236 



Appendices to Thirty-third Annual Report 



Campbeltoivn District. 



With regard to the fishing industry of this district the year just closed 

 has been a most disappointing one to a great many people. This was 

 entirely due to the extremely poor success which attended the prosecution 

 of the hei'ring fishing in Kilbrannan Sound, and adjacent waters, as the 

 year's catch of white fish, exclusive of herrings and mackerel, shows a 

 substantial increase on that of 1913 



A comparison of the total catch by nets and lines for the year, with 

 the corresponding quantity lor the previous year, shows a falling off to 

 the extent of 71,074 cwts. As the catch of round and fiat fish shows an 

 increase of 2350 cwts., the decrease in the quantity of herrings and 

 mackerel landed is consequently 73,424 cwts. For the district the aggregate 

 value of the year's landings of all fish is returned at £24,978 — a decrease 

 of £29,364 from the value of the catch of the former year. 



The returns of shell-fish landed during the year show that considerably 

 more success was met with in the prosecution of this branch of the industry 

 than in the preceding year. A decrease in the catch of lobsters is shown 

 at a few of the creeks, but the total catch for the district shows a fairly large 

 increase. Unfortunately a poor demand for lobsters prevailed during a 

 period of the year, and prices consequently fell to a very low figure, with 

 the result that, notwithstanding the large increase in the catch, the total 

 value only slightly exceeds that for 1913. For all kinds of shell-fish landed 

 in the district the total values for 1914 and 1913, respectively, are £2688 

 and £2444. 



In the Means of Capture the most outstanding feature is the increase 

 in the number of auxiliary motor boats. During the past year 15 were 

 added to the fleet, thus raising the number of motor propelled craft belong- 

 ing to the district to 94 vessels. Of those added since 1913 three were 

 built during the year, three were purchased from other districts, two were 

 boats previously fitted with motors, but not registered as fishing boats, 

 and the remaining seven were boats which, formerly, were propelled by 

 sails only. With the exception of one engine of American manufacture, 

 all the additional motors are of the Kelvin type. 



The prosecution of the herring fishing, as already indicated, was 

 attended with very disappointing results, particularly during the latter 

 half of the year. The first landings for the year w^ere made on 7th January, 

 and from that date to the end of December operations were carried on as 

 weather conditions, &c., permitted. Throughout the first three months 

 there was no cause for complaint, the season's catch at the end of March 

 being greater than that for the corresponding period of 1913, Avhich was an 

 exceptionally prosperous year. During the succeeding two months, how- 

 ever, very indifferent success was experienced, with the result that the 

 increase shown for the first quarter of the year was displaced by a con- 

 siderable decrease by the end of May. A gratifying improvement took 

 place in June, which yielded the best month's fishing of the year, while a 

 fair measure of success was met with in July, but throughout the re- 

 maining period of the year, especially the last four months, the landings 

 were extremely poor. Some idea of the extent of the decline may be 

 realised when it is stated that the catch of herrings for the first six months 

 — which, on an average, were lightly fished — amounted to 36,068 cwts.. 

 while the latter half of the year yielded only 13,761 cwts. Not since 1906, 

 during which only 38,745 cwts. were landed, has the total catch for any 

 year been so small, and, when it is considered that, within recent years, 

 the catching power of the herring fleet has increased considerably, the 

 results are obviously even more disappointing than the returns indicate. 



