198 



Appendices to Twenty -ninth Annual Report 



crews from this district were emploj'ed at herring fishing at Yarmouth 

 and Lowestoft. The weather during the season was stormy, and fishing 

 operations could not be carried on regularly. For the crews of steam fishing 

 vessels the season proved fairly remunerative, but crews of sailing boats 

 fared badly, their gross earnings per crew being only £130. Altogether it 

 is estimated that 165,960 cwts. of herrings, valued at ^58,745, were landed on 

 the coast of England by crews from this district. Unfortunately, during the 

 autumn fishing there was considerable loss of fishing gear. The loss of nets 

 and ropes of the district fishermen alone is estimated at close on £3000. 



Three crews, employed for a few weeks at herring fishing on the Irish 

 coast, landed a total of only 204 cwts., valued at £10. 



Five lives were lost during the year in connection with the district 

 fisheries. On the morning of the 31st March a Pittenweem boat foundered 

 ofif Cellardyke through being overloaded with herrings, and four members of 

 the crew were drowned, and a St. Monans fisherman was drowned off 

 Peterhead through being knocked overboard by the sail. 



Boatbuilders \vere employed mostly at repairing -work, only four small 

 boats being built in the district. The employment for coopers was good. 



William Keir, 



Fishery Office, Fishery Oficer. 



Anstruther, Wi January, 1911, 



Montrose District. 



The total value of all fish landed in this district during 1910 exceeded 

 that of the previous year by o£8716. Drift-net fishing showed a consider- 

 able improvement on the results of the two preceding years, but line fishing 

 continued to show a downward tendency. Trawling remained stationary so 

 far as quantity was concerned, but there was a rise in point of value. 



Compared with the figures for the two preceding years, which were, 

 however, rather above the average, the total value of shell-fish exhibited 

 a slight decrease. 



There was no change in the number of steam fishing vessels belonging to 

 the district. 



A new boat, 25 feet keel, fitted with a " Gardner " motor engine, was 

 built for a crew of district fishermen for the prosecution of small-line and 

 lobster and crab fishings. 



Owing to the decline of the inshore fishings, which has been noticeable 

 at the different creeks for a number of years past, the fleet of sailing boats 

 continues to show a gradual decrease, and the same remark applies to the 

 extent and value of fishing gear. 



The fishermen employed are also becoming fewer in number, as many of 

 the younger men, rather than remain at home and risk an uncertain means 

 of livelihood on board sailing boats, prefer to migrate to the larger centres, 

 wdiere they have a better chance of getting berths on board steam fishing or 

 trading vessels, or obtaining some steady employment on shore. 



Four steam fishing vessels (other than trawlers) were employed for periods 

 of from 9 to 11 months. 



Great-line fishing was engaged in during the earlier months of the year, 

 and the average earnings per vessel amounted to £671, an increase of £50 

 as compared with the earnings for 1909. 



The results of the summer herring fishing, when the vessels fished chiefly- 

 from Aberdeen and Montrose, were only moderate, the gross total earnings 

 (£2582) showing a decrease of £127 from the returns for the previous year. 



Notwithstanding the exceptionally high prices which obtained at 



