of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



27 



The quantities of mussels and clams taken show increases, reflect- 

 ing the increase in small lining, as bait for which both kinds are 

 chiefly used. Only in the Solway area are mussels taken for human 

 consumption, being despatched thence to English towns. 



10. Disposal of Catch. 



The quantity of fish other than herrings cured shows a con- 

 siderable decrease from the preceding year, totalling only 392,205 

 cwts. as against 652,993 cwts. (Table D. — No. I. (b), page 123). 

 The decrease was common to all kinds of white fish, but sprats 

 and mackerel show increases. Sprats were cured pickled at the 

 Firth of Forth and Inverness Firth fishings, chiefly for export 

 to Sweden, where, it is understood, they are subsequently 

 tinned. Mackerel curing (chiefly tinning) was carried on mainly 

 at Fraserburgh, where the fish were obtained cheaply during the 

 summer herring fishing. Nearly two-thirds of the white fish 

 cured consisted of haddocks smoked for the home markets, repre- 

 senting more than half of the haddock catch for the year. 

 Haddock smoking is understood, however, not to have yielded 

 very satisfactory returns, owing largely to the general financial 

 stringency and the resulting difficulty in obtaining prompt settle- 

 ment from retailers. The competition of such ports as Hull 

 and Grimsby in the English markets is now also more keenly felt, 

 owing to the increased disadvantage which the higher railway 

 rates impose on Scottish produce. The demand for dried cod, 

 etc. was poor, which is attributable to the decreased purchasing 

 power of the consuming countries and the keen competition of 

 Norway, Iceland and Newfoundland, whose fisheries, being more 

 dependent on the export trade, were apparently in a position 

 even worse than our own. Discrimination by Spain and Portugal 

 against the products of Norway and Iceland in retaliation against 

 the prohibitionist policy of these countries, however, favoured 

 Scottish trade. Very little tinning of white fish was done during 

 the year, as large stocks of the previous year's output remained 

 on hand. 



The curing of white fish is very largely centralised at Aberdeen. 

 Haddock smoking, and to a less extent the drying and smoking 

 of cod, are, however, carried on on a much smaller scale at other 

 East Coast ports and at Lerwick. The total cure on the West 

 Coast did not amount to 1000 cwts. The new tinning factory at 

 Stornoway, although completed, did not come into operation during 

 the year. 



The total quantity of each kind of fish marketed fresh, arrived 

 at by deducting the quantities used for curing from the total 

 quantities landed, is shown in Table C. (p. 121). 



11. Whaling. 



Owing to the depression in the market for oil, which forms the 

 chief product of the whaling industry, no whaling operations were 

 conducted from any of the stations in Scotland during the year. 



