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Part III. — Seventh Annual Report 



II.— REPORTS FROM HER MAJESTY'S DIPLOMATIC AND CON- 

 SULAR OFFICERS ABROAD ON THE BEST MEANS OF 

 INCREASING THE DEMAND IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES 

 FOR SCOTCH-CURED HERRINGS AND OTHER FISH. 



(Abstracts, together with a Statistical Account of the Scottish Herring- 

 Fishery, by T. Wemyss Fulton, M.B.) 



This paper, which is the outcome of reports obtained by the Board at 

 the instance of Professor Ewart, deals chiefly with the export trade in 

 Scottish-cured herrings. 



Among all the fisheries of Scotland that for herrings is by far the most 

 valuable and important, and the number of persons mainly dependent 

 upon it for their livelihood is greater than in the case of all the other 

 fisheries combined. Thus, while the aggregate value of the Scottish sea 

 fisheries last year amounted to £2,113,157, the value of the herring 

 fishery alone was £1,262,076, or nearly sixty per cent, of the total 

 amount. The prosperity of the herring industry depends chiefly upon 

 the export trade ; the amount of fresh and cured herring consumed in 

 Scotland being always much less than the amount sent to other countries. 

 The value of the cured herrings last year was £1,174,815, and of the 

 herrings sold fresh £87,261 ; of the amount cured no less than 774,193 

 barrels of the value of £851,612 were exported, by far the greater 

 proportion going to the Continental markets, chiefly Germany and 

 Russia. Table I. shows the quantity and value of the herrings caught 

 during each of the years 1882 to 1888 inclusive, the quantity cured, the 

 number of barrels branded, and the number exported.* 



A glance at this table at once shows that the great markets for Scotch 

 herrings are in Germany and Russia ; the mean for the last seven years 

 being for these countries 909,187 barrels, or 96*2 per cent, of the total 

 amount exported. As the mean number of barrels cured during these 

 years was 1,365,276, we find that Germany and Russia alone absorbed 

 about 66 "5 per cent., or considerably more than half of all the herrings 

 cured in Scotland. 



It will be seen that from 1882 to 1884 inclusive, there was a gradual 



* The statistics of the Scottish herring fishery might be considerably improved. 

 The statistical tables now published vary only in slight details from those given in 

 the earty reports, eighty years ago. While uniformity for a long period has advan- 

 tages, it may also have distinct drawbacks. For instance, at present the total 

 quantity of herrings caught cannot be ascertained from the published tables ; the 

 amounts of fish sold fresh, and the amounts cured are stated in different terms, 

 namely, crans and barrels respectively, and no information is given which might 

 enable one to convert crans into barrels or vice versa. While the total value 

 of cured herrings is given, there is no indication of the value of the quantities 

 branded and those unbranded, nor of the value of the quantities under the different 

 brands. No details are given of the amounts and values of unbranded herrings, and 

 of the herrings under the various brands, exported to different countries. There is 

 no information as to the export of smoked herrings, such as kippers, bloaters, and 

 red herrings. These are consumed in various southern countries, such as Italy, in 

 much larger quantities than the pickled fish ; but there is nothing to show whether 

 the Scotch fish participate in this trade. 



It is also very desirable that the Fishery Board should be furnished with detailed 

 returns showing the amounts and values of the different kinds of fish imported into 

 this country. Such returns are at present not published, and there is evidence 

 that seems to show we may be to some extent neglecting home markets, while 

 regarding those abroad. For, instance, it appears from a recent Consular Report from 

 Gothenburg, that that port alone during the winter herring-fishery of 1888-89 

 exported to Great Britain no less than 8752 tons of fresh herrings. 



