Hi 



Thirty-third Annual Report 



but there is good reason for supposing that it was also partly due to 

 the regulations which the Board issued for the marldng and lighting 

 of cod- nets. The total number was made up of 18 cases of damage 

 caused by foreign fishing vessels and the same number by British 

 fishing vessels, and of the former class, 14 were of damage to cod-nets 

 in the Moray Firth. 



The large proportion in last year's figures (29 out of a total of 57) 

 of cases of damage to cod-nets by foreign trawlers in the Moray 

 Firth, formed a subject for consideration by the Board, and it 

 was felt that much of the damage sustained by the fishermen 

 was largely due to their own carelessness in leaving their nets 

 unattended and insufficiently marked, and also to ignorance on 

 the ])art of the foreign trawl masters as to the modus operandi of this 

 fishiiig. The Board, therefore, immediately prior to the opening of 

 the cod-net fishing season, formulated special regulations for the 

 marking and lighting of cod-nets, and with the co-operation of the 

 Customs officials at Grimsby and the fishery authorities of most of 

 the countries of North-western Europe, these were brought to the 

 notice of the owners and skippers of the foreign trawlers which 

 made a practice of fishing in the Moray Firth. 



The measmes thus taken, however, were less successful than would 

 have been the case if the fishermen had shown greater readiness 

 to comply with the regulations made in their interests, and the 

 good results which did accrue were due to the efforts of the Board 

 and their officers, and to the strict patrol maintained by one of the 

 Board's cruisers especially detailed for the purpose. 



Of the 14 cases of damage caused by foreign trawlers, 9 were caused 

 by one trawler. 



The amount of the damage sustained in cases in which foreign 

 trawlers were involved, was estimated by the Fishery Officers at 

 about £220, of which about £200 represented damage to cod-nets. 

 The Board endeavoured in some of the cases to obtain compensation 

 for the fishermen, but without success, as the fishermen could not 

 always adduce evidence as to the identity of the trawler alleged to 

 have caused the damage or that their nets had been properly marked. 



Tlic cases of damage by British fishing vessels to other British 

 fishing vessels or their gear numbered 18 as against 21 in the previous 

 year. Under Sec. 7 of the Sea Fisheries Amendment Act, 1885, the 

 Fishery Officers are empowered to investigate and assess the amount 

 of the damage in such cases, and the amount so assessed was 

 £164, of which £100 was recovered by the complainers. Trawlers 

 were alleged to have caused the damage in 15 of the cases, and paid 

 in. compensation sums amounting to £93, 5s. 



In addition to the cases referred to above, the Fishery Officers in- 

 vestigated several claims for damage alleged to have been caused by 

 H.M. war ships. Such cases w^ere much less numerous than in the 

 previous year, and the sums paid by the Admiralty in respect of them 

 amounted to only a few pounds. ' 



CASUALTIES. 



The number of lives lost, the number and value of boats totally 

 wrecked, and the amount of the damage sustained by boats and gear 



