of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



9 



CHAPTER II. 



MEANS OF CAPTUKE AND PERSONS ENGAGED. 



Owing to the depressed state of the fisheries there was no induce- 

 ment in 1921 to increase the means of production, but the fleet 

 engaged in catching fish, other than herrings, in Scottish waters 

 during the year possessed greater catching power than that which 

 operated during the previous year. The coal dispute and other 

 adverse factors, however, restricted operations, particularly those of 

 the larger sized trawlers. 



Few non-Scottish vessels took part in the Scottish herring fishery 

 during the season, principally on account of the precarious outlook in 

 the industry, while much of the gear employed was old and worn, 

 which resulted in a diminished and less efficient fleet than in 1920. 



All fishing vessels, gear and men belonging to Scotland, together 

 with vessels, etc. fishing from Scottish ports although owned in 

 other parts of the United Kingdom, are shown in Table A. — No. I. 

 (pp. 3-15), but the following figures, showing the total number of 

 fishing vessels actually belonging to Scotland in the various years, 

 indicate the changes which have occurred in the composition of the 

 fishing fleet, as does also the chart opposite showing the increase in 

 the number of motor boats as compared with steam drifters and 

 liners : — 



Year. 



Steam 



Steam Drifters 



Motor 



Sail 



Total. 



Trawlers. 



or Liners. 



Boats. 



Boats. 



1921 



391 



823 



1987 



4367 



7568 



1920 



354 



854 



1947 



4658 



7813 



1919 



324 



872 



1844 



5084 



8124 



1913 



298 



884 



523 



6807 



8512 



The bulk of the fishing fleet is owned on the East Coast, in- 

 cluding practically all the steam vessels, over a half by number but 

 four-fifths by gross tonnage of the motor boats mainly engaged in 

 herring fishing, and practically all those chiefly employed in the 

 white-fish fishing, and more than a third both by number and gross 

 tonnage of the sailing fleet. 



The only steam trawler constructed in Scotland during the year 

 was built at Aberdeen to the order of a Fleetwood firm, but the 

 trawling fleet was augmented by the addition of ex-Admiralty 

 trawlers and drifters fitted for trawling and the conversion into 

 trawlers of a number of drifters. The indifferent results obtained 

 by the converted vessels, however, discouraged the more general 

 adoption of trawling by drifters. The total strength of the trawling 

 fleet at work from Scottish ports was 418, against 385 for the 

 previous year and 332 in the first half of 1914, but apart from the 

 restriction of operations incidental to the coal dispute many vessels, 

 especially those of the larger type, were laid up during the summer 

 months on account of heavy working expenses and unremunerative 

 fish prices. 



The number of steam drifters and liners belonging to Scotland 

 showed a further decrease, being less by 31 and 61 respectively than 

 in the years 1920 and 1913. The reduction would have been greater 



