of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



131 



with some fluctuation. Since 1904 the quantity taken by line has 

 remained fairly steady, and the quantity in 1908 was the largest since the 

 year 1899 ; this lias come about by the development of steam-lining. At 

 the beginning of the period, in 1892, the line contributed about 78 per 

 cent, of the demersal fishes landed and the trawl about 2'J per cent. ; at 

 the end of the period, 1908, the positions were reversed, the trawl con- 

 tributing about 73 per cent, of the total and the line about 27 per cent. 

 In the first eight years, 1892-1899, the quantity of demersal fishes taken 

 by line was 10,551,384 cwts., the average per annum for the period being 

 1,318,923 cwts., while the total taken by trawl was 4,701,195 cwts., and 

 the average per annum was 575,149 cwts. In the years 1901-1908, on the 

 other hand, the total quantity taken by line amounted to 5,488,644 cwts., 

 the average per annum being 686,080 cwts., whereas the quantity caught 

 by trawl was 13,866,497 cwts., and the average per annum 1,733,312 cwts. 

 Thus the contrast of these two periods shows that while the quantity of 

 fish taken by line decreased by 48 per cent., the quantity taken by trawl 

 increased by about 195 per cent. Comparing tlie first and the last single 

 years of the period, 1892 and 1908, the fish taken by line had diminished 

 by 598,895 cwts., or about 43 per cent., while the fish taken by trawl had 

 increased by 1,731,754 cwts., or about 456 per cent. 



The pelagic fish, as described above, show even a greater ratio of 

 increase as landed than the bottom fishes do. In the seventeen years, 

 1892-1908, the aggregate quantity was 76,597,806 cwts., or an average 

 of 4,505,753 cwts. per annum, and they formed nearly 68 per cent, 

 of the whole of the fishes landed. Comparing again the first period 

 of eight years, 1892-1899, with the second period, 1901-1908, 

 the tables show that in the former the quantity landed amounted to 

 31,538,650 cwts., with an annual average of 3,942,331 cwts., while in the 

 latter the quantity was 41,524,389 cwts., the annual average being 

 5,190,549 cwts., showing an increase of about 31 per cent. In the first 

 eight years they formed about 67 per cent, of the total quantity of fishes 

 landed, and in the last period of eight years about 68 per cent. The toll 

 taken from the surface-swimming fishes, while always greater absolutely, 

 has also been relatively larger in recent years than the toll taken from the 

 bottom-living fishes. A study of the figures for successive years shows 

 that the fluctuations in the case of the pelagic fishes, as was to be expected 

 from their habits and conditions of life, are # greater absolutely and 

 relatively than in the case of the demersal fishes. Owing also to their 

 predominance in composing the total of the fishes landed, the fluctuations 

 in the latter are chiefly determined by the fluctuations of the pelagic 

 fishes. What was said above as to the aggregate of fishes applies also to 

 the net -caught fish. 



It is necessary to consider also the figures referring to the fishes landed 

 on the various coasts. The fishery districts are grouped into three 

 divisions — (1) those on the East Coast, (2) those comprising Orkney and 

 Shetland, and (3) those included in the West Coast. 



East Coast, 



During the twenty years from 1889 to 1908 the gross quantity of fish of 

 all kinds landed on the East Coast of Scotland amounted to 85,494,243 cwts., 

 or an average per annum for the whole period of 4,274,712 cwts. For the 

 first ten years, 1889-1898, the aggregate was 40,460,7(58 cwts., or an 

 average of 4,046,077 cwts. per annum ; for the second ten years the 

 aggregate was 45,033,475 cwts., or an average of 4,503,347 cwts. The 

 increase in the last period was thus 11 per cent. Comparing the figures 

 for the first year, 1889, and the last year, 1908, the increase amounted to 

 30 percent. The lowest years were 1897, 1899, and 1890, with totals but 



