THE FISHERY BOARD FOR SCOTLAND 79 



of fishing piers and harbours, and the well-known 

 branding system which had come into operation 

 with the beginning of the Board was still retained, 

 and has been continued to the present day. There 

 was always a direct oversight over the herrings 

 cured and exported : every curer was bound to 

 give notice of his operations ; his stores were 

 always open to inspection by the fishery officers ; 

 and he was compelled to pack the proper quantity 

 of herrings into barrels of a regulation size. But 

 the Board took no cognisance of the quality of 

 the fish, or the cure, unless the merchant desired 

 to obtain their certificate of excellence. Then it 

 was the duty of the officer at the curing station 

 to open and examine a sample of the barrels of fish 

 to be exported, and if the contents came up to a 

 certain standard, he caused a brand to be burned 

 into the head of the barrel. The brand indicated 

 that the fish were not injured in the catching, that 

 they were properly cured, and that the barrel 

 contained a certain average number. It also 

 indicated the condition of the fish as regards size 

 and the state of maturity of the reproductive organs 

 (ovaries or "roes," and testes or "milts"). The 

 " Crown Brands " in use at the present time are : 

 " LA. FULL " (large herrings with ripe repro- 

 ductive organs ovaries and testes), "FULL," 

 "MAT. FULL" (smallish herrings with ripe 

 reproductive organs), "SPENT" (mature her- 

 rings which have spawned), and " MATTIE " 



