THE TRAWLING GROUNDS 



35 



European war in 1914, much frequented by German steam trawlers, 

 which for the most part landed their fish at Aberdeen. '^ 



In 1913 of 569 landings from Iceland grounds at Aberdeen 530 

 were German, 37 British and 2 Dutch, in 1914 the numbers were : 

 German, 483 ; British, 42 ; Belgian, 14 ; and Dutch i. It was a 

 matter of common knowledge in fishery circles that the foreign 

 fishing fleet landing at Aberdeen was almost entirely German and 

 fished almost entirely at Iceland. In 1914, up to September, the 

 Germans landed just over 30 per cent of the whole quantity of 

 trawled fish in Aberdeen market. Although these foreign landings 

 practically ceased at the end of July, they accounted for over 23 

 per cent of the whole Scottish trawl catch, for close on 18 per cent 

 of the whole Scottish supply of demersal fish. 



The third area of importance to British trawlers is the Faroe 

 Bank, which is subdivided into two regions, the Faroe Islands 

 and the Bank itself. These regions are separated by a deep water 

 channel. The estimated area of the grounds is 4,950 sq. miles. 

 The chief fish are cod and haddock, but halibut, coalfish and ling 

 are also abundant. The results of the Faroe fishing as regards the 

 total quantity landed in England and Wales and the plaice statistics 

 are appended : — 



English Landings from the Faroe Grounds 



(All figures in cwts.) 



It will be again noticed that the introduction of steam trawling 

 is speedily followed by the diminution of a sedentary species like 

 the plaice. In the table the total quantity includes the landings 

 from both trawlers and liners, whereas the averages are for trawlers 

 alone. Plaice is not landed by liners. 



The fourth area is around Rockall, an isolated rock situated in 

 the North Atlantic in 57°36' North latitude and I3°42' West 

 longitude. There is here an extensive bank 50 miles long and about 



1 " Aberdeen Fishery Statistics, 1914-16," by D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson, 

 Fisheries, Scotland, Sci. Invest., 1917, I (October, 1917)- 



