of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



XXV 



catch amounted to 1,235,043 cwts., as against 1,201,193 cwts. in 1911, 

 and the remarkable way in which the cod-fishing has grown will be 

 gathered from the following table contrasting the catch in 1892 and 

 1912, in which, for purposes of comparison, the corresponding fig- 

 ures as regards haddocks are also shown : — 



Year. Cod. Haddocks. 



1892 ... 467,007 cwts. 722,785 cwts. 



1912 ... 1,235,043 „ 953,226 „ 



The causes which have brought about this rapid expansion in the 

 catch of cod were discussed at some length in the report for 1910, but, 

 stated briefly, they may be said to be the opening up year by year of 

 the deeper waters on the West Coast, off Iceland, and in the Atlantic, 

 and the fact that in cod fishing, in contradistinction to haddock fishing, 

 trawling has not so much superseded as supplemented line-fishing. 



The percentages of the total catch attributable to the three methods 

 of capture in vogue were, by trawl, 70 per cent. ; by lines, 23 per 

 cent. ; and by nets, 7 per cent., while as regards the value, which was 

 £506,212, or £57,271 more than in the preceding year, the correspond- 

 ing percentages were 72, 21, and 7. The average price per cwt. over 

 the year was 8s. 2d., or 8d. more than in 1911. 



Ling. 



The total catch of ling in 1912 was 190,964 cwts., valued at 

 £59,764, these figures representing a serious decline from those of 

 1911, which were respectively 246,389 cwts. and £70,379. Ling is 

 one of the few species of round fish still caught principally by line, 

 but during the year under review trawlers made a considerable 

 encroachment upon the line- fishermen's position, the percentages 

 referable to the two methods of fishing being respectively 38 and 62, 

 as compared with 32 and 68 in 1911. This re-adjustment was almost 

 entirely due to the diminished catch of the steam-liners, whose con- 

 tribution dropped from 137,635 cwts. to 91,903 cwts. Sailing liners 

 maintained their position fairly well, the catch from this source 

 amounting to 27,115 cwts., as against 29,468 cwts. in 1911. The 

 falling off in the landings did not extend to the West Coast, where 

 the catch increased by 2558 cwts., or 8 per cent., owing to an 

 improvement in the Mallaig spring fishing and the success of the 

 Barra white-fishing season. The latter is prosecuted by the native 

 fishermen only, and it is gratifying to record that the average 

 earnings per boat were double those of 1911. 



The decline in value was referable wholly to line-fishing, as the 

 amount realised for the trawl catch (£19,025), notwithstanding a drop 

 of 7341 cwts., or 9 per cent, in quantity, was slightly larger than in 

 the preceding year. 



Whitings. 



Whitings were apparently much more plentiful in 1912 than in 

 1911, as the catch of 173,992 cwts. represents an advance of over 

 30,000 cwts. upon the preceding year's figures. The quantity taken 



