214 



AppeQidices to Thirty-first Annual Meport 



above — exceeded the figures for 1911 by 12,765 cwts. in the quantity 

 and £4363 in value. 



Prices for trawled fresh gutted cod ranged from £7 15s. to £8 5s. per 

 ton, while Faroe wet salted cod realised from £15 to £16 per ton, the 

 bulk of the landings being sold at the latter figure. These prices show 

 an advance of about £2 10s. per ton over those of the previous year. 



Line fishing by local fishermen was carried on in the usual desultory 

 fashion. The results for the year were about the average, and show 

 little variation from those of the preceding year. 



Lobster fishing was prosecuted from almost every creek in the district, 

 principally during April, May, June, and September. This fishing 

 has been declining for some years back, and the year under review was 

 no exception. 



Fortunately no lives were lost during the year in connection with the 

 fisheries, and the damage done to boats and fishing gear was small. 



Fishery Office, A. J. Munro, 



Kirkwall, Qth January 1913, Fishery Officer 



Shetlmid District. 



The returns for this district show an increase of over 19,000 cwts. and 

 £95,830 as compared with the figures for 1911. This increase is more 

 than accounted for by the improvement in the quantity and value of 

 herrings, which compose about 94 per cent, of the total yield of the 

 district fisheries. 



The means of capture returns again show a decrease in the number 

 of first-class sail boats, principally on the north and N.W. coasts; but 

 there has been an increase in the fleet of second-class boats, both sail 

 and motor. The number of locally-owned steam fishing vessels remains 

 the same as in 1911. 



The winter herring fishing was commenced early in February, but the 

 fleet engaged was much smaller than in the preceding year, and never 

 reached a dozen boats at one time. Very heavy catches were got off 

 Unst in February and March. The season's total was 3190 crans, at 

 an average price of 14s., as against 7000 crans at 12s 8d. in 1911. The 

 range of prices was from 10s. to 56s., the latter figure being given for 

 herrings for bait. About 1260 barrels were cured, and the balance 

 purchased for kippering or for bait. Several consignments of frozen 

 herrings were sent to Faroe to be used as bait by the cod fishermen, the 

 Danish mail steamers calling for them as required. 



Before the end of April boats had begun to gather at Lerwick for the 

 great summer herring fishing, and by the end of the first week in May 

 about 100 boats were working. Before the end of the month the fleet 

 had increased to fully 400 craft, mostly steam drifters, and for the 13 

 principal weeks of the fishing an average of 440 boats fished from the 

 port. Herrings were not very plentiful in the beginning of May, and 

 this, no doubt, prevented a collapse of prices such as was experienced 

 at the beginning of the previous season. For the first three weeks the 

 average price per cran was from 12s. 6d. to 17s., but heavy landings 

 during the fourth week brought the average down to 8s. 6d. per cran. 

 With the beginning of June, however, the market recovered, and a 

 keen demand set in, with steadily-advancing prices. For the first 

 fortnight in June the average price was over 27s., and by the end of the 

 month it had risen to 35s. This rate was maintained throughout July. 

 For the month of August the average price was fully 30s., and for the 

 season from 1st May to the end of August the average price at Lerwick 

 was 27s. per cran, against 22s. in 1911. From a fisherman's point of 



