of the Fishery Board for Scotland. xvii 



not because of any outstanding feature as regards the catch (although 

 the herring catch was a fair average one, while the white-fish total 

 has been exceeded only by that of 1911), but because in point of 

 value all previous records were left far in the rear. A.s stated in the 

 introduction to this report, the total quantity of fish landed in 

 Scotland in 1912 (exclusive of shell-fish) was 8,587,106 cwts., valued 

 at £3,588,584, an increase in quantity of 75,132 cwts., and in value 

 of no less than £528,010, as compared with 1911. For this remarkable 

 increase herrings, with an advance upon last year's total of £405,199, 

 or 27 per cent., were mainly responsible, although a considerable 

 share of the credit must also be given to white- fish, which improved 

 upon last year's figures to the extent of £125,841, or 8 per cent. 

 Towards the gross catch herrings and other pelagic fish contributed 

 61 per cent., trawled fish 28 per cent., and demersal fish taken by 

 line and net 11 per cent., as compared with 60, 29, and 11 per cent 

 respectively in 1911 ; while as regards value the corresponding 

 percentages were 54, 34, and 12, as against 50, 36, and 14 in the 

 preceding year. The average price per cwt. realised was 8s. 4d., as 

 compared with 7s. 2d. in 1911, and 7s. Id. in 1910. The shell-fish 

 landed realised a total of £67,594, or £239 more than in 1911, bringing 

 the gross total value of all kinds of fish up to £3,656,178, or £528,249 

 more than in 1911 — a result which afibrds a striking testimony to 

 the prosperity, and the importance in the national economy, of the 

 Scottish fisheries. 



II. Pelagic Fish taken by Nets. 



(a) HERRINGS. 



The total catch of herrings in 1912 amounted to 5,201,300 cwts., 

 valued at £1,910,533, as compared with 5,036,484 cwts. and £1,505,334 

 in the preceding year. The increase in quantity was wholly attribu- 

 table to the early summer fishing, the yield of which was augmented 

 to the extent of 181,804 cwts. The winter catch was almost identi- 

 cal with that of 1911, the difference, in favour of 1912, being only 

 461 cwts., while the great summer fishing fell off to the extent of 

 17,449 cwts. The total value easily eclipsed all previous records, the 

 increase upon the previous year's figures amounting, as was stated 

 above, to £405,199, or 27 per cent., while the previous highest value, 

 which was recorded in 1907 (when, however, the catch was greater 

 by 1,052,000 cwts.), was exceeded by £114,883. The high prices 

 which brought about this remarkable result were due to a combination 

 of favourable circumstances. The early fish, which in the two 

 previous seasons had been of very poor quality, were in 1912 firmer 

 and more mature, and in consequence much more suitable for curing. 

 This, and the fact that the weather was cool and favourable for 

 transport, induced curers to start curing for the Continent almost 

 from the opening week of the fishing. The market conditions on the 

 Continent, also, could not have been better. Stocks of the previous 

 year's cure were exhausted, and the prices of other foodstuffs were 

 high, and these circumstances, combined with the continual opening 

 up of new markets, created a demand throughout the season which it 

 seemed impossible to overtake. Curers were thus in a position to bid 



