of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



189 



at ^83,005, as compared with 9450 craiis, valued at .£5748, in 1909. At 

 the close of the season the combined increase in the catch for these districts 

 was 200,000 crans as compared with the figures for 1909. Nearly all the 

 fishermen belonging to tlie two most important Moray Firth districts were 

 throughout the greater part of the year continuously engaged in the various 

 herring fisheries in English, Scottish, and Irish waters, chiefly on board 

 steam drifters partially or wholly owned by themselves. For the year the 

 gross earnings of a number of the most successful steam vessels ranged from 

 £3000 to o£4000. Efibrts are continuously being made by these enterpris- 

 ing fishermen to discover new fishing grounds. At the cLuse of the 

 Yarmouth fishing in 1909 a Lossiemouth steam drifter operated off Padstow, 

 and in a few weeks giossed over £1000. Last year, when the fishing was 

 closed at Yarmouth, this crew, along with others from Lossiemouth, returned 

 to Padstow and neighbourhood and met with remarkable success. 



All over the Northern division, especially on the West Coast, there was 

 a further decrease in the number of sailing boats and in the extent and 

 value of lines. At several of the more important places the area of netting 

 exhibits an increase. For the district of Buckie alone the quantity of 

 netting is 36,912,600 square yards. As anticipated, there was a large 

 addition to the steam fleet, the increase for the year being 37 vessels, all 

 referable to the districts of Buckie and Findhorn. The number of steam 

 fishing vessels belonging to these two districts at the close of the year was 

 321, valued at £837,000. A number of small, and three large, motor boats 

 were also added to the fleet, the former being intended for line fishing, and 

 the latter for herring fishing. 



Contrasted with the preceding year's figures, a much larger quantity of 

 herrings was landed at several of the Moray Firth stations. In the early 

 summer months fair takes of excellent quality were caught in the Firth, but, 

 as in the preceding year, the bulk of the landings was brought in by 

 district crews returning for the week-end. Great-line fishing in the Firth 

 was again a failure. In general, better results were obtained at small-line 

 fishing. As in the preceding year, fishing for cod with anchored nets was 

 engaged in, chiefly from Lossiemouth, Hopeman, and Burgliead. At these 

 three places alone a total of 48,000 cwts. was landed, being an increase of 

 23,000 cwts. upon the catch for 1909. In 1910 the average price per cwt. 

 was 7s., as against 6s. 6d. in the preceding year. The best results were 

 obtained during the month of March, when the fish reached the shallow 

 waters of the Firth to spawn. A large numbec of steam and sail craft was 

 employed, and although the aggregate caich shows an increase, the 

 individual takes were in general much lighter than in the preceding year. 



In Wick district the principal kinds of white fish caught are cod, haddock, 

 and plaice. The former represented about 70 per cent, of the catch for the 

 year, which now varies very little annually. Small-line fishing for haddocks 

 and flat fish is of very little importance in this district, and a very large 

 proportion of the cod fish accounted for was caught with hand lines. Prior to 

 and for a number of years after the advent of trawling in Scottish waters, 

 great-line fishing for cod, ling, etc., was successfully prosecuted fp^m Wick 

 by a large fleet of sailing boats, chiefly from the Banffshire coast. Since 

 the establishment of the herring fishery at Wick remarkable progress has 

 been made in this branch of the industry, and during the year under review 

 the catch for the port was the heaviest recorded. Although there was no 

 addition to the district steam fleet in 1910, a much larger number of steam 

 vessels fished from Wick. A number of these were English craft. By 

 another year the harbour accommodation will be greatly improved, which 

 should induce a larger fleet of steam vessels to make this old-established and 

 convenient centre their headquarters during the summer months. 



The hei'ring fishery in Orkney district is an old-established industry. 

 Previous to 1880 a small fleet operated, chiefly from the creeks in Burray 



