i?o HARBOUR CONSTRUCTION. 



morning the harbour was blocked up ; the boats were bound to run 

 for the south harbour, and they were coming in one on the top of 

 the other. It is a vital question to the herring trade to increase the 

 harbour accommodation.' 



" The fishery officer at Fraserburgh, gave evidence to the same 

 effect, estimating the loss to the Fraserburgh fishermen, arising from 

 insufficient harbour accommodation, at 64,000 crans of herring, valued 

 at 80,000." 



Since the foregoing statements were made, the harbours of 

 Peterhead and Fraserburgh have been considerably improved ; 

 nevertheless, the depth of water at their entrances is still small, 

 being only from 5 to 6 feet at low water springs, and these 

 improvements have to a certain extent been neutralized by a 

 much larger class of boats being now employed in the fishing 

 than those formerly in use. 



At the present time, the average number of nights during 

 the herring fishing upon which the Peterhead boats do not 

 venture out, owing to threatening indications in the weather, 

 is twelve. The average catch per boat per night, for the whole 

 fishing, which lasts for forty days, is about 7^ crans ; but during 

 the height of the season the catch for a single night often 

 averages fully thirty crans per boat. 



Thus, assuming 600 boats to be engaged, the loss of one 

 night's fishing represents, at 7J crans per boat, 4500 crans, or 

 54,000 crans for the twelve nights. Assuming these to be worth 

 20s. per cran, which is a fair average price, we have 54,000, 

 and this, capitalized at twenty years' purchase, represents a sum 

 of no less than 1,080,000 for the town of Peterhead alone. 



This surely demonstrates the value of good harbours, even 

 should the fishing industry alone be considered, and that from a 

 monetary point of view. 1 



The following table contains some information about fishing- 

 boats which may be of interest : 



1 The value of the herring yearly brought into the chief fishing stations on the 

 Aberdeenshire coast is at least equal to the land rental of the county ; and the 

 value of the herring cured in 1880 in the whole of Scotland exceeded by half a 

 million sterling the rental of the nine northern counties (" The Further Develop- 

 ment of our Sea Fisheries," by "R. W. Duff, Esq., M.P. D. Wyllie & Sou, Aberdeen). 



