XXXVlll 



Thirty-first AnnucUlReporl 



Year. 



East Coast. 



Orkney and 

 Shetland. 



West Coast. 



Total. 



Average Price 

 per Barrel. 



1898 



£905,447 



£236,043 



£240,656 



£1,382,146 

 1,713,918 



s. 



d. 



4. 



1899 



835,956 



507,512 



370,450 



DO 

 wcr 



2 



1900 



823,106 



542,099 



299,469 



1,664,674 



OR 



7 



1901 



739,905 



686,965 



277,920 



1,704,790 



21 



3 



1902 



1,235,617 



577,531 



300,886 



2,114,034 



23 



5 



1903 



1,005,328 



510,023 



272,073 



1,787,424 



22 



1 



1904 



891,841 



689,439 



234,819 



1,816,099 



17 



u 



1 QfiK 



lyuo 





c K 

 U'*1,000 



.i4 / , o / 0 





21 





1906 



1,329,086 



1,985,670 



230,586 



2,545,342 



25 





1907 



1,641,934 



730,652 



257,091 



2,629,677 



20 



4| 



1908 



1,045,411 



736,952 



283,714 



2,066,077 



18 



1909 



1,358,802 



728,917 



281,336 



2,369,055 



25 



Of 



1910 



1,482,356 



864,023 



264,923 



2,611,302 



22 



5 



1911 



1,320,988 



827,960 



242,034 



2,390,982 



23 



^ 

 9 



1912 



1,471,336 



981,933 



327,862 



2,781,131 



31 



Appendix D, No. II., is interesting as showing the development of 

 the industry during the last 102 years. The process of improvement 

 has been gradual, but none the less forward, the figures having risen 

 from 89,934 barrels* in 1811 to 2,022,447 barrels* in 1912. 



II. Herrings Branded. 



The number of barrels of herrings branded last year was much 

 below the average, owing to the fact that a very large proportion of 

 the total catch was taken and cured before the first date (10th July) 

 on which the official brand could be given (Appendix E, No. I.). 



The early opening of the season in recent years is due in great 

 measure to the advent of the steam drifter. This type of vessel can 

 move about very rapidly, and is more independent as regards wind 

 and weather than the sailing boat, with the result that if herrings 

 are present anywhere in the North Sea they are located in a very 

 short space of time. It has therefore been considered expedient 

 to modify the branding regulations in such a way as to make 

 them more appropriate to the changed conditions. 



The principal changes effected are (1) the extension of the " Mattie " 

 brand to admit herrings taken on or after 1st June, in place of 1st or 

 10th Jul)^ as hitherto, and (2) the institution of a " Filling " brand, 

 for "maturing" or "filling" herrings not less than 10| inches in 

 length. 



III. Cured Herrings Exported. 



The total quantity of herrings exported from Scotland last year was 

 1,538,349 barrels, an increase over the previous year of 30,267 barrels 

 (Appendix E, No. II.). 



The demand all over Europe was keen throughout the season, and 

 no time was lost in shipping off the cargoes after the herrings had 

 been packed and cured. The principal features of the trade have been 

 exhaustively set forth in the interesting report prepared by the 

 Board's General Inspector of Fisheries, which has just been printed 

 and circulated among the trade. 



* '* Sea-sticks," 



