o/ the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



193 



most successful season. The average gross earnings of the drifters 

 amounted to £775, motors £279, and two sailers £124 each. 



Unfortunately, two Arbroath fishermen were washed overboard in 

 July and drowned, and a Broughty- Ferry fisherman was drowned in the 

 Tay in October. 



The loss of and damage to fishing gear both at the Scottish and English 

 fishings were below the average of previous years. 



No fishing vessels were built in the district during the past year, but 

 several orders for the building of steel trawlers and drifters have recently 

 been received by the shipbuilding firms at Dundee and Montrose re- 

 spectively. 



Coopers are assured of regular employment at increased rates of wages, 

 a fact entirely brought about by the big demand for barrels from the East 

 Anglian stations. 



Classes in navigation were creditably conducted at Ferryden by the 

 local schoolmaster, and all the fishermen who attended these classes and 

 went forward to the Board of Trade examination, which was held at 

 Dundee, secured certificates of competency as sldppers of fishing vessels. 



The barometers at Arbroath and Broughty-Ferry are well attended 

 by the custodians, and are much appreciated by fishermen. 



Frederick Eraser, 



Fishery Officer, 



Fishery Office, 

 Montrose, 1th January 1914. 



Stonehaven District. 



The weather throughout the year 1913 was generally favourable for 

 conducting fishing operations, but owing to the practice of landing catches 

 at Aberdeen the catch of both herrings and white fish was the smallest 

 ever landed in the district. The combined catch of herrings and white fish 

 shows from the previous year's total the very considerable decrease of 13,598 

 cwts. in quantity and £4243 in value. A shght increase (£232) appears in 

 the value of shell- fish. 



With regard to the means of capture returns there is again to be re- 

 corded a decrease in the number of fishermen and fishing boats, with a 

 corresponding decrease in the extent and value of fishing gear. The in- 

 dustry in the district is rapidly declining in all its branches. As the 

 fishing boats become unseaworthy, fishermen, not being in a position to 

 replace them by new ones, seek other employment. In the spring season, 

 to encourage the industry, a small private company fitted up and hired 

 out 2 large second-hand yawls with motors for fine fishing. The smaller of 

 the two, however, has now been laid up for fully six months, the scarcity 

 of fish on the coast making it difficult to get the venture to pay. 



An early commencement was made at the summer herring fishing. 

 Unfortunately, however, the season turned out a failure, and operations 

 were discontinued early in August on account of the scarcity of herrings. 

 Three of the boats took their nets ashore and gave up fishing, while the 

 others proceeded to Scarborough. The total catch for the Stonehaven 

 season amounted to only 380 crans. Fishermen went to sea for several 

 weeks in the latter end of the season without landing a single cran. 



During the early part of the fishing the Stonehaven fleet landed most 

 of their catches at Aberdeen, where higher prices were obtained for the 

 early caught fish. The fleet consisted wholly of saifing boats. Earnings 

 varied greatly, ranging from £25 to £190, and averaging about £80. A 

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