96 



Part III. — Twenty -fifth Annual Beport 



back for many years. The quantities of herrings taken in October, 

 November, December, and January in each season were as follows, in 

 crans : — 



The records of the Rothesay district show that in the years 1887-1891 

 herrings were again got in considerable numbers in Lochs Long, Goil, 

 Striven, and in the Kyles, but in these years they were taken in the 

 early part of the season, and there was no productive winter fishing in 

 the region till 1902. In that year, in the months of November and 

 December and in January 1903, between 28,000 and 29,000 crans were 

 caught in the Kyles of Bute and Loch Riddon. Tn 1903 the shoal 

 again entered the Kyles about the middle of October, and from then till 

 the end of January about 19,000 crans were taken. At the end of 

 September, 1904, the herrings again visited the Kyles and Loch Riddon, 

 but disappeared from those waters a1)0ut the middle of October ; and in 

 the following year there was practically no fishing in the Kyles, the 

 chief fishing being between the Ayrshire coast and Arran. In August 

 and September, 1906, the principal fishing ground was also close to the 

 east side of Arran, from which the shoals moved northwards, and a con- 

 siderable winter fishing was established opposite Greenock and in the 

 Gareloch in the winter 1906-7. It is of interest to note that after an 

 interval of about thirty-six years the shoals should again pehetrate 

 at the end of the year to the upper reaches of the Clyde. 



One fact of considerable interest that is brought out is that the 

 lluctuations in two successive years are rarely extreme ; it is uncommon 

 for a very good year to be followed by a very bad one, or for a very bad 

 year to be followed by a very good one ; the rule being for several years 

 in succession to be bad or good. An examination of the curves of the 

 annual yield of the various districts will make this clear. Tims, as above 

 described, the shoals of herrings frequented the upper reaches of the 

 Clyde in the winter months for a number of years from 1863 on, and 

 gradually withdrew. The curve for the Ballantrae district also shows 

 the abundant shoals that visited that part of the coast in the years 1878 

 to 1881, and again in 1883-1885, and the great scarcity in the years 

 from 1892 to 1899. 



The curve showing the annual fluctuations in Loch Fyne deserves 

 special attention. It will be seen from it th.it as a general rule the good 

 years and the bad years come in groups, and that only on one occasion, 

 1897, a very good year follows a year in which the yield was below the 

 average. The years in which the yield was above and below the mean 

 for the whole period from 1863 to 1906 may be arranged as follows, 

 those below the line representing the years below the average, and those 

 above it the years above the average : — 



1865-70 1881-83 1885 1889-94 1807-99 1901-02 

 1863-64 1871-80 1884 1886-88 1895-96 1900 1903-06 



