52 



Part III. — Twenty-fifth Annual Beport 



The summer fishing on the coast was poor, most of the boats fishing at 

 Arran and on the Argyllshire coast. About 18th or 19th October a 

 large shoal of herrings entered Loch Ryan, but v^ent out in a day or two 

 before many were caught ; very few herrings were taken in November, 

 but an unexpectedly early commencement of the winter fishing was made 

 otf Loch Ryan on 1 1th ]_)eceml)er, and during that mouth 4085 crans were 

 secured there about two to five miles from the coast. In January, 1880, 

 the fishing continued in that quarter, extending towards the end of the 

 month from Corsewall to Ballantrae. In the week ended 2l8t February 

 the herrings were settling on the spawning banks ; at the beginning of 

 March the best takes were got on the banks by seines, after which 

 the trammels were too crowded for them, and the seiners left. The 

 fishing went on to the end of March, and the enormous quantity of 

 35,277 crans (about 123,570 cwts, or more than 35,000,000 herrings) 

 were secured, which, at the prices then ruling, were worth considerably 

 over £70,000. The weekly returns are these : — 



The summer fishing, up to the end of July, was successful on the 

 Ayrshire coast this year, especially ofi" Girvan, but the herrings dis- 

 appeared in August ; in October some were taken in the middle of the 

 Clyde, and at the end of the month at Loch Ryan ; in November, and still 

 more in December the takes in that neighbourhood increased, and it is 



