of the Finhe^^y Board for Scotland. 



xix 



to Brightlingsea, where, it i« understood, sprats were landed in unusual 

 abundance. 



Sparlings are obtained principally in the Firths of Forth and Tay. 

 The total quantity landed in 1910 was 325 cwts., vahied at £881, as 

 against 414 cwts. and £1125 in the previous year. 



The total quantity of mackerel landed in Scotland during 1910 was 

 43,831 cwts., an advance of 12,464 cwts. upon the figures for the 

 preceding year, and, in view of the efforts which have been made in 

 recent years to develop this fishing on the West Coast, it is gratifying 

 to observe that about 75 per cent, of this increase is referable to 

 West Coast districts. The difficulties which lie in the way of the 

 successful establishment of the mackerel fishery are considerable — 

 chief among them being the erratic movements of the mackerel — and 

 the subject is discussed at some length by the General Inspector in 

 his annual report (p. 186 q.v.). The remainder of the increase was 

 largely referable to Shetland district, whose catch of 6277 cwts. 

 represents an increase upon the preceding year's figures of over 100 

 per cent. The total value of the year's catch was £10,965, as against 

 £9426 in 1909. 



III. Demersal Fish, taken by Trawl, Lines, and Nets. 



The total quantity of demersal fish landed in Scotland in 1910 was 

 the greatest ever recorded, amounting as it did to 2,968,598 cwts., 

 valued at £1,491,339, an increase of 137,892 cwts. and £185,564 upon 

 the figures for the preceding year. Of this total, 2,102,031 cwts., 

 valued at £1,102,976, were taken by trawls; 751,297 cwts., valued at 

 £349,578, by lines; and 115,270 cwts., valued at £38,785, by nets; 

 the corresponding figures for 1909 being 2,020,209 cwts., valued at 

 £953,259, by trawls ; 734,776 cwts., valued at £325,974, by lines ; and 

 75,721 cwts., valued at £26,542, by nets. The increase, both in 

 quantity and value, was thus referable to all three methods of fishing, 

 the percentages of the increase in quantity attributable to trawls, 

 lines, and nets being respectively 59, 12, and 29 ; and of the value, 

 81, 13, and 6. 



The improvement was due principally to the exceptionally healthy 

 tone of the market at Aberdeen, where, for the first time in a number^ 

 of years, no vessels were laid up during summer in consequence of bad 

 markets, the demand having been fully equal to the supply throughout 

 the year. The significance of this will be more fully realised when it 

 is stated that in 1909 forty vessels were laid up during the summer 

 for over four weeks. 



It should also be remarked that the landings by foreign vessels at 

 Aberdeen have since 1st October 1910 been excluded from the statistics. 

 These landings amounted to 19,853 cwts., and to that extent the total 

 catch suffers by comparison with those of former years. It is there- 

 fore the more remarkable that, notwithstanding this deduction, the 

 figures for 1910 should constitute a record. 



(a) ROUND FISH. 



The total quantity of round fish landed in 1910 was 2,610,113 cwts., 

 valued at £1,147,637, the quantity being over 114,000 cwts. in excess 

 of the preceding year's total, and the value £163,527 greater. Both 



Note. — Demersal fish are those which live and feed near the bottom. 



