of the Fishery Board fw Scotland. 



195 



Leith District. 



About 87 per cent, of the fish landed in this district was obtained by 

 steam trawlers, and the remainder from the yawls which operate with nets 

 and lines in or near the Firth of Forth. As a whole the year's work was 

 fairly successful, showing an increase, as compared with the previous year's 

 results, of 39,376 cwts. and £21,244. Trawling produced the heaviest 

 catch and highest value since its introduction here, the increase in the 

 district total catch being solely due to its greater prosperity. About 80 

 steam trawlers made fairly constant landings at Granton, this number being 

 an increase of about eight vessels on the number at work in the preceding 

 year. Of these, about 60 usually made two or three landings per week, and 

 the remainder weekly landings. 



Although the vessels very frequently changed their field of operations, it 

 may give an indication of the principal areas worked upon to say that the 

 short-trip vessels fished from 10 to 60 miles in the radius N.E. to S.E. from 

 the May Island, while the weekly voyagers obtained the bulk of their catches 

 on the grounds lying 160 to 240 miles chietiy E. and N.E. of the May, and 

 occasionally in the neighbourhood of the Shetland and Orkney Isles. 



The range in the catches of the bi-weekly voyagers was usually from 40 to 

 80 boxes, and the long -voyage vessels landed from 100 to 200 boxes each 

 per trip. In reviewing the progress of the trawling industry for the year, 

 some features deserve special notice. An increase in the aggregate catch of 

 haddocks, amounting roundly, as compared with the preceding year's figures, 

 to 39,000 "cwts. and over £16,000 in value, appears to be a good and hope- 

 ful sign, but it appears as well that a larger quantity of the year's catch 

 was of small size, and on that account brought comparatively low prices, the 

 fish being, in fact, sometimes quite unsaleable. Regarding this, there appears 

 to be an opinion among trawl fishermen, born of past experience, that heavy 

 shoals of small haddocks make their ai^pearance at intervals of from five 

 to seven years, and certainly during the period from about May to 

 September of this year a large body of small haddocks was met with on the 

 grounds frequented by the local trawlers. 



In the other varieties of fish landed by trawlers^ there was remarkably 

 little change in the catch as compared with recent yeais, and in regard to 

 the increased landings referred to above, due allowance must be made for 

 the greater number of vessels at work. It is satisfactory to note as well 

 that the prices obtained were rather better this year than last, owing, it is 

 believed, to an increased demand for fish as a substitute for other food 

 commodities, which were at a relatively high price for a considerable period 

 of the year. 



The winter herring fishing — there is practically no summer herring fishing 

 here — commenced about the middle of December, 1909, but was not success- 

 ful until January following, and it closed about the end of April. In 

 all 71 boats belonging to the district were emnloyed in it, and the bulk of 

 the catch was obtained between Granton and Kirkcaldy. Almost the whole 

 of the catch was obtained by means of drift nets, as seine-trawling was not 

 much resorted to. The year's catch by drift-net boats was 4832 crans, as 

 compared with 2714 in the preceding year, and the earnings were higher by 

 £2298. Almost the whole of the catch was used in a fresh state locally. 

 The fishermen of Cockenzie and Fisherrow, besides engaging in the herring 

 fishing at the Scottish north-east coast stations, take part in the English and 

 Irish fishings. This year 25 sail and five motor boats were employed at the 

 English fishing centres, and nine sail boats in Ireland. Their aggregate 

 catch at these fishings was 9635 crans, and the value about £10,500, but 

 the crewsi sustained a heavy loss in nets and fishing gear. 



In 1909 the Newhaven fishermen had a successful fishing of sprats, but 



N 



