of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



xxvii 



total quantity landed being 8117 cwts., as compared with 5597 cwts. 

 in 1912, while, owing to the poorer quality, they realised only £1772, 

 as against £1866 in the preceding year. 



The sparling or smelt is a rare fish in Scottish waters, and only 

 305 cwts., valued at £903, were landed during the year, as against 

 400 cwts., valued at £1063, in 1912. 



There was a large increase in the quantity of mackerel landed, the 

 figures for 1913 and 1912 being respectively 74,348 cwts. and 48,010 

 cwts., but the value did not keep pace with the catch, the total of 

 £10,190 being only £1448 in advance of last year's figures. The whole 

 of the increase is referable to the East Coast, where large quantities 

 were taken by the herring fishing fleets working from the Aberdeen- 

 shire ports. The increase could have been much larger had a better 

 market existed for this fish, as it was plentiful on both the East and 

 West Coasts, but as matters stood fishermen in many cases did not 

 trouble to take their catches to land, but returned them instead to the 

 sea. 



III. Demersal Fish, taken by Trawl, Lines, and Nets. 



The total quantity of demersal fish landed in Scotland was 3,296,257 

 cwts., which realised £1,824,741. As regards quantity, this total falls 

 short of that of 1912 by 35,542 cwts. or 1 per cent., but exceeds the 

 average of the preceding five years by 208,310 cwts., or 6*7 per cent., 

 while in point of value it again constitutes a record, exceeding the 

 record made in the previous year by £158,361, or 9*5 per cent, and 

 the average of the five preceding years by £353,706, or 24 per cent. 

 The continuous and rapid rise in the price of white fish thus indicated 

 has in recent years been perhaps the most prominent feature of the 

 fishing industry. 



Of the total catch trawlers landed 2,541,948 cwts., or 77 per cent., 

 liners, 660,839 cwts., or 20 per cent. ; and net-fishermen, 93,470 cwts., 

 or 3 per cent. The corresponding percentages in 1912 were 72, 25, and 

 3 respectively, from which it is evident that the responsibility for the 

 decrease rests upon the line and net-fishings. The actual increase in the 

 trawl catch amounted to 149,256 cwts., but of this quantity, however, 

 97,156 cwts. were referable to foreign trawlers, who last year landed 

 over 22 per cent, of the total quantity of white fish landed at Aberdeen, 

 and upon whom the numerous firms of fish-curers in that city are 

 coming more and more to rely for the supplies necessary to the carrying 

 on of their industry. 



Of the value, £1,424,115, or 78 per cent., are referable to trawl fish ; 

 £356,990, or 19'6 per cent., to lines ; and £43,636, or 2-4 per cent., to 

 nets. In 1912 the corresponding percentages were 73*9, 23*7, and 2'4. 



In the following table the fishing grounds or areas from which the 

 Scottish white fish supply is drawn are shown, together with the 

 quantity of the various species taken from each. 



[Table. 



