218 



Appendices to Twenty-ninth Annual Beport 



Earnings of steamers reached the high figure of .£1500, while themaxi mum 

 for sailers was ,£780. To curers in general the business of the season yielded 

 a very fair margin of profit. On several occasions, when there were excessive 

 su})plies, they were fortunate in purchasing at a profitable rate. However, 

 with the keen competition that exists in the trade, such opportunities do 

 not occur very frequently. 



About 202,000 barrels of herrings were cured and put upon the markets 

 from Wick, and it was remarkable how quickly they were dispatched to the 

 various countries where they are consumed. At the end of September the 

 balance that remained on hand was exceedingly small. 



What formed a new departure in the trade of Wick was the freshing of 

 herrings in salt and ice to Hamburg. For a time one of the Altona steam 

 trawlers was converted into a fish carrier and made seven voyages, carrying 

 about 100 crans each trip. 



Fairly satisfactory earnings were made throughout the year by the steam 

 drifters owned in the district, but the success met with during the previous 

 year was not equalled. 



No motor-propelled craft have been acquired in this district for fishing 

 purposes. A few, however, operated from Wick during the progress of the 

 summer herring fishing. Two or three were very successful. In each case 

 they were boats that had been originally built for the use of sails only, and 

 the placing of motors in such craft will not produce the best possible results. 

 In such boats the engine is placed in the cabin space provided for the use of 

 the crew, an arrangement which is somewhat objectionable. 



The red mullet is a rather uncommon visitor to this coast, but in 1910 

 small shoals were frequently met with in the vicinity of Staxigoe harbour. 

 One morning in the month of February it was discovered that this small 

 harbour was filled with mullet. Several enterprising fishermen rigged out 

 some netting, which was stretched across the entrance of the harbour, and 

 was then drawn towards the beach. In this manner they succeeded in land- 

 ing a profitable catch. The fish were then packed in small boxes and 

 dispatched to some of the English centres, where they were disposed of at 

 remunerative prices. On no former occasion known of was such an 

 extensive shoal of these fish met with on this coast. 



It is a considerable time since codling were so abundant on this coast as 

 they were for several months of the summer and autumn. That was the 

 experience of all the fishermen who were pursuing the line fishing off the 

 coast of Caithness from Dunnet Head to Wick. The largest takes were 

 caught by the fishermen of Stroma. 



For some years past there has been a great scarcity of haddocks on this 

 coast. A shoal of young haddocks, however, appeared in Sinclair Bay during 

 ti e summer, and the fishermen who were using small lines succeeded in 

 obtaining good catches. Although of a small size, the fish were readily dis- 

 posed of locally at remunerative prices, as white fish were scarce, owing to 

 the majority of the fishermen being engaged at herring fishing. 



Fourteen steamers and ten sail boats were fitted out for the prosecution of 

 the herring fishing on the English coast. A season of very indifferent 

 weather was experienced, in consequence of which the earnings of both 

 steamers and sailers were much under those of recent years. Steamers had 

 gross earnings ranging from £300 to £800, while sailers had from £50 to 

 £290. 



Only one of the steamers owned in the district proceeded to Ireland to 

 prosecute the herring fishing. As fish at that time were scarce in Irish 

 waters, the crew did not remain there for any length of time, and their 

 earnings were therefore small. 



Of late years the summer herring fishing has been prosecuted from Wick 

 by an annually-increasing number of English-owned steam drifters. The 

 number at work during the year under review exceeded to a considerable 



