148 Part III. — Tiventy-seventh Annual Be23ort 



wet fish, has greatly diminished, except on the West Coast, where the 

 decrease has been much less. Other tables are given showing the yield of 

 the shell-fish fisheries of England and Wales for the years 1886-1907, 

 together with the values, and instituting similar comparisons to those 

 described above. 



Oysters. 



The oyster fishery in Scotland is a very small one in comparison with the 

 oyster fishery in other countries, and it is less now than it used to be, owing 

 to many natural beds having been depleted. In the twenty-six years, 

 1883-1908, the aggregate number of oysters landed was 10,529,000. The 

 average number per annum over the period was 404,965. Comparing the 

 first half of the period, 1883-1896, with the latter half, 1896-1908, the 

 quantity landed in the former was 4,219,983, the average being 324,614 

 per annum, Avhile in the second period the number was 6,309,104, and the 

 average 485,316 per annum. There was thus a gross increase in the 

 thirteen years of 2,089,120, or 49-5 per cent. This increase was entirely 

 confined to the West Coast, and is owing to the cultivation of the mollusc 

 in certain places, in particular Loch Ryan. 



The number landed on the East Coast in the twenty-six years was 

 1,048,637, the average per annum being 40,332. In the first half of the 

 period the number was 873,600, with an annual average of 67,200 ; in the 

 second half the number was 175,037, the average being 13,464, showing 

 therefore a decrease of about 80 per cent. This may be taken as indi- 

 cating the depletion of the natural beds, in particular in the Firth of 

 Forth, which at one time were very productive. 



In Orkney and Shetland the gross number landed was 54,950, the 

 annual average being 2113. In the years 1883-1895 the number was 

 48,750, and the average 3750 per annum; in the years 1896-1908 the 

 number was 6200, the annual average being only 477 oysters, showing a 

 decrease of about 87 per cent. 



On the West Coast the number of oysters landed in the twenty-six years 

 was 9,425,500, giving an average per annum of 362,519. In the first half 

 of the period the number was 3,297,633, and the average 253,664 ; in the 

 second half the number amounted to 6,127,867, the average being 471,374 

 oysters per annum. There was thus an increase in the thirteen years of 

 about 86 per cent. The propoi-tion for the diflferent coasts in the two 

 periods was as follows : — 



1883-1895. 1896-1908. 



East Coast 20*7 per cent. 2*7 per cent. 



Orkney and Shetland ..1*1 „ 0*1 „ 



West Coast 78-1 „ 97-1 



The figures in the detailed tables show that on the East Coast, in the 

 year 1883, 414,700 oysters were landed, and 95,000 in the following year, 

 and these represent, as it were, the last productive yield of the beds in the 

 Firth of Forth. After that there was a fairly steady decline until 1900, 

 when only 2600 oysters were landed. From 1901 to 1905 the number 

 rose again consider-ably, but in 1906 no oysters were landed on the East 

 Coast. In 1908 the number rose again to 14,900. In Orkney and Shet- 

 land the highest number in any year was 8000 in 1890, but in eight years 

 of the last thirteen no oysters were landed. On the West Coast by far the 

 highest numbers refer to recent years — for the reason stated above — in 

 1907 the number being 1,013,480, and in 1908 924,261. 



With regard to the value of the oysters landed, the aggregate for the 

 twenty-six years for the whole of Scotland was £43,560, or an average per 



