xiv 



Thirty-third Annual Report 



It may at first sight seem strange that such a large addition to 

 the fleet — tlie greatest recorded since 1908 — should have occurred in 

 a year which has so seriously affected those engaged in herring fishing, 

 but it must be remembered that the increase in any particular year is 

 mainly dependent on the success or failure of the operations of the 

 years immediately preceding. The years 1912 and 1913 were years 

 of exceptional prosperity, and this prosperity was reflected in the 

 increase of the fleet in the early months of 1914. 



The majority of the East Coast districts share in the increase, and 

 in the outlying districts of Shetland and Stornoway additions also 

 fall to be recorded. It was indicated in the Report for 1913 that in 

 the Eyemouth district a movement towards steam drifters had set 

 in, and this movement has resulted in an addition of 9 steam drifters 

 to the local fleet, the total for 1914 being 19, as compared with 10 

 in 1913. 



It will be observed that the tonnage of the fleet shows a much 

 greater relative increase than the number of vessels, and it may be 

 mentioned that this is mainly due to a re-measurement of the older 

 vessels in accordance with revised regulations. 



The results of the herring fishing in Scottish waters and the earn- 

 ings of Scottish vessels at the English and Irish fishings are dealt 

 with fully in a later portion of the Report (pp. xviii and xxxvi), 

 but the following table showing the average earnings for some of the 

 districts may be of interest : — 



Average Earnings per Vessel. 



District. 



Great Summer 



English Herrine 



Herring 



Fishing. 



Fishin 



g- 





1914. 



1913. 



1914. 



1913. 





£ 



£ 



£ 



£ 



Anstruther . 



366 



962 





790 



Aberdeen . 



500 



700 





715 



Peterhead . 



630 



1,260 



420 



850 



Fraserburgh 



550 



1,250 



94 



760 



Banff 



700 



1,280 



430 



720 



Buckie 



500 



1,200 



400 



800 



Findhorn . 



721 



1,200 



420 



760 



Wick 



700 



1,350 



363 



670 



Those figures represent the gross earnings, and as the working 

 expenses represent a larger proportion of the earnings last year than 

 is usually the case, the serious effects which the war has had on the 

 industry will at once be appreciated. 



As regards the English fishing the loss to the fishermen as a whole 

 was even more serious than is indicated by the figures given above. 

 The number of drifters which took part in the fishing was only about 

 one-tenth of the usual number, while the dangers from mines, &c., 

 caused the majority of the small fleet to abandon the fishing some 

 time before the end of the season, with the result that the total gross 

 earnings of the Scottish boats amounted to only £36,000, as compared 

 with £763,000 in 1913. 



The few boats which persevered in the fishing in spite of the 

 dangers made good earnings. The average for seven Eyemouth 



