FISHERIES PROTECTION 199 



work in winter on the North Sea. Such is the danger 

 and discomfort on board one of His Majesty's ships of 

 war ; such is the weather in which the gallant little 

 steam-trawlers battle continuously, and in which, in the 

 old sailing days, smacks were forced to work to keep 

 the markets supplied with fish, and on board of which 

 sometimes there was no fire and no dry sleeping-place 

 for a whole voyage of eight or more weeks. 



During 1910 H.M.S. Ringdove was the only naval 

 vessel available for marine superintendence around the 

 Scottish coasts. Throughout the great summer herring- 

 fishery she was employed mostly in preserving order in 

 the Shetland harbours, and for the rest of the year 

 she was engaged largely in connection with the foreign 

 trawlers in the Moray Firth. The routine work done in 

 the course of the year by the Board's own cruisers 5 in 

 number was considerable, one of them being 269 days 

 at sea and steaming 21,559 knots, and another detaining 

 407 boats in connection with various Regulations. The 

 fines imposed amounted to ,2005, the maximum penalty 

 for illegal trawling 100 having been inflicted in 

 12 cases. Of that sum ^543, i6s. 8d. was paid, 18 

 of the accused went to prison, and 2 absconded. 

 The prosecutions for illegal trawling undertaken by 

 the Scottish Fishery Board from 1886 to 1910 was 

 694, and in no fewer than 628 a conviction was ob- 

 tained. The amount of the fines imposed was ,29,995, 

 of which ,13,191 was paid. 



