of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



175 



up in August owing to the poor prices obtained for the fish, but the 

 demand which has recently set in for white fish of all kinds in the home 

 and foreign markets was such that for the past two seasons all the ves- 

 sels have been fully employed. 



The average price for all kinds of trawled fish was 10s. 4d. per cwt., 

 as against 9s. 2d, in 1911. Although various fishing grounds off the 

 coast of Scotland and the Orkney and Shetland islands were operated 

 on, no new banks were discovered. The great bulk of the catch was 

 obtained from the North Sea, and the kind most in evidence was had- 

 dock. The best catches were made in March and April, and again in 

 November and December. The most successful vessel for the year 

 grossed about £7000. 



In several of the districts from Eyemouth to Aberdeen small line 

 fishing was prosecuted with poor results. On the Eyemouth grounds 

 haddocks were particularly scarce. With an increase in the motor 

 craft, which has given a fillip to the white fishing in the Montrose 

 district, the landings there show an increase of about 4000 cwts. 

 Although at Peterhead and Fraserburgh the landings show little 

 variation, the success which attended this method of fishing in the 

 upper reaches of the Moray Firth from Macduff to Wick was greater 

 than for many years back. 



From the size of the catches made, haddocks appear to have returned 

 to their former haunts. On the other hand, the landings in Shetland, 

 where the fishermen had benefited so largely from this fishing, show a 

 decrease as compared with the previous year of 30 per cent, in quantity 

 and value. 



The steamers employed in the line fishing industry from Aberdeen 

 were only moderately successful. Stormy weather, and the prevalence 

 of dogfish on the western grounds, greatly interfered with operations. 

 Besides the usual fieet of liners fishing from the port, 22 trawlers were 

 fitted out in May with lines, but the venture was unsuccessful. The 

 most successful line fishing vessel earned £5000, but several did not 

 clear expenses. 



On the West Coast, line fishing from open boats shows a still further 

 decline. In Stornoway district about a score of boats usually f-mployed 

 in lining were this season unlaunched, owing to the scarcity of white 

 fish in the Minch and off the Butt of Lewis. The bulk of the fish 

 now landed at Stornoway is taken by steamers which devote part of 

 their time to herring fishing as well as to lining. The same remarks 

 apply to the steam liners prosecuting the fishing from Mallaig to Oban. 

 At the joint fishings, a number of crews made remarkably good earn- 

 ings. A Stranraer, a fleet of seven East Coast steamers prosecuted the 

 line fishing, six of which were almost constantly employed, as against 

 two in 1911, and three in 1910. Their earnings ranged from £255 to 

 £748. 



Practically the same quantity of mackerel was landed as in 1911, 

 but in value there is a decrease of over £1000. Of the total quantity 

 landed, the East Coast accounts for 27 per cent., Orkney and Shetland 

 for 16, and the West Coast 57 per cent. 



Various attempts have been made to develop a mackerel fishing in- 

 dustry within the last few years by private firms, but in every instance 

 these attempts have had to be given up, as the results were unremun- 

 erative. The appearance of the fish is very uncertain. It is apparent 

 that the fishing can only be carried on as an adjunct to the herring 

 fishing. The results in Loch Carron and Skye district, where in 1906 

 and 1907 the fishing was so successfully prosecuted, show a considerable 

 falling off. Here the fishermen had fitted out with nets specially 

 adapted for this fishing, and other provision had been made for the 



