XXXVI 



Fifth Annual Report of the 



Quality of 

 Herrings. 



Fishing 

 Grounds. 



Weather. 



fishing of the season was made in the first week of August. On 

 one of the days of that week the average take was 35 crans ; while 

 individual takes, ranging from 70 to 95 J crans, were quite general 

 throughout the week. From the commencement of the season till 

 the middle of August the herrings were of good rich quality, but 

 afterwards the takes were largely mixed with spent and immature 

 fish. The fishing grounds extended from 3 to 50 miles at sea, but 

 the most fertile locality lay / between 5 and 15 miles distant. 

 The season consisted of forty-one nights. Of these five were 

 stormy, when no boats left the harbours, while during the other 

 thirty-six nights prolonged calms greatly interrupted the fishing. 

 A large herring shoal, which was discovered far out at sea in June, 

 afterwards, fortunately removed towards the coast, and the boats 

 were thus enabled to reach it, which they could not otherwise have 

 done. 



Winter, Spring The winter, spring, and autumn fisheries yielded 3025 crans, all 

 F^sherieT™ 1 °^ wn ^ cn - were sent to market fresh for immediate consumption. 



Prices varied from 5s. to 50s. per cran. The winter catch of 1885 

 produced only 200 crans. During the summer fishing nets to the 

 value of £500 were lost by the great quantity of herrings which 

 they captured ; and in winter nets worth £250 were lost or destroyed 

 by stormy weather. 



Boundary of 

 District. 



Aberdeen District. 



From Skateraw, exclusive, to Aberdeen, inclusive. 

 District Fishery Office — Aberdeen. 



Fleet of 350 

 Boats. 



Aberdeen district had a fleet of 350 boats in 1886, of which 296 

 were Scottish, 33 English, 20 Isle of Man, and 1 Irish, as compared 

 with 301 Scottish, 74 English, and 3 Irish in 1885, being a gross 

 Summer Fish- decrease of 28 boats. The summer fishing opened early in July, 

 and closed in the beginning of September, after a very success- 

 ful season. The best fishing grounds lay from 8 to 25 miles off shore, 

 and the herrings were generally landed in good condition. The most 

 productive week was that which ended on 7th August. It 

 yielded an average catch for the fleet of 55 crans per boat. The 

 highest individual take was 140 crans. The most successful 

 landed 525 crans during the season ; the average catch per 

 was 233f crans. The average in 1885 was 158J crans. The 

 included 7 steam fishing boats, but their takes were under 



mg very 

 successful. 



Particulars 

 thereof. 



boat 

 boat 

 fleet 

 the 



Quantity of 



Herrings 



Cured. 



Two Fisher- 

 men drowned. 



Winter 

 Herring 

 Fishery. 



general average, while all the sailing boats were successful. The 

 quality of the herrings until 6th August was fairly good, showing 

 an improvement on the catch of 1885; but thereafter the takes 

 were largely mixed with spent fish. The total quantity of herrings 

 cured was 117,182 barrels, being an increase of 35,367 on the cure 

 of 1885. The weather in July was unfavourable, and in that month 

 five nights were lost on account of gales; but during the rest of the 

 season fine weather prevailed. Two fishermen were unfortunately 

 drowned. A considerable number of nets were lost from being 

 overweighted with herrings. 



The winter herring fishing was prosecuted from 1st January till 

 February, during which time it yielded 1709 crans. It was resumed 

 in December, and in that month the catch was 427 crans. With the 



