of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



xxix 



the comparison be made with the average for the preceding five years 

 the decline amounts to 29 per cent. Notwithstanding the large 

 decrease, however, the value declined by only 5 per cent., the respective 

 figures being £549,711 and £575,957. It is difl&cult to assign any 

 authentic reason for this decline, but the probability is that it is due 

 to one of those fluctuations which are inseparable from the sea fisheries, 

 and not to the impoverishment of the stock. This view is based 

 on the fact that similar periods of depression have occurred before, 

 as, for example, between 1895 and 1903. In the former year the catch 

 was over 1,000,000 cwts., yet only three years later it had sunk to less 

 than three-quarters of a million cwts., and it was not until 1903 that it 

 again exceeded the million cwt. mark. 



The trawlers' share amounted to 645,163 cwts., or 165,813 cwts. less 

 than in 1912, of which 66 per cent, was landed at Aberdeen, where, it 

 is interesting to note, the proportion of small haddocks in the aggregate 

 landings fell from 47 to 42 per cent. Line fishing for haddocks is 

 almost exclusively an inshore fishing, prosecuted by small sailing and 

 motor boats, and the contribution from this source amounted to only 

 84,940 cwts., valued at £62,135, as against 142,250 cwts., valued at 

 £83,384 in 1912, the greatest falling off having occurred in the Moray 

 Firth and in Shetland and Montrose districts. 



The average price per cwt. realised was 15s. Id., as compared 

 with 12s. Id. in 1912, and 9s. lid. in 1911. 



Cod. 



The catch of cod during 1913 was almost identical with that of 

 1912, but the value shows a decided increase. In all 1,233,449 cwts., 

 valued at £583,451, were landed, these figures representing a decrease of 

 1594 cwts. in quantity, but an increase of £77,239 in value as compared 

 with the totals for 1912. The proportion of the total catch taken by 

 means of nets showed little alteration, but the line catch fell further 

 behind, the quantity taken by trawl showing a corresponding advance. 

 The percentages of the total attributable to the three methods were, 

 by trawl, 77 per cent., by lines, 17 per cent., and by nets, 6 per cent., 

 as against 70, 23, and 7 per cent, respectively in the preceding year. 

 The average price per cwt. throughout the year works out at 9s. 5Jd., 

 as compared with 8s. 2d. in 1912, and 7s. 6d. in 1911. 



About 40 per cent, of the total catch was taken on the Icelandic 

 and Faroese grounds — principally the former — and of this quantity 

 three-quarters were landed by foreign fishing vessels which specialise 

 in this fishing. 



Ling. 



Of this species 216,404 cwts., valued at £79,554, were larded, these 

 figures representing a considerable improvement upon the catch in 

 1912, which amounted to 190,964 cwts., valued at £59,764. The im- 

 provement was due mainly to the trawlers, who, with a catch of 

 93,353 cwts., valued at £29,898, as compared with 71,938 cwts. and 

 £19,025 in 1912, still further reduced the lead which the liners still 

 hold as regards this species. The steam line catch also shows the 

 considerable increase of 10,751 cwts., or 12 per cent., which was due 

 to the success of the vessels which operated off Kockall and Faroe, 

 but the total line catch was only 4000 cwts. more than in 1912, owing 

 to the diminished catch of the sailing liners, whose contribution fell 



