of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



56 



The fishermen at Gigha were again successful at cod fishing during the 

 spring months, although their landings were less than in 1918. 



A number of the fishermen, belonging to the Islay creeks, have not yet 

 resumed fishing, but are employed in shipyards, etc., on the Clyde, or in 

 merchant vessels. 



The landings of shell -fish were somewhat similar to those of the previous 

 year. There was a decrease in the number and value of lobsters landed at 

 the Kintyre creelcs, but this was balanced by an increase at the creeks in 

 Islay, Jura, and Colonsay. 



The present high cost of material and labour has discouraged any of the 

 local fishermen who were intending to have boats built. This phase of the 

 industry was much discussed at meetings held in this district, to consider 

 the Board's proposals for loans to ex-Service fishermen. The general 

 opinion was, that with the present high cost of building and the compara- 

 tively poor prospects of the fishing, it was inad^'isable to acquire new boats, 

 and up to the present no applications for loans for this purpose have been 

 received. Unless these conditions change in the near future, the fleet in 

 this district is bound to decrease. 



The local net factory is at present fully employed-, chiefly in the manu- 

 facture of drift nets for East Coast and Moray Firth ports, and has orders 

 in hand which will keep its machinery employed for some time. 



No lives were lost in connection with the fisheries. Loss of gear was 

 confined to lobster creels, and a number of seine nets were damaged through 

 weight of fish and fouling the bottom in shallow waters. 



George M'Gee, 

 Fishery Officer. 



Fishery Office, 

 Campbeltowx. 27/7? January 1920. 



Inveraray District. 



The total landings in tbis district for the year amount to 46,126 cwts.. 

 valued at £18,920, as compared with 8820 cwts. and £9627 for the previous 

 year. 



Tbese figures would seem to indicate that the fishermen in tbis district 

 enjoyed more prosperity than in 1918. This is not tbe case, however, the 

 landings in the district being no criterion of the earnings of the fishermen, 

 lu the previous year most of the fishing took place in other districts, and all 

 the fishermen engaged had splendid earnings. During the year under 

 review, although the catch was much heavier, the fishermen had poor 

 earnings, the prices realised for the fish landed being very low. 



The Means of Capture Eeturns show a decrease of 4 boats, but an in- 

 crease in tonnage of 17 tons. A number of old boats were struck off the 

 Register as being useless for fishing, while 6 boats were added to the 

 district fleet during the year. These were all second-hand boats from other 

 districts, 4 being motor boats and the other 2 sailers, the latter being for 

 use in connection with the lobster and line fishings. Five sail boats had 

 motors installed during the year and the registry of 3 motor boats was 

 cancelled, while a number of the crews had more powerful engines installed 

 in place of the engines already in use. 



No new boats were built during the year. 



During the first two months of the year, the herring fleet operated in 

 the Kyles of Bute and on the Ayrshire coast. This was the most 

 remimerative period of the year for the fishermen, their gross earnings at 

 this period being estimated at about £22,000, or more than half of their 

 year's earnings. 



