of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 181 



in Shetland waters by steam craft, who landed the heaviest of their takes 

 at Aberdeen. From Cape Wrath southwards and in the Moray Firth 

 little or nothing has been done at great line fishing for a num.ber of years. 



Small line, or inshore fishing, from the various creeks in the Moray 

 Firth was less productive than in the preceding and most unsuccessful 

 year on record. In the early and closing months of the year, fair success 

 was occasionally obtained, but throughout not to such an extent as to 

 compensate for the amount of labour and expense incurred, or to induce 

 men who could find employment on shore, or otherwise, to abstain from 

 doing so. Apart from the large numbers of young men who joined the 

 naval and mihtary forces, others found employment on shore. The 

 decrease in the landings cannot altogether account for the partial failure 

 of small-hne fishing in the Firth ; other forces have been at work for a 

 number of years — notably the great success of the various herring fishings, 

 which have done so much to improve the lot of fishermen, and relieve 

 the whole household from the heavy labour incidental to small-line fishing. 

 Bait of all kinds has become more expensive and difficult to procure, 

 especially mussels. 



The shell fisheries of the districts under review vary little annually, 

 and until the outbreak of the war were prosecuted with usual success. 

 Thereafter the demand, especially for lobsters, slackened, and accounted 

 for a shortage in quantity and value at the close of the year. In 1913 

 nearly 540,000 lobsters, valued at £29,878, were landed, the total value 

 of all kinds being £38,410. The best success is always obtained on the 

 West Coast, and in the districts of Wick and Orkney. For Shetland and 

 the Moray Firth districts the total value of all kinds amounted only to 

 £1473. 



Cod-net Fishing. 



In the districts of Buckie and Findhorn cod net fishing was prosecuted 

 with encouraging success, in the former by 9 steam, 3 motor, and 60 sail, 

 and in the latter by 32 steam, 1 motor, and 34 sail craft. Operations 

 were practically confined to the months of February and March, which is the 

 period when cod congregate in the Firth to spawn. For the two districts 

 the total landings amounted to 32,669 cwts., valued at £17,460, being a 

 decrease of 10,511 cwts., and £2853 respectively, as compared with the 

 corresponding period in 1913. At the various places on the north shores 

 of the Firth the catch was comparatively light. Prices generally ranged 

 from Is. to Is. 6d., the extreme range being from lOd. to 3s. per fish. The 

 bulk of the catch was immediately despatched to market in a fresh state, 

 a much smaller portion than hitherto being split and cured for exportation, 



Shetland. 



In Shetland districts extensive preparations were again made for 

 the summer herring fishing, especially at Lerwick, but at no period of the 

 season was the fleet so large as in 1913. Up to the close of July there 

 was a decided improvement in the catch, the quantity landed, and the 

 average price per cran during May, June, and July were respectively as 

 follow :— May, 70,876 crans, 14s. 3d. ; June, 147,608 crans, 23s. lOd. ; 

 July, 47,370 crans, 31s. lOd. For the month of August the landings 

 amounted only to 470 crans, against 25,677 crans in 1913, and 31,218 crans 

 in 1912. Operations were commenced early in May, and by the second 

 week in June a fleet of 530 steam and 170 sail vessels was at work. 

 Although the catch for July was much heavier than in the preceding year, 

 the fishing had become so light and partial by the end of the month that 

 the steam fleet had left for the East Coast, and ov.dng to the war did not 



