of the Fishery Board for Scotland 



235 



Having regard to the fact that the sudden influx of supplies of net- 

 caught cod during the spring frequently results in the markets being 

 glutted, prices are higher than might be expected, comparing fairly 

 favourably with the average price of all cod landed for the whole year. 

 In 1910-11-12 the respective prices were 8s. 4d., 8s. Id., and 7s. 4d. per 

 cwt. 



The bulk of the catch is despatched to the Southern markets — Glasgow 

 and London principally — in a fresh state, the season coinciding with that 

 of Lent, when a greater proportion of the catch than usual is consumed 

 fresh, but an appreciable quantity is sent to Shetland to be dried, and 

 to Aberdeen to be dried or smoked. 



Statistics designed to show the degree of remunerativeness of this 

 method of fishing have also been obtained, but it has been found 

 impossible to deal with them on a uniform basis. They have therefore 

 been dealt with as follows : — The Helmsdale figures have been 

 discarded, as a large number of the small boats engaged carry on small- 

 line fishing concurrently with net-fishing, the landings consisting 

 consequently of fish taken by both methods. The figures for Findhorn, 

 Buckie, and Wick districts, where only large boats participate, have been 

 combined, as have also those relating to Banff and Cromarty districts, 

 where small boats only are engaged, and the results have been taken as 

 typical of the operations of large and small boats respectively. 



Dealing first with the Findhorn, Buckie, and Wick fleets of 1st class 

 steamers and sailers, the statistics bring out the following results : — 



1st Class Boats —-Buckie, Findhorn, and Wick Districts. 

 Steam Vessels. 



Year. 



No. of 

 ^'ess<;ls. 



No. of 

 Land- 

 ings. 



Quan- 

 tity. 



Value. 



Aver. 

 Quan- 

 tity per 

 Trip. 



Aver. 

 Value 

 per 

 Trip. 



Average 

 No, of 

 Crew. 



Aver. 

 No. of 

 Trips 

 per 

 Week. 



Aver. 

 Weekly 



Earn- 

 ings per 

 Vessel. 



Aver. 

 Weekly 



Earn- 

 ings per 



Man. 









Cwt. 



£. 



Cwt. 



£. 







£ 



£ 



1910 

 1911 

 1912 



36 

 31 

 19 



1,333 

 672 

 468 



35,814 

 9,203 

 9,860 



12,474 

 3,880 

 3,724 



26 9 

 13-7 

 21 1 



9-4 

 5-8 

 8- 



8 

 8 

 8 



8 



32-9 

 20-3 

 28- 



41 



2- 5 



3- 5 



Totals 





2,473 



54,877 



20,078 



22-2 



8-1 







28-35 



3-54 



Sailing Vessels. 



1910 

 1911 

 1912 



78 

 112 

 134 



1,197 

 1,954 

 2,942 



25,737 

 18,273 

 4,280 



9,356 

 8,070 

 16,636 



21-5 

 9-3 

 14-5 



7-8 



4- 1 



5- 7 



6i 

 6^ 



6i 



2-3 

 2-3 

 2-3 



15 •6-22-4 

 8-2-12-3 

 11-4-17-1 





Totals 





6,093 



86,810 



34,062 



14-2 



5-6 







11-2-16-8 





These figures are self-explanatory, and all that need perhaps be said is 

 that the superiority of the steamers over the sailing boats is due, as in 

 herring fishing, mainly to their ability to make a greater number of trips 

 weekly. The average weekly earnings per man is perhaps a somewhat 

 speculative computation, at least in the case of the large vessels, as the 

 gross earnings would not be divided equally — boat's share, net's share, etc., 

 having to be taken into consideration — but it may serve to give some idea 

 of what individual earnings are. 



The next table gives the results for the small 3rd class boats, and is as 

 follows :-- 



