of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



201 



net fishing, and met with considerable success, the catch being fully 

 two-thirds in excess of that of the previous year, which, however, was 

 a very poor one. The Whitehills men fishing with nets for soles and 

 plaice had rather more success with soles, but plaice, which were got in 

 fair quantities last year, were very scarce, which meant to these men a 

 considerable loss. 



Shell-fish fif-'hing was carried on, as usual at Gardenstown, Macduff, 

 and Whitehills, with less success than last year. The varieties got were 

 crabs and whelks. The latter are gathered by young people and bought 

 for despatch to London. 



There was an increase in the number of steamers at the English and 

 Irish fishings, but, as usual, few sailers went to the former and none to 

 the latter. The steamers' earnings in England were from £500 to 

 £850, a few making about £1100, and sailers £200 to £360, while in 

 Ireland the steamers made from £60 to £200. 



Boat-builders were fairly well occupied, building in all 31 fishing 

 vessels, of which five were steamers. Eleven boats were for the district, 

 ten for other distr icts in Scotland, and ten for Ireland. 



The following accidents occurred during the year : — A steam 

 drifter sprang a leak and sank off Fraserburgh; a motor 

 boat went ashore near Aberdeen, sustaining considerable 

 damage; and a steam drifter engaged in herring fishing in 

 England was run down by a trawler and sank. Fortunately, 

 there was no loss of life in connection with these disasters, but a 

 fisherman belonging to Gardenstown was unfortunately drowned off 

 Fraserburgh through falling overboard while engaged in hauling nets. 

 There was, as usual, a good deal of loss of and damage to fishing 

 material in England. 



The fishery barometers are in good order. 



James Farquharson, 

 Fishery Office, " Fishery Officer. 



Macduff, Qth January 1913. 



Buclcie District, 



The year 1912 was one of prosperity for the fishermen of this district. 

 The landings of white fish in the district continue to increase, notably 

 of haddocks and cod, which show considerable increases upon last year's 

 returns, while the local crews who left home to prosecute the herring 

 fishing . from the various fishing centres in Scotland, England, and 

 Ireland had a very successful year. Fish-curers, coopers, and workers 

 of all descriptions also benefited from the successful season on the 

 English coast, and the year may be considered to have been a prosperous 

 one for all concerned. 



The most noteworthy features in connection with the district are the 

 increase in the means of capture, the continued progress of the steam 

 drifter, and the rapid decrease of the sail boat. During the year under 

 review ten vessels of the former type were added to the fleet, which now 

 numbers 257 vessels of 6700 tons, while, on the other hand, 24 first-class 

 sail boats were cancelled from the register. The means of capture return 

 maintains its progressive position, and the total value, which includes 

 vessels and all fishing material, shows an increase of £18,805 in excess 

 of last year's figures. 



As in former years, the majority of the district fishermen derived 

 their earnings from herring fishing, which they prosecuted from the 



