42 



Fortittk Annual Report 



Dredging of Fishery Harbours. 



The Dredger " Dragon," for the purchase of which the Treasury 

 in 1920 sanctioned an advance from the Development Fund, com- 

 pleted dredging operations at Buckie and Macduff Harbours, and 

 was engaged at Fraserburgh Harbour at the close of the year. 



While many of the Scottish fishery harbours are in urgent need 

 of dredging, work of this nature having been greatly restricted during 

 the war, few, if any, of the harbour authorities are in a position 

 financially to meet the cost involved owing to the depressed condition of 

 the fishing industry. The primary condition of the scheme is that a 

 harbour authority should pay the cost of the dredging carried 

 out on its behalf, but in the special circumstances prevailing at the 

 present time, the Board recommended to the Development Com- 

 missioners and the Treasury that the terms on which the services 

 of the vessel were given should be relaxed. Their Lordships have 

 been pleased to sanction an arrangement by which, where harbour 

 authorities are not in a position to pay the full cost immediately, 

 one half of the cost may be regarded as a deferred loan not repay- 

 able for a period of 5 years, and bearing interest at 6 per cent., 

 which will be allowed to accumulate and will be added to the 

 principal sum at the end of the 5 years' period. Where any harbour 

 authority is unable to pay the other half the Board will consult the 

 Development Commissioners, who will decide (^having regard to the 

 finances and prospects of the harbour authority) whether payment 

 of the whole or part of this half may be waived. 



A report for the year by Mr. R. Gordon Nicol, O.B.E., M.Inst. 

 C.E., the Board's Consulting Engineer, on the work on improve- 

 ment schemes for fishery harbours will be found under Appendix I., 

 page 55. 



CHAPTER X. 



SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS. 

 1. General. 



During the year 1921 steady progress was made in the re- 

 organisation of the Board's scientific staff and increased activity in 

 scientific research was made possible as the result of a more generous 

 recognition of the value of research to the fishing industry. Several 

 factors, beyond the control of the Board, have rendered progress 

 in this direction slow, but it is confidently expected that during the 

 coming year the Board will be in a position to contribute to the 

 general investigation of fishery problems on a scale more com- 

 mensurate with the national importance of the industry. 



In 1920 an Admiralty trawler was purchased by means of a grant 

 from the Development Fund for adaptation as a fishery research 

 vessel in place of the " Goldseeker," but it was not until the close 

 of the year now under review that tenders could be obtained within 



