of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



271 



for the time. The destruction of deposited spawn does not appear to be 

 of much importance, but an excessive fishing on the Bank among the 

 spawning shoals and constant sweeping of the bottom is not unlikely to 

 prove injurious. The extent of the spawning ground off Ballantrae is 

 not great. Even with the 70 boats which were sometimes fishing there 

 during the season just passed the area appeared to be considerably- 

 crowded, and it is not surprising that damage occurs to the set nets as 

 alleged by the trammel fishermen. There are reasons to believe that 

 the prohibition of the use of the seine net during a part of February 

 and March in each year might prove beneficial to the herring fishery in 

 future seasons, and would not cause much, if any, hardship to the 

 seiners. Their nets can still reach the bottom in the somewhat deeper 

 water outside, beyond the actual spawning ground, where abundant 

 catches are frequently obtained. The following boundaries would include 

 the area in question, viz., a straight line passing seawards in a N.W. 

 direction for three geographical miles from Bennan Head; a similar 

 line passing for the same distance from Downan Point ; and a line, 

 parallel with the shore, between the extremities of the above lines. 



