of ilie Fislierij Board for Scotland. 



213 



Cromarty District. 



The quantity and value recorded for fish landed in this district represents 

 practically the proceeds of from eight to nine months' work at line fishing in 

 local waters. i)uring the remaining period the majority of the fishermen 

 were employed herring fishing at other parts of the Scottish and English 

 coasts. The amount earned in the latter capacity was equal to two-thirds 

 of the total income. This result is very similar to that attained in the 

 preceding year, both as regards the proportion of earnings from each 

 source, and the total derived from both. The fish landed in the district by 

 native fishermen were practically all caught by means of small lines during 

 the spring and winter months. 



In all, 29 district crews fitted out their 1st class boats for herring fishing. 

 All of these were employed on the East Coast —24 at Castlebay, 2 at 

 Orkney, and 8 on the English coast. Besides the crews of these boats — 

 over 200 in number — 220 men found berths as hired hands on boats 

 belonging to other districts. A number of these men were absent from 

 home from May till November. 



So far as highest individual earnings are concerned, the season on the 

 English coast was the most remunerative. There, the eight crews engaged 

 grossed ^3600. Twenty-eight crews averaged .£210 at Fraserburgh, and 

 at Castlebay the average was ^60 for 24 crews. 



These crews and hired men earned fully .£18,000 at the different herring 

 fishings. That amount is about <£700 less than the previous year's earnings. 

 The poor results attained at Castlebay are responsible for that decrease. All 

 other stations yielded better results than in 1909. 



The exodus of female gutters and packers to Shetland, the East Coast, 

 and England in connection with herring curing operations was about as 

 great as in the preceding year. In all, 240 contracted with different curers, 

 commencing work in June and returning home from Lowestoft and 

 Yarmouth at the end of November. The majority had a remunerative season. 



Three Avoch crews furnished themselves with cod nets and commenced 

 to experiment with these in the Moray Firth during the spring months. 

 The venture proved fairly profitable, and with the experience gained, an 

 extension may be made in this direction before another season. Apart 

 from this innovation, the number, size, and equipment of boats underwent 

 little or no change. 



On the return of the Avoch crews from Fraserburgh in September, a 

 number fitted out their second-class boats and fished, as in former years, 

 with drift nets, for sprats and small herrings in the Inverness and Beauly 

 Firths. This fishing continued till December, and the 50 crews engaged 

 had a profitable season. The catches were landed at Inverness, and the 

 results are recorded in the returns for Findhorn district. A number of 

 crews grossed from ^80 to .£130. 



Small lines were utilised to the same extent as in the preceding year, and 

 with practically similar results. The maximum number of crews was at 

 work during the first and last quarters of the year. The arrivals numbered 

 6437, in comparison with 6047 in 1909, and the average catch 2*2 cwts., 

 against 2'0 cwts. At intervals during November individual crews landed 

 from 5 to 8 cwts. of haddocks at a shot. One noticeable feature was the 

 predominance of small fish in the catches. Apart from the small quantity 

 smoked, the fish were consigned to Inverness market, or retailed in the 

 district between that place and the coast. Hawkers, and, in many cases, 

 the fishermen themselves, were the distributing agents. The chief bait was 

 mussels, and these were always to be had on the adjacent shores. Plaice 

 fishing did not prove remunerative, considering the time and labour expended. 

 The catches per crew, working four linos, varied from a half to two cwts. 



