DRIFT NET FISHING 



47 



months of the year, and is carried on mainly in the Firth of Forth ; 

 at Wick and Stornoway. 



II. The early herring fishery was formerly carried on mainly 

 in May and June, almost exclusively on the west coast, and to the 

 west of the Shetlands ; but is now mainly an east coast and east 

 side of Shetland fishery. 



III. The great summer herring fishery, from ist July to the end 

 of the year, carried on at the Orkneys and Shetlands, at Aberdeen, 

 Peterhead, Fraserburgh and Wick. The total yield of the Scottish 

 herring fisheries since 1909 is appended : — 



The English drift net herring fishery is practically confined to the 

 east coast, and follows the Scottish great summer herring fishery. 

 There are other local herring fisheries in England and Wales, notably 

 that carried on in Manx waters, but they do not contribute an 

 appreciable proportion of the total catch. The east coast fishery 

 commences in May at North Shields and increases in June, July and 

 August, when Grimsby, Hull, Scarborough and Hartlepool com- 

 mence operations. At the first three of these ports the maximum 

 catch is obtained in September. In this month the landings at 

 Yarmouth and Lowestoft begin reaching their maximum in October, 

 decreasing again in November. In November the landings at the 

 majority of southern and south-western ports are the greatest, 

 but the quantities are, in the aggregate, small. Scottish fishermen 

 and fishing boats take considerable part in the great English fishery, 

 Scottish lasses being extensively employed in the preparation of 

 the herring for the continental markets. In 1913 the herring 

 fishery was universally successful ; no less than 1163 Scottish 

 fishing boats proceeded to the English fishing, the fleet being made 

 up of 854 steamers, 100 motor boats and 209 sailing drifters. Except 

 in the case of sailing boats this is a marked increase on previous 

 years' figures. Year by year the tendency is for the sailing boat to 

 drop out of this fishing, the reason being that the crowded state 

 of the East Anglian ports renders some form of mechanical power 

 almost essential. These Scottish boats caught 2,488,183 cwt. of 

 herring at the English fishing, the total yield for the whole of 

 England and Wales being 7,313,425 cwt. The value of the Scottish- 



