74 



Appendices to Fortieth Annual Report 



balance at the close of the season, and many finished in debt. The 

 landings at Buckie were chiefly confined to vessels arriving home from 

 other ports for week ends. 



In the East Anglian herring fishing 240 steam drifters and 90 motor 

 boats belonging to the district participated, but the results were the 

 worst ever experienced at this fishing. 



The average gross earnings for steam drifters amounted to only 

 £438, and for motor boats to £280, while serious loss of netting was 

 sustained through fouling submerged wrecks. Only 1 in 8 of the vessels 

 cleared working expenses, while curers lost considerably. 



At this fishing a Portgordon man fell overboard and was drowned. 



During September a few English crew3 operated in the Moray Firth 

 with the DanisTi seine net, landing splendid catches of flat-fish at 

 Grimsby. Some local crews in the port on their way to the autumn 

 fishing were so impressed that instead of proceeding to Lowestoft and 

 Yarmouth they fitted out at Grimsby with seine net winch and gear 

 and returned home, and by the end of October 25 steam and 2 motor 

 boats belonging to the district had begun the new method of fishing, 

 while by the end of November 40 steam and 2 large motor boats were 

 fitted with the Danish net, and 2 second class motor boats with the 

 ordinary seine net. 



Operations were carried out chiefly in the Moray Firth, and were 

 restricted by the nature of the bottom to certain areas. The most 

 prolific grounds for plaice were in the upper reaches of the Firth. Fair 

 catches of lemon soles and plaice were obtained 3 to 5 miles off, between 

 Dunbeath and Noss Head, and good takes of haddocks in the vicinity 

 of Smith Bank. The quality was excellent and no immature fish 

 were landed.. Most was landed at Buckie and realised good prices, but 

 occasionally crews proceeded to xlberdeen with their best takes, although 

 their hopes of better prices were not always realised. 



Findhorn. — Of the 78 steam and 8 motor vessels employed at the 

 winter herring fishing on the west and north coasts of Scotland and on 

 the north coast of Ireland, only a few were fairly successful. Gross 

 earnings ranged from £60 to £1540, averaging £430 for steam drifters 

 and £300 for motor boats. 



Owing to the coal dispute steam drifters were unable to commence 

 the summer herring fishing untilJuly, but most of the motor boats 

 began earlier. In all, 104 steam drifters and 20 motor boats participated, 

 chiefly on the west, coast, and at Lerwick, Wick and Fraserburgh. 

 A number of crews obtained fair results at Lerwick and Castlebay, but 

 at the other centres a number did not clear expenses. Earnings ranged 

 from £200 to £1000, averaging for steam vessels £550 and for motor 

 boats £450. 



At the close of the summer herring fishing 109 steam and 5 motor 

 vessels fitted out for the East Anglian fishing, but owing to the collapse 

 of the German exchange, and the indifferent quality of the herrings, 

 prices were unremunerative, and working expenses were commonly 

 in excess of gross earnings. The latter ranged from £100 to £650, 

 steamers averaging about £370 and motors £250. A number of Lossie- 

 mouth crews discontinued operations during October and returned to 

 prosecute seine net fishing. 



The poor results of the herring fishing, and the success of the Danish 

 crews operating on the Dogger Bank with the seine net during the 

 summer season, induced a number of the district crews to equip their 

 vessels for this method of fishing in the Moray Firth during the winter 

 and spring months, and on the Dogger Bank during the summer. Opera- 



