of the Fishery Board for Scotland. xvil 



Each of the outer West Coast districts return small increases, that 

 of 9 in Loch Carron and Skye being the most important. During the 

 year motors were installed in several boats belonging to the west side 

 of Skye, and it is reported that the experiment has been so successful 

 that a number of other crews are following the example. 



As was the case in 1913, the majority of the boats in which motor 

 power was installed were sailing boats already on the register, and 

 only a few boats were specially built for motors. 



The types of engines which have in past years been found most 

 suitable by the fishermen continued in favour during 1914, although 

 one or two new makes were introduced. In the Clyde and other 

 districts the tendency towards higher powered motors, to which 

 reference was made in the Keport for 1913, was again apparent. 



Little further has been done in the matter of motor capstans, 

 but the use of the hauling gear mentioned in last year's Report is 

 extending. 



In the Reports for 1913 and previous years the advantages and earn- 

 ing powers of motor boats of different classes liave been fully dealt with, 

 and it is not proposed on this occasion to go into the subject in any 

 detail. The reports received from the Board's officers continue to show 

 that as a general rule the cost of installing motor power is a sound 

 investment. The reports are, of course, not all optimistic, but in the 

 majority of cases in which the earnings of motor boats did not con- 

 siderably exceed those of sail boats of the same size it appears that 

 the failure was largely contributed to by lack of enterprise on the 

 part of the fishermen, and the continued substantial increase in the 

 motor fleet is of itself conclusive evidence of the value of motor 

 propulsion in fishing boats. 



FISH LANDED. 

 I. Total Catch. 



In view of the fact that about 70 per cent, of the sea-fish landed 

 in Scotland annually is taken from the North Sea, it was inevitable 

 that any war Vv^hich involved naval operations in that area would 

 seriously affect the fish supply, and it is not a matter for surprise, 

 therefore, that the catch for 1914 should show a large falling-ofi 

 from the standard of recent years. Considering, however, that fishing 

 operations were restricted for nearly half of the 3'ear, the decrease, 

 as compared with the catch of 1913, is much less than might have 

 been expected, and this is due to the fact that, at the date when war 

 was declared, the catch of practically every species of sea-fish showed 

 a substantial increase upon the preceding year's figures at the corre- 

 sponding date, and had fishing operations pmsued their normal 

 course, the indications are that the year under review would have 

 been a notably successful one. 



The decrease is, nevertheless, sufficiently serious, and it is beyond 

 question that the situation created by the war is bearing very heavily 

 upon the fishing industry. Yet from a purely fishery point of view 

 the war is perhaps not a wholly unmitigated evil, since it has estab- 

 lished an effective close-time over the greater part of the North Sea. 



