of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



231 



At Mallaig the Railway Company interested there have erected four su - 

 stantial offices, fitted with electric light, in a prominent site overlooking the 

 harbour and fish-table. These have already been rented by various firms of 

 fish salesmen who carry on business at the port. 



The barometer at Mallaig is in good order. 



Fishery Office, John Glen, 



Oban, 7th January 1911. Fishery Officer. 



Ca7tipheltown District. 



The district fisheries, particularly the herring fishing, during the year 1910 

 were prosecuted with unsatisfactory results. Herrings show a falling off to 

 to the extent of 39,515 cwts. and £13,776 in the quantity and value respec- 

 tively as compared with 1909, and white fish also show a decrease in value 

 of £441. The partial failure of the summer herring fishing and the scarcity 

 of haddocks and whitings during the last four months of the year were 

 largely responsible for the deficiency. The total value of shell-fish was 

 practically the same as during the previous year. 



In so far as the means of capture were concerned, there was no change 

 worthy of note, and the number of crews employed varied only in a com- 

 paratively slight degree. A decrease of four boats is recorded in the district 

 returns, but the value has gone up considerably, owing to the installation of 

 motor engines into a lar^e number of district boats during the past year. 



The majority of the fishermen in the district depend almost wholly on 

 the herring fishing, which for some years past has been prosecuted from 

 January to December. During the year under review the fishing yielded 

 exceptionally poor results in district waters. The winter fishing began 

 towards the latter end of January with moderate success, but the herrings 

 were generally of poor quality, and consisted chiefly of spent fish throughout 

 the winter and spring months. The drift-net fishing was a failure, and the 

 number of East Coast crews which engage in it is yearly growing less. 



The summer fishing was most disappointing, and the fleet proceeded to the 

 Ayrshire coast early in July, and for four months operations were carried on 

 by local crews chiefly outside the limits of the district with varying success. 

 Fairly good earnings were made by many of the district crews along the 

 Ayrshire coast and along the east side of Arran during the summer months. 

 The fishing grounds in district waters extended along both sides of Kil- 

 brennan Sound, on the Kintyre side from Cour Bay to Davaar Island, and 

 along the Arran shore from Machrie Bay to Brown Head. Good catches 

 were occasionally obtained between Pladda and Ailsa Craig, but these fishing 

 grounds are exposed and could only be fished during fine weather. During 

 the months of January, February, and May the district catch was augmented 

 by over 2000 crans of herrings, valued at £1400, landed by steam drifters 

 at Campbeltown. The herrings were caught off the north west of Ireland, 

 and consisted chiefly of large spent fish. The cheap coal which can be pro- 

 cured is the means of inducing the steam drifters to land occasional catches 

 at Campbeltown, but the long distance from the fishing grounds is against 

 the dev(ilopment of the port in this connection. Fourteen local crews pro- 

 ceeded during the autumn to prosecute the herring fishing at Loch Broom, 

 but, with the exception of four crews, they returned home within a few 

 weeks without earning expenses. The crews that remained made fairly 

 good earnings in the northern lochs. None of the district crews were at 

 the Irish fishing during the past year. The fishermen's earnings in other 

 districts partially compensated for the poor results in local waters, but 

 their average earnings were considerably less than during the previous year. 

 The average price per cran for the year was 17s., as compared with 20s. per 

 cran in 1909. 



