go SCIENTIFIC SURVEY OF ABERDEEN AND DISTRICT 
the origin and development of the herring fishing may not include such 
stirring events as are associated with the period when Holland and Great 
Britain were contending for supremacy in the same field, but since the 
system of Government bounties ended, progress in marketing has kept pace 
with new developments in the means of capture of this pelagic species, 
which has been and is of such importance to Scotland. 
The vessels employed under the Government bounty system were of 
considerable size and capacity, but those owned subsequently at the 
northern ports confined their operations to their own shores and did not 
exceed 33 to 40 ft. in length. Their range at sea was consequently a 
limited one and the outlet for their catch was of a very circumscribed 
character. With the gradual expansion of markets on the Continent of 
Europe, however, demand was gradually stimulated, and the price obtain- 
able improved. 
Coincident with the upward trend of demand there was corresponding 
pressure for the extension of catching power, which was met by the build- 
ing of larger boats with extended sea scope. ‘This continued until sailing 
boats 65 ft. long, with ample sea range and capable of landing large 
quantities of herring, were quite common. 
The next change was that inaugurated by the advent of the steam 
drifter, and it exercised a profound influence upon the fortunes of the 
industry. The catching power, speed and range of the fleet were so 
materially augmented that herrings caught within a radius of 100 miles 
of a port might be landed daily. In the development accompanying the 
employment of these vessels the counties of Aberdeen and Banff occupied 
a prominent place. 
Meantime a further change is engaging the attention of those inter- 
ested in the type of motive power and craft best adapted for the economic 
capture of herrings. Already vessels fitted with the Diesel engine are in 
service, and the results of their operations clearly establish a balance in 
their favour in respect of running costs. Against this, the protagonists 
of steam maintain that the life of the Diesel craft cannot possibly be more 
than half that of a steamer, and that superiority of the steam drifter in 
contending with adverse weather conditions is also an important factor 
in its favour. 
The nets used for the capture of herrings have shared in the general 
advance by periodic adaptation to the needs of the industry. Cotton has 
replaced hemp as the material from which nets are fashioned, and the 
stretch of nets now put in the water by the fleet of drifters has multiplied 
the catching power enormously. The length of net in use to-day is 
55 yards, while the depth is about 15 yards, and anything up to 100 nets 
are shot at one time. 
The application of steam to the propulsion of the vessels was accom- 
panied by equally effective improvements in the equipment for handling 
gear and discharging the catch, and all contributed to increased catches 
and quicker landings. 
Only very small proportions of the herrings landed at Scottish ports 
are consumed in this country in the fresh state or in the form of kippers. 
Unfortunately for the industry, especially at the present time, pickled 
