of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



225 



landed a successful fishing at Ullapool. These herrings were caught in 

 the vicinity of Priest Island, and there was every indication that a large 

 shoal of herrings was present. Fishermen were hopeful of the shoal 

 finding its way farther into the loch, but in this they were disappointed, 

 just as they have been for the last few years in similar circumstances. 

 The fishing fell away completely after 11th October. The fleet was soon 

 augmented by boats from almost every district in Scotland, and a number 

 came from Ireland, but they dispersed after a few blank hauls. The total 

 catch for the fortnight was 835 crans, valued at £1238. This money was 

 well distributed over the local crews, but a few of them were well above 

 the average, one skiff grossing £110. 



Herrings were landed at Aultbea from July to October, but September 

 was the only month in which the fishermen had anything approaching 

 success. A small fleet landed a total of 782 crans which were caught off 

 Greenstone Point and at the entrance to Loch Ewe. 



The catch of herrings at Badachro amounted to 1491 crans of the value 

 of £1936. These were landed during eight months of the year, but the best 

 results were obtained in September. During that month a fleet of 35 boats 

 was employed, and although the fishing was only fair, the high prices 

 obtained enabled fishermen to make earnings which ranged from £70 to 

 £200 per boat. 



The quality of the herrings landed throughout the district was gener- 

 ally good, and owing to the keen demand for curing purposes prices were 

 very satisfactory, ranging during the summer and autumn from 22s. to 

 40s. per cran. 



Five first-class boats belonging to Lochinver and Coigach sections took 

 part in the Stornoway and East Coast summer herring fishings, and grossed 

 from £170 to £870 each, or an average of £380 per boat. 



The fishermen engaged in the cod and saithe net fishing from Badachro 

 in spring had another successful season. The total catch amounted to 7965 

 cwts., of the value of £1926, which exceeds that of last year by 453 cwts. 

 and £121. Thirty boats were employed, and earned from £28 to £110 per 

 boat, the general run being from £45 to £65 each. Practically all the 

 fish were cured for drying purposes, and prices, except for a few days 

 previous to Good Friday, ranged from 6d. to Is. for cod and 2d. to 6d. for 

 saithe. There were plenty of fish in Gairloch Bay and in the vicinity of 

 Longa Island, one boat landing an average of 200 fish in 8 successive 

 shots, but stormy weather during February and March often kept the 

 boats ashore. 



Line fishing again gave poor results, the total taken by this means of 

 capture showing a falling off of 2071 cwts. in quantity and £747 in value, 

 when compared with 1912. A large part of this decrease is accounted 

 for by the partial failure of the hand-line fishing for cod and saithe in Stoer 

 Bay, but the stormy weather experienced during the first and last quarters 

 of the year lessened the line fishermen's opportunities. 



The shell-fisheries of the district were prosecuted with a fair amount 

 of success. There was a decrease in the quantity and value of whelks 

 gathered, but the value of lobsters caught shows an improvement on that 

 of the previous year of £289. In the southern sections of the district the 

 lobsters caught are generally of a small size, but north of Coigach better- 

 sized fish are got, and especially in Lochs Laxford and Inchard and north 

 to Cape Wrath, where a fixed price of Is. 2d. to Is. 4d. each is paid. 



Herring curing for exportation was carried on at Lochclash, Lochinver, 

 Ullapool, Aultbea, and Badachro, but part of the catch of the latter 3 

 stations was roused and sent to Stornoway to be cured. Badachro is the 

 only place in the district where fish-curers are stationed all the year round 

 ready to deal with a fishing, and, in addition to their share of the catch 

 II 



