of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



257 



same result.* A table prepared by Mr. Reiach, the late Chief Inspector 

 of the Herring Fishery, for the Commission of 1876 gives information 

 extending over a long period. It is as follows : — t 



Ten 

 Years 

 from 



Average 

 Number 

 of Boats. 



Average 

 Number 

 of 



T"> 1 



Barrels. 



Average 

 Number 

 Barrels 

 per Boat. 



Minimum 

 Catch in 

 Decade. 



Maximum 

 Catch in 

 Decade. 



1827-36 



300 



3,469 



11 -5 



1,453 (1830) 



4,898 (1832) 



1837-46 



350 



7,388 



251 



3,225 (1839) 



9,400 (1846) 



1847-56 



396 



19,949 



50-4 



10,630 (1852) 



32,726 (1851) 



1857-66 



558 



33,096 



59-3 



16,151 (1864) 



79,893 (1862) 



1867-76 



479 



25,561 



53'4 



6,934 (1874) 



34,471 (1876) 



These statistics do not distinguish between the quantities of herrings 

 caught by the drift net and the seine net, but they show a general 

 increase in the catch. There is less information with respect to the 

 relative numbers of drift-net and seine-net boats that took part in the 

 fishery in Loch Fyne, except during the period from 1850 to 1862, 

 when a return was prepared for the use of the Playfair Commission as 

 follows : — 



Years. 



Seine Boats. 



Drift Boats. 



Years. 



Seine Boats. 



Drift Boats. 



1850 



40 



538 



1857 



121 



409 



1851 



60 



518 



1858 



143 



377 



1852 



55 



515 



1859 



122 



409 



1853 



60 



490 



1860 



90 



405 



1854 



72 



475 



1861 



84 



432 



1855 



103 



407 



1862 





772 



1856 



106 



414 









* The statistics as published in the Reports of the Board of British White Herring 

 Fishery are imperfect. 



f Report of Commission, p. 134. The quantities (in barrels) caught in each of the 

 ten years from 1867 to 1876 were these :— 40,964, 46,813, 43,088, 26,716, 22,005, 11,358, 

 8,166, 6,934, 15,097, 34,471. In a Table prepared for the enquiry in 1862 {Report, p. 8), 

 the years are grouped in different series. 



Years. 



Barrels. 



Maximum. 



Minimum. 



1834-38 

 1839-43 

 1844-48 

 1849-53 

 1854-58 

 1859-62 



17,869 

 20,119 

 15,427 

 19,149 

 25,744 

 42,165 



15,560 

 32,726 

 31,423 

 79,893 



13,816 

 10,630 

 16,999 

 20,246 



