Fishery Board for Scotland. 



liii 



haddock fishery was above the average of former seasons, and Fish sold 



the quality was generally very fair. The sprat fishery was prose- Fresh j 



cuted in the upper reaches of the "Firth of Forth, the Firth of Tay, Sprat Fishing. 



and the Moray Firth. It was more than usually abundant, while in 



the preceding season it was almost an entire failure. The gross Abundant 



catch amounted to 43,428 crans, of which about equal quantities Catcl1, 



were got in each of these firths. On many occasions the takes 



were so great that only a small portion could be sold for food, 



although the price asked was very low. A portion was used as jj se & for Bait 



bait, for which sprats are well adapted ; but the great bulk of the hut bulk sold' 



fishing was sold for manure. for Manure ' 



The districts which yielded the largest quantity of mussels and other Best districts 

 shell- fish were Leith, Anstruther, Montrose, Cromarty, and Greenock. for Shell-fish. 



A comparison cannot, of course, be made of these fisheries in the comparison 

 twelve months for which the returns are given with the produce wi *h former 

 of previous years ; but it is believed that the fishing of 1883-84 was posslbh? 

 more abundant than it had been for a long time past, particularly productive 

 in the Eyemouth, Leith, and Anstruther districts, and that in no fgg^ 1 ^ in 

 previous year were the markets better supplied with all kinds of 

 fresh fish than in 1883. 



FISHING BOATS AND VESSELS. 

 Fishing Boats. 



Table I. Appendix D, gives an account of the number of boats, Fishing Boats, 

 decked and undecked, irrespective of the places to which they 

 beloug, employed in the herring fishery, Scotland, in the season Boats em- 

 of 1883, in a selected week for each district; with the number of ^ngKshery 61 *" 

 fishermen and boys by whom they were manned ; of coopers, in selected 

 gutters, packers, and labourers employed at the said fishery in the week - 

 week thus selected ; and the total number of all such fishermen 

 and other persons so employed. 



The following table shows the number of boats, decked and Boats > & d c -. 

 undecked, employed in the shore curing herring, cod, and ling, and the P Herring 

 other fisheries, Scotland ; the number of fishermen and boys by ^ h °^g r in 

 whom they were manned; the number of fish-curers, coopers, and i882 and 1883. 

 other persons employed in the years 1882 and 1883 : — 



Years. 



Beam 

 Trawl 

 Vessels 



and 

 Fishing 

 Boats. 



Fishermen 

 and Boys. 



Fish 

 Curers. 



Coopers. 



Other Persons 

 (Estimated). 



1882, .... 



14,973 



48,296 



1,072 



2,564 



47,464 



1883, . 



15,294 



49,722 



1,031 



2,736 



47,522 



Increase in 1883, . 

 Decrease m 1883, 



321 



1,426 



41 



172 



58 



Increase of 

 Boats, 



Fishermen, &e. 



