 

 towards the end of February and the beginning of March of this 

 year (1920). 



A fishing of what are termed " Loch " herrings is generally 

 looked for from the different lochs of the Mainland and Skye from 

 October to December. The bulk of these fish usually take to one 

 loch, and it is rarely that herrings are caught in any quantities in 

 different lochs at the same time. From the middle of October to 



* Letter from Mr. llitchie, Peterhead. 



t Rept. Fish. Board for Scot., 18S3, page xlii. 



t Rept. Fish. Board for Scot., 1900, pp. xiv and xv. 



