of the Fiskerij Board for Scotland. 



237 



thousand barrels less than in the preceding year, the decrease being due to the 

 fact that no herrings were landed at Glasgow by steam trawlers. The greater 

 proportion went to New York. There was also a falling otf in the exports 

 to Ireland, both in cured herrings and dried fish. One hundred and twelve 

 thousand three hundred case3 of preserved fish were also exported, most of 

 which were shipped to New York, while 2085 cases were sent to Australia, 

 A good many barrels of cured herrings were brought from Ireland by trading 

 steamers and landed at Glasgow for re-shipment, partly to America and 

 partly to the Continent via Leith. 



At one of the large cooperages here, herring barrel making, partly 

 by machinery, was carried on throughout the year, the object being to supply 

 West Coast and Irish stations. There were made at two box factories in 

 Glasgow about 19,000 herring-carrying boxes for use by the buying steamers. 



There was a great falling off in the building of steam drifters on the Clyde 

 as compared with recent years. 



There are only two small motor boats belonging to the district which engage 

 in fishing, but several of these boats landed herrings at Irvine during the 

 season. The St. Mungo Steam Fishing Company's drifter was engaged by 

 an East Coast crew of fishermen, and prosecuted fishing at various stations. 



At Irvine a fisherman was fatally injured while endeavouring to push off 

 a boat which had got ashore. 



Fishery Office, E. Gray, 



Glasgow, Wth January 1911. Fishery O^cer. 



Ballantrae District. 



During the year 1910 the various branches of the fishing industry in this 

 district were conducted on much the same lines as in former years. The 

 monetary results from the white fishings were to a moderate extent in 

 favour of the year under review, while the total quantity of white fish landed 

 appreciably exceeds the figures for 1909. The total value of all fish landed 

 was, however, slightly less than that for the preceding twelve months. 



Practically the only outstanding feature of the year was the increase in 

 the number of crews that adopted the motor as an auxiliary means of 

 propulsion. Eleven boats had motors installed. This large increase in one 

 year is excellent testimony to the popularity of the motor. There was a 

 decrease in the number of boats on the register, and accordingly a decrease 

 in the number of fishermen employed, but these decreases have not materially 

 affected the catching power of the fleet, as the boats that were cancelled 

 were mostly of the third class and were used principally in fishing for 

 pleasure. 



Again in 1910 some Irish herrings were landed at Stranraer by East 

 Coast steam drifters. The quantity was 402 crans, which realised the 

 average price of 14s. 7d. per cran. Excluding the Irish herrings, the 

 quantity taken during the first quarter of the year was more than double 

 that recorded for the preceding year. Most of the catch was got with seine 

 nets in and near Finnart Bay. The quality was generally good, and a 

 moderate demand maintained prices at a fair level, the average price being 

 17s. lOd. per cran. There was practically no attempt made to fish the 

 Ballantrae Bank with drift or trammel nets. 



The summer herring fishing was begun with drift and seine nets about the 

 middle of May, and was continued with varying success till the middle of 

 October, w^hen it entirely failed. For fully a month thereafter no sign of 

 herrings could be seen on the coast. Then about the third week of Norember 

 herrings were discovered near Ayr Bay, and nearly half the season's catch 

 was landed with seine nets during a few nights' fishing. On the whole, the 



