i 



Fifth Annual Report of the 



Total catch crans, as compared with 9507 crans in the previous year. It was 

 and prices. a j| di S p 0Sec j 0 f in the local markets for consumption fresh. The 

 herrings were generally of good quality, and always commanded 

 high prices —the average being fully 40s. a cran. Three curing 

 Curing Vessels, vessels were fitted out in the district, but on account of the 

 comparative scarcity of herrings in the Loch Carron and Fort 

 William districts, where they were principally engaged, their suc- 

 cess was very limited, as well as that of some other vessels which 

 transhipped their takes to them. 



Boundary of 

 District. 



Winter 

 Fishing less 

 productive 

 than on pre- 

 ceding twelve 

 years. 



Boats 

 employed. 

 Total catch of 

 Herring. 

 Quality 

 and Prices. 

 Causes thereof, 



Summer 

 Fishing Boats 

 employed. 



Crans caught 

 and the value. 



Article on 

 Herring 

 Fishing in 

 District. 



Total decrease 

 in Herrings 

 Cured. 



Scarcity of 

 Herrings over 

 Coast except 

 at Campbel- 

 town. 



Ballantrae District. 



From Ayr to Sark River, Solway Firth, both inclusive. 



District Fishery Office — Cfirvan. 



The winter herring fishing in Ballantrae district in 1886 was less 

 productive than in any of the preceding twelve years. The weather 

 in the early part of the season was stormy ; the herrings lay on the 

 exposed banks of Ballantrae; and the fishing was suspended for 

 several weeks in succession. Afterwards prices were so low that the 

 seine or circle-net fishermen purposely remained in harbour, and 

 not more than a third of the boats were at any time fishing. Three 

 modes of fishing are practised in the district, viz., drift-net, seine or 

 circle-net, and set trammel-net. In the winter fishing 296 boats 

 were employed, and the total catch was 4760 crans, value £5168. 

 The herrings were inferior and generally small. Prices, in com- 

 parison with other years, were low, not averaging more than 21s. 9d. 

 a cran. In former seasons the average was from 30s. to 60s. 

 This falling off in prices was mainly owing to the great takes of 

 winter herrings which were landed on the East Coast, from the Firth 

 of Forth to Wick, and to large importations of partially-preserved 

 herrings from Norway into the home markets. The winter fishing 

 was confined to the Ayrshire coast, and prosecuted from January 

 to the end of March. The summer herring fishing was carried on 

 in Luce Bay and on the Ayrshire coast by drift-nets. The largest 

 number of boats fishing was 116. The quantity of herrings landed 

 was 2582 crans, value £3621. The total winter and summer catch 

 amounted to 7342 crans, value £8789. In 1885 the produce of the 

 winter fishing was 27,671 crans, value £46,673 ; of the summer 

 fishing 3051 crans, value £4751; being together 30,722 crans, value 

 £51,424, showing the large decrease in the quantity of herrings 

 landed in 1886 of 23,380 crans, and in the value £42,635. A still 

 greater decrease appears when compared with the fishing of 1884, 

 which returned a catch of 31,374 crans, valued at £78,435. 



An interesting article on the herring fishing in this district, by Mr 

 Peter Wilson, fishery officer, Girvan, will be found in Appendix H. 



SUMMARY OF WEST COAST HERRING FISHING. 



The official returns of the herring fishing on the West Coast of 

 Scotland show that the total quantity of herrings cured in 1886 was 

 169,783^ barrels, as compared with 253,969 J in the previous year, 

 being a decrease of 84,186J barrels. The whole of the nine dis- 

 tricts show a falling off, which is especially marked in Stornoway 

 and Ballantrae. There seemed to have been a scarcity of herrings 



