Fishery Board for Scotland. 



xxxvii 



exception of a small quantity which was kippered, all the winter 

 herrings were sent to the markets to be used fresh. 



Peterhead District. 



From Aberdeen to Rattray Head, both exclusive. Boundary of 



District. 



District Fishery Office — Peterhead. 



In Peterhead district, the number of boats engaged in the summer Number of 

 fishing of 1866 was 555, of which 480 fished from Peterhead, 68 ^lle^but 

 from Boddam, and 7 from Port Erroll, being 172 less than the fleet average catch 

 of 1885, and the smallest number employed in any season since Pf' boat 



iii^iiGstj on 



1868. But, on the other hand, the average catch per boat was record. 



among the highest on record. At Peterhead it was 250 crans, at 



Boddam 174, and at Port Erroll 209J, which gave a general average 



of 240 J crans per boat over the fleet. The weeks ending 7th August 



and 4th September were the most successful of the season. The 



great bulk of the catch of these weeks was got on the inshore 



grounds at a distance of from two to six miles from land. These Particulars of 



grounds proved more productive than they had done for a number Fish i n g»- 



of the preceding years, but, unfortunately, nets to the value of £2800 



were lost. The shoals of herrings were very dense, and the area 



in which they lay being circumscribed, the boats were so much 



crowded together that they seldom shot their whole drift of nets 



on account of the risk they would run of losing some of them by 



fouling or by the weight of fish which they might mesh. On 



several occasions boats were completely loaded by the catch of 



from ten to fifteen nets ; and, perhaps, in no previous season were 



heavy takes so common. A number of boats landed individual 



takes of 100 crans and upwards. One boat got 140 crans, which 



was supposed to be the largest take ever landed in the district. The 



greatest total catch of any boat during the season was 607 crans, 



but a considerable number of boats caught from 300 to 400 crans. 



The quality of the herrings was exceptionally good, about one-half Quality of 



of them being full fish—the largest proportion landed for a number Hernn s s - 



of years. Nets of a wider mesh than those used recently have Larger Mesh 



been gradually introduced by the fishermen, which without doubt Netsu ^d. 



materially led to such a favourable result. As illustrative of the Work and 



amount of work accomplished by the women employed in con nee- women 8 ° f 



tion with this industry and the money they earned, it may be employed. 



mentioned that one company of three gutted and packed, during 



the six or seven weeks of the season, herrings which filled 



the large number of 660 barrels. The number of fish thus dealt 



with would be about 590,000, and the wages of each woman were 



between £11 and £12. Four vessels were employed in the deep- Vessels 



sea fishing. They succeeded remarkably well, having landed ^p°^f in 



altogether 3235 crans, of which a considerable quantity wa£ pre- Fishings. 



pared for the official brand. The fishing was closed on the 4th 



September by stormy weather. The total quautity of herrings Kesuits of 



cured in the district during the season amounted to 223,533 Season - 



barrels, as compared with 224,087 in 1885, being a decrease ot 



only 554 barrels. Thus the catch of 555 boats in 1886 was 



almost as great as that of 722 boats in 1885. 



