of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



xlix 



correspondino- figures for the previous year being 36 and 30. The 

 decrease exhibited in 1912 as compared with 1911 was thus continued, 

 and, although the numbers have alv/ays shown considerable fluctua- 

 tions in difierent years, it seems but reasonable to conclude that illegal 

 trawling is not being carried on to the same extent as formerly, since 

 the average number, for the last decade, of prosecutions and con- 

 victions was 46 and 43 respectively. The constant patrolling by the 

 Board's cruisers is, no doubt, having a deterrent effect on trawl masters 

 who might be inclined to contravene the law. 



The locality in which the greatest number of cases occurred was the 

 Moray Firth, where there were 13 detections — 6 foreign and 7 British. 

 Next in order came the Shetland waters with 7, followed by the Outer 

 Hebrides with 4, and the Firth of Forth, the eastern Aberdeenshire 

 Coast, Fair Isle, the Firth of Clyde, and Luce Bay with 1 each. The 

 decrease in the total number was again largely attributable to Fair 

 Isle and the Firth of Forth, which were formerly favourite resorts. 



The Board's cruisers detected almost 75 per cent, of the cases, 

 the Admiralty vessel contributing only 1 detection to the total, while 

 fishermen, coastguardsmen, and lighthouse keepers were jointly 

 responsible for 7 cases, the fishermen concerned being at Pittenweem, 

 Shetland, Barra, and Luce Bay. In 2 of the cases brought to trial, 

 the verdict " Not proven " was arrived at, and in each of these the same 

 foreign trawler was concerned. Of the total of 6 foreign trawlers 

 prosecuted, all were in the Moray Forth, and of the 7 British vessels 

 detected there, 3 were inside the 3-mile limit. 



Owing to the small number of prosecutions and convictions, the 

 total amount of fines imposed (£1345) was less than in 1912, the 

 difference amounting to £185, though the average of £51 was the same 

 for the two years. In 9 of the cases, however, the convicted masters 

 elected to go to prison rather than pay the fine, and the total fines paid 

 amounted to only £720, this representing an increase of £122 13s. 4d. 

 over the previous year's figure. 



In Appendix K, No. 11. (p. 165) will be found full particulars 

 of the prosecutions for illegal trawling for 1913, while Appendix K, 

 No. IV. (p. 170) contains a summary of the prosecutions since the year 

 1886. 



PROSECUTIONS FOR OTHER OFFENCES. 



Particulars of prosecutions of masters of fishing vessels for offences 

 other than illegal trawling will be found in Appendix K, No. III. 

 It will be observed that there were only 4 such cases. Three of them 

 were in connection with trawling offences and related to the conceal- 

 ment of distinguishing letters and numbers, the failure to exhibit 

 the regulation lights to be shown while trawling by night, and the 

 obstruction of a Sea Fishery Officer while he was exercising the powers 

 conferred on him by the Sea Fisheries Act, 1883. In the last-mentioned 

 case the Chief Officer of the Fishery Cruiser " Freya," after boarding 

 the Norwegian trawler "Norseman," S.D. 4, in order to charge the 

 master with illegal trawling, was carried off by the trawler to Ostend. 

 Unfortunately, when this case was brought to trial, the Sheriff held 

 the charge to be irrelevant. The remaining case was for a breach of 

 the weekly herring fishing close time in Loch Ryan, and the penalty 

 imposed was merely a nominal one. 



