of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



19 



Yery little curing was carried on during the winter season. The 

 first consignments of the summer cure, sent to Hamburg from 

 Castlebay and Lerwick towards the end of May, met, however, with a 

 ready demand at a net return of about £3 per barrel, which gave an 

 impetus to the industry and caused prices for fresh herrings at Castle- 

 bay, for instance, to jump from 15s. to 50s. per cran. The American 

 demand was also brisk for a time, but a drop took place before the 

 season was far advanced, owing to the fact that the quality of the 

 herrings was not up to the usual high standard. Curers therefore 

 sent most of their consignments to Germany, although the demand 

 there also fell off considerably. 



During the summer fishing curing was conducted at the usual 

 centres, chiefly Lerwick, Stronsay (Orkney), Wick, Fraserburgh and 

 Peterhead. The German demand for cured herrings was on the 

 whole steady, but suffered through the continued depression of the 

 mark, and the prices obtainable, when converted into sterling, barely 

 covered the curers' outlay. 



Throughout the year it was observed that, contrary to pre-war 

 experience, the smaller selections of herrings, such as matties and 

 matfulls, were in the best demand on the Continent, perhaps on 

 account of the greater number of fish per barrel, with all that this 

 implies for the retail trade. 



The quantity of cured herrings exported during 1921 amounted 

 to 716,036^ barrels, as against 342,056^ barrels in 1920. The 

 increase represents largely the 264,485 barrels of Government stocks 

 of 1920 cure, which were handed over to the Disposals Board at the 

 beginning of 1921, and which were nearly all sold, although at 

 greatly reduced prices, during the year. The destinations of the 

 herrings exported are shown on Tables E. — No. IT., and E. — No. III. 

 (pp. 129-130). About five-ninths of the year's exports went, in the 

 first instance at least, to Germany. Exports to Danzig for Poland 

 show an increase, but do not occupy so relatively prominent a 

 position as in the previous year. In pre-war years our best 

 customers for cured herrings were Eussia, Germany and Austria, 

 which countries then took over 90 per cent, of our exports. 



The total stocks of cured herrings on hand in Scotland on 

 31st December 1921 amounted to 26,716 barrels, as compared with 

 278,327 barrels at 31st December 1920. 



For the home markets kippering is the most popular form of 

 preservation. A total of 610,729 cwts. or 25 per cent, of the 

 landings was so treated last year, but this was less by about a third 

 than the quantity kippered in 1920. The firms engaged were kept 

 busy throughout the fishing seasons, but, on the whole year's 

 working, business was far from satisfactory. The demand was 

 occasionally good, but the markets seemed unable to absorb more 

 than very limited supplies. The inferior quality of the herrings and 

 the abnormal amount of unemployment further militated against 

 success, as did also the excessive heat experienced during the year. 

 When bunker coals became available in July, and supplies of 

 herrings were more plentiful, Scottish kipperers at the more northern 

 ports found it impossible to compete with those nearer the southern 

 markets. 



The total quantity of herrings tinned, chiefly with tomato sauce, 



