APPENDIX J: SCOTLAND _ HO _ 



signalled out as being iu their season of special richness. With the advent of the steam - 

 trawler, the grounds regularly fished on were extended out to the 50 fathom line and 

 later, on the appearance of the otter-trawl, to the 100 fathom line. It can only be said, 

 therefore, that the fishing grounds of the Scottish boats lie auywhere within the 100 

 fathom line round Scotland, the banks round Iceland and the Fseroes in the north, and on 

 the west coast, as far as St. Kilda and Kockall. The herring boats pursue the herring in 

 the southern parts of the North Sea, as well as in the waters all round Scotland. Some- 

 times, they take part in the fishery on the Cornish coast in the English Channel, and 

 many boats go each year to Ireland for the herring fishery in the Irish Channel. 



Statistics 



The present system of Scottish statistics has been the product of many years' growth, 

 slowly developing according to the condition of the fisheries and the need of the times. 

 In earlier years, before the new Board was formed, it was considered sufficient to obtain 

 information with regard only to the more important fisheries such as herring, cod etc., 

 of those, namely, which formed Ihe basis of the curing industry and the export trade. 

 These comparatively simple statistics date back nearly a hundred years. For some years 

 before the formation of the new Board, however, the fresh fish trade of Scotland had 

 become of great importance, and the struggle between liners and trawlers had already 

 begun. Definite information with regard to the points iu dispute was quite lacking, and 

 it became one of the first duties of the Board, to arrange for the collection of all data 

 relating to the actual quantities of fish landed and the fisheries generally. Statistics of 

 the fresh fish landed in Scotland were first published in the year 1884 for the year 1883. 

 For the first few years, the older and the new systems were published side by side i. e. 

 the statistics with regard to the fish cured were kept distinct from those dealing with the 

 fresh fish. In 1889, however, the division was done away with, and the statistics of all 

 fish caught and landed were included in the same tables. 



One legacy of the greatest importance for the collection of statistics, left by the 

 previous Fishery Board, was the organisation of selected fisheries officers round the coasts 

 of Scotland, each having a definite district under his supervision. These districts have 

 been maintained as before and number 26, embracing the east and west coast with Shet- 

 land and Orkney. The 26 districts are now grouped together into the three divisions, 

 namely, east coast, west coast and Shetland and Orkney together. By means of these 

 fishery officers and the powers granted it for the control of the fisheries, the Scottish 

 Fishery Board has been able, to bring its statistics to a high standard of scientific value. 

 Changes have been introduced as the years went on, but disregarding these, a brief sketch 

 may be given of the information contained in the tables of the 1902 Report. 



The various tables are published as Appendixes to Part I of the Keport. In Appendix 

 A, the boats, their tonnage, the kind and extent of apparatus used and the values of each 

 and all are given for each district. Thus, the steam-trawlers are distinguished from 

 steam-liners and both from fishing boats employing sails; sailing trawlers are distinguished 

 from steam -trawlers, and boats from England or elsewhere, landing their catches in Scot- 

 land, are also mentioned separately. In a further table, the course of the fishing for the 

 year, number of boats and men etc. are given for each fishing place or creek round Scot- 

 land, the trawling vessels, however, being omitted. 



