232 



Affendices to Thirty-second Annual Report 



fishing with small lines ^Yas occasionally tried, but the results were dis- 

 couraging. 



During the year one large herring skiff was built at Campbeltown for a 

 local fisherman. 



Fortunately the amount of damage done to boats and fishing gear 

 throughout the district was not great. Two small boats were driven from 

 their moorings during a gale and were not recovered, and 2 herring boats 

 got damaged by coming in contact with rocks while fishing close to the 

 shore. No lives were lost in connection with the fisheries. 



All the barometers in the district are being carefully attended to by the 

 various custodians. 



John Sim, 

 - Fishery Officer. 



Fishery Office, 

 Campbeltown, 1th January 1914. 



Inveraray District. 



Another year of disappointing results has to be recorded in connection 

 with the fisheries carried on in this district, but local fishermen fortunately 

 met with very gratifying success when fishing in other districts, and the 

 season, from a financial point of view, was the best experienced by the 

 fishermen for a considerable number of years. 



The aggregate returns for this district are mainly dependent on the 

 results of the Loch Fyne herring fishing, and as this again proved unpro- 

 ductive, the total catch of all kinds of fish — shell-fish excepted — amomited 

 to only 14,122 cwts., valued at £5899. These figures no doubt show re- 

 spective increases of 2234 cwts. in quantity and £2574 in value when 

 compared with those for 1912, but the landings are still very far below 

 those of former years. 



A very noticeable feature in connection with the means of capture 

 returns was that the number of motor boats increased by 25 per cent., 

 and it seems probable that in the near future the herring fleet at least will 

 consist entirely of boats with mechanical propelling power. 



Taking into consideration the transference of 10 boats from the sail to 

 the motor class, the number of sailing craft on the register at the close of 

 the year showed a net decrease of 18 when compared with the figures for 

 1912. 



The gradual decrease which has been going on for some time in the 

 number of fishermen was again evident, and as a result of this there was a 

 further shrinkage in the area of netting and the length of lines in use. 



As already indicated, the results of the Loch Fyne herring fishing were 

 extremely disappointing, and to show the state to which this once lucrative 

 fishing has been reduced, it has only to be stated that the total landings 

 for the year represented little more than the average weekly catch of the 

 prosperous seasons of about thirty years ago. This condition of affairs 

 is also having a serious effect upon the fleet engaged, which during the 

 year was reduced to 88 boats as compared with 97 in 1912. In 1904 

 Tarbert alone put to sea 84 boats during the herring fishing season, but it 

 must be remembered that the fleet then consisted wholly of sail boats. 



Operations commenced rather earlier than usual, a few motor boats 

 being at work during March. It was then evident, however, that few 

 herrings had entered Loch Fyne, and, from that date until the end of 

 June, fishermen confined their operations almost entirely to the waters of 



