51 



Appendices to Thirty-eighth Annual Report 



craft " Clan M'Rae," wliich was wrecked on the coast of Skye in February ; 

 an estimated loss of £200 on lobster creels caused by gales in the month 

 of March ; and an estimated loss of £390 caused by damage to herring nets 

 during the month of December, chiefly at Glendhu. 



Happily no loss of life was recorded during the year. 



The Government guarantee for cured herrings did not come into oper- 

 ation in this district. 



This stretch of coast possesses many fine natural harbours and sheltered 

 anchorages, and though it lies at the door of rich fishing banks, the lack 

 of good transport service hinders its development. From Cape Wrath 

 to the South Point of Gairloch the transport of fresh fish to market is 

 dependent in the initial stages of the journey on an inadequate and costly 

 motor service, which in most cases is limited to the mail cars. These cars 

 are not built for fish traffic ; consequently the load taken is very small, 

 and if the passengers are numerous, as they frequently are, fish is left to 

 be taken on the following day. Thus a day's market is lost, and the fish 

 grow stale. 



When herrings are caught in the lochs an extremely small percentage is 

 landed in the district, and though district fishermen participate in the 

 resultant gains by selling to carriers, they would do so to a much greater 

 extent if the catches were landed at a railhead in the district. 



This does not encourage a vigorous prosecution of the fishings by fisher- 

 men of the district, so that unless good fish transport is instituted little 

 improvement in the district fisheries need be expected. 



Douglas Cruden, 



Fishery Officer. 



Fishery Opi'ice, 

 Ullapool, Sth January 1920. 



Loch Carron and SJcye District. 



The total quantity of fish landed in the district during the past yeai! 

 shows an increase over 1918 of 19,783 cwts., but the value decreased by 

 £32,548 owing to the lower prices prevailing for herrings towards the end 

 of the year. Herrings and saithe were the principal kinds responsible 

 for the increase in quantity, but mackerel shows a considerable decrease 

 in quantity and value. Shell-fish returns increased by £2503. 



The Means of Capture Returns again show a decrease in the number of 

 boats, but the catching power is not affected as the boats cancelled were 

 mostly all worn-out sailing vessels. Ten motor boats were added to the 

 fleet during the year, and 2 were cancelled, whilst sailing boats show a 

 decrease of 31 as compared with 1918. The motor boats acquired during 

 the year were chiefly of the smaller class for line fishing. 



The herring fishing during the first three months of the year was again 

 very successful. The bulk of the catch was landed at Kyle by East Coast 

 vessels fishing in the Minch and Sutherlandshire lochs. Good takes were 

 also landed from the Stornoway grounds. A number of local craft also 

 did well in Lochs Snizort and Dun vegan, where the herrings were sold to 

 carrying vessels which ran them to Kyle or Mallaig. About 20 steam 

 drifters and 35 motor boats from the East Coast made Kyle their landing 

 port during the season. Most of these left for home early in March owing 

 to the fishing falling off, and also to the poor demand consequent upon 

 the import of Norwegian herrings at the kippering ports on the East Coast. 

 The season closed at 31st March with a total of 23,110 crans, valued at 

 £96,301, against 21,096 crans, valued at £117,678, in the previous year. 



