28 



Part III. — Twenty-fifth Annual Report 



being on the west side of Cantyre. It would be of interest to learn the 

 variations within Loch Fyne itself, and there are some statistics which 

 throw light upon the subject. In the report for 1855 a detailed return 

 is given of the number of boats and men belonging to the various villages 

 or creeks, from which it appears that the total number of boats within 

 Loch Fyne was 390, the number of men being 1053, but it includes West 

 Loch Tarbert, where, however, the numbers are very small. Along the 

 coast from Ardlamont to Kilfinan there were 80 men and 30 boats ; at 

 Lochgilphead, Ardrishaig, and Inverneil there were 91 boats and 171 

 men ; at East and West Tarbert there were 80 boats and 283 men, 

 making altogether for the Lower Loch, that is, below Otter Spit (and in- 

 cluding the few at West Loch Tarbert), a total of 201 boats and 533 men. 

 The totals for Upper Loch Fyne, above Otter Spit, were 189 boats and 

 520 men, distributed as follows : — East Otter to Newton, 15 boats and 38 

 men ; Leachk, Balure, Strachur, Poll, Cairndhu, and Dunderaan, 37 

 boats and 104 men; Inveraray, 20 boats and 50 men; Kenmore to 

 Douglas Water, 8 boats and 20 men ; Crarae, Sandhole, and Furnace, 36 

 boats and 104 men ; Inverae and Sheep Point, 26 boats and 64 men ; 

 Lochgair, 19 boats and 52 men ; West Otter and Silvercraigs, 28 boats 

 and 88 men. 



No similar return was published till 1886, after which, with the 

 exception of 1887, when it was omitted, it appeared in each of the 

 annual reports. The grouping of the creeks or villages differs, but in the 

 following Table the more important which remained unchanged are given, 

 as well as the totals for the whole coast of Loch Fyne, arranged in means 

 of five-yearly periods : — 



There has occurred, therefore, a decrease in both boats and men along the 

 shores of Loch Fyne ; the decrease in boats, although more pronounced, is 

 less important, since they are now larger than they used to be, and the 

 decrease in men is less marked than on many other parts of the coast of 

 Scotland within the same period. The diminution has taken place more 

 particularly at the smaller creeks, especially in Upper Loch Fyne, where 

 the number of fishermen has been much reduced. Thus, taking the 

 years 1855, 1886, and 1906, and contrasting the figures for the upper 

 with those for the lower loch, we have the following : — 



1855 

 1866 

 1906 



Upper Loch. 

 Boats. Men. 



189 520 



127 281 



74 156 



