16 



Part III. — Eighteenth Annual Report 



boats in relation to the number of drift-net boats has increased, the 

 quantity of herrings captured has not only not diminished, but has 

 been steadily augmented over a period. During the five years 1889 

 to 1893 the gross quantity of herrings taken from Loch Eyne was 

 213,068 cwts., or an annual average of 42,613 cwts., while during 

 the five years 1894 to 1898 the gross quantity was 573,415 cwts., 

 and the annual average 114,683 cwts. 



At Ballantrae Bank the investigation showed that the seine- 

 net, which drags upon the bottom in the comparatively shallow 

 water there, occasionally brings up deposited herring - spawn 

 attached to the fronds of seaweeds, or coating the stones and 

 gravel. Of 79 nets examined immediately after they were 

 hauled, 63 showed no trace of deposited spawn, while in 16 cases 

 spawn was found. The quantity, however, was small, and the 

 amount of injury caused in this way by the seine-net is probably 

 inconsiderable. At the same time, the conditions of the fishery at 

 Ballantrae Bank are very different from what they are in Loch 

 Fyne, where the water is very deep, and fishing operations are 

 confined to the surface stratum. At the former place the water is 

 only from seven to twelve fathoms in depth, and the seine-net 

 extends quite from the surface to the bottom, taking everything 

 within its reach. The herrings caught are spawning fish from 

 which the eggs are running, the area of the bank is limited, and it 

 is admitted that by an excessive use of the seine-net the herrings 

 could be practically Cleared from it in a short time. The statistics 

 show a great decline in the fishery following the years of abund- 

 ance, when hundreds of seine-boats frequented the ground ; and 

 while this may be due merely to natural fluctuation, the view that 

 it may have been caused by excessive use of the seine is not 

 inconsistent with the evidence. It is considered desirable, how- 

 ever, to continue the investigations for another year or two. 



In the Clyde generally seine-net fishing is now the means of 

 supplying the greater part of the herrings for the consumer. Last 

 year the 328 seine-boats, manned by 1382 men, landed 54,059 

 crans of herrings of the value of £70,325 ; while the 404 

 drift-boats, with 1262 men, landed only 15.965 crans, valued at 

 £18,009. 



The Mackerel of the East and West Coasts of Scotland. 



Some years ago experiments were made at Barra with the view 

 of ascertaining whether or not there was a likelihood of establish- 

 ing a mackerel fishery in the adjoining seas, the results of which 

 were described in a previous Beport. In the present Beport an 

 account is given of an investigation by Mr. H. C. Williamson, made 

 with the object of discovering whether the mackerel of the East 

 and West Coasts were of the same or of different races. The 

 mackerel examined were obtained from Barra, Stornoway, Lower 

 Loch Fyne, Kilbrennan Sound, and off the coast of Aberdeen. A 

 large number of measurements and observations were made on each 

 of the fishes, and the means and their deviation calculated, and the 

 results are set forth in a series of Tables appended to the paper. 

 The general conclusion is that the differences in the length of the 

 head, skull, and pectoral fin in the mackerel from the two coasts 



