16 



Previous to 1911 there was a winter fishing from 1 to 10 miles 

 S.E. to S.S.E. of Copinshay. During the past two years shoals 

 of spasATiing herrings have been located in the vicinity of Sule 

 Skerry in the beginning of March 



From Mr Wood of Wick, and Mr Ritchie of Peterhead, 

 information has been received relating to the fishing grounds 

 near these ports. Summer shoals occur to the east of Wick and 

 Peterhead, and from the samples examined it is known that 

 spasming shoals visited the Peterhead grounds last year. Similar 

 shoals of autumn spawners are known to have been taken from the 

 Wick grounds in previous years, and on the 12th August, 1919, 

 a heavy shoal of spent herrings was located inshore off Clythness. 

 Winter herrings have been taken from the grounds to the east of 

 the Orkneys previous to 1914, but most of the winter herrings 

 landed at Wick and Peterhead come from the Cape Wrath grounds. 

 An early summer fishing takes place in May and June, from 3 to 

 8 miles off the north coast between Strathy Point and Cape 

 Wrath. From the period of the fishing it is probable, although 

 no data are to hand as to the class of fish here caught, that the 

 fish giving this fishery are young fish somewhat similar to those 

 caught during the same months to the west of both the Shetlands 

 and Orkneys. 



Considerable change has taken place in the herring fishery 

 between Wick and Peterhead. From 1883 to 1887 the winter 

 herring fishery of the East Coast of Scotland became an important 

 industry, and large catches were landed at various ports from 

 Montrose to Wick, large shoals being fished off the Aberdeen 

 coast and from the Moray Firth in 1886.* Summer shoals in 

 3^ears of abundance gave a fishing in the Moray Firth for herrings 

 of the quality of matfulls.t Mr. Browai of Lerwick informs me 

 that in his boyhood days the herrings spa^vned in heavy shoals 

 between Helmsdale and Port Mahomack. He has known of the 

 nets being so full of herrings that they could not be got on board, 

 and they had to be left until the fish rotted out of them. 



Age and Maturity, Tables I. and II. — The particulars as 

 to the age composition of the samples set forth in Table I. show 

 that the chief wealth of the summer fishery depends upon the 



* Repts. Fish. Bd Scot. t Rept. Fish. Bd. Scot., 1892. 



