174 



Appendices to Thirty-second Annual Report 



laiidiugs. The gross earnings of the steamers may be quoted at from £800 

 to £1200; of motor boats, £500 to £1100; and of sail boats, £300 to £500. 



Owing to the scarcity of herrings — particularly in the Shetland waters 

 — large fleets congregated at Blyth and North Shields, and a general com- 

 mencement was made at these stations somewhat earher than usual. 

 Curing for the Continent was carried on with greater energy on this part 

 of the coast than has hitherto been the case. At North Shields upwards of 

 45,000 barrels were cured and exported as against 1700 in 1912. Previous 

 to this season there was a scarcity of station ground, but the authorities 

 have become ahve to the importance of the industry, with the result that 

 considerable improvements and reclamations have been carried out in the 

 vicinity of North Shields Harbour for the convenience of the trade. 



The landings of herrings at Anstruther, Montrose, and Stonehaven fell 

 considerably short of 1912. Notwithstanding the large fleet of steamers 

 now belonging to Anstruther, the deliveries were chiefly by boats returning 

 for the week ends to replenish their stores. Much depends on the proxi- 

 mity of the fishing grounds as to any increase or decrease in the landings at 

 this station. The harbour being a tidal one, there is no inducement to 

 visit the port, as considerable time is lost before the catches can be de- 

 livered. 



At Montrose the fishing was the most unsuccessful in the annals of the 

 district. The weather conditions were unsuitable for successful fishing, 

 while the shoals did not appear to have visited their usual haunts. Fisher- 

 men and shore-w^orkers were severely hit in consequence of the failure of 

 the fishing. In the season's average price there is an increase of 8s. 2d. per 

 cran, as compared with the previous year. The fleet employed at Stone- 

 haven consisted of about a dozen sail-boats, and the chief cause of the failure 

 was the distance from the fishing grounds. 



Compared with the season of 1912 the landings at Aberdeen show an 

 increase of upwards of 12,000 crans. There is also a substantial increase 

 of £55,000 in value. It was not until the fishing broke up in Shetland that 

 the landings at this station increased. Owing to the great offing at which 

 the fleet operated, a number of the craft were unable to make daily landings. 

 By the beginning of July the Enghsh drifters began to operate from the 

 port, so that with an increased fleet the shortage in the catch was soon 

 overtaken. The average price obtained throughout the season was 35s. 6d. 

 per cran, as against 23s. 6d. last year. Despite the remunerative prices, 

 steam drifter fishermen did not benefit to the extent that might have been 

 anticipated. The working expenses had risen considerably, and the long 

 drawn-out season, which extended over a period of from 15 to 16 wrecks, 

 as compared with 9 to 10 weeks in former years, made great inroads into 

 the gross earnings. The fish salesmen, on the other hand, had one of the 

 most lucrative seasons on record, as a number of the steamers grossed on an 

 average from £800 to £2000. The sail-boats also did remarkably well. 

 The season was not a successful one to the curer, as prices were rushed 

 beyond their market value. Week after week curers were in hopes that 

 with better landings on the East Coast prices would fall, but the un- 

 expected happened. The price paid (per cran) for the grean fish was often 

 more than that obtained for the best selections (per barrel) when cured. 

 To a large extent the trade relied on the percentage of barrels in excess of 

 crans to meet expenses of cure, which at Aberdeen were estimated to be 

 about 9s. per barrel, and which left httle or no margin of profit. 



The season at Peterhead was the most successful on the coast. The 

 value of the catch, which constitutes a record for the port, was £362,000, 

 being an increase of £125,000 as compared with the figures of the previous 

 year. The highest landings in any one season at Peterhead were in 1907, 

 but the value that year was only £277,416. The fishing opened in May, 



