XXIV 



Thirtieth Annual Report 



being less than one-eighteenth of what it was when the fishing was at 

 its height. Nor, judged by the earlier years of the previous decade, 

 can the Firth of Forth results be considered satisfactory, although the 

 decline which has been in progress since then would appear to have 

 at last been arrested, the catch of 63,000 cwts. exceeding the previous 

 year's returns by 10,000 cwts., and those of 1909 by 27,000 cwts. 

 Another serious decrease occurred in Lochcarron and Skye district, 

 where the catch was only 9451 cwts., or about 12,000 cwts. less than 

 in the preceding year. Fortunately, the decline in the older centres 

 appears likely to be counterbalanced by a rise to importance of other 

 districts. Thus, in the second year of its existence, the winter fishing 

 from Mallaig yielded 24,500 cwts., while at Oban, which appeared 

 in the returns for the first time, about 18,000 cwts. were landed, 

 bringing the total for the Fort- William district to 42,600 cwts., as com- 

 pared with 22,500 cwts. in 1910, and 4300 cwts. in 1909. In Shetland 

 also a winter fishing appears in a fair way to becoming established, 

 the catch during the year under review totalling 24.300 cwts., or 

 4000 cwts. more than in 1910. It is doubtful whether, prior to 1909, 

 the winter catch in Shetland ever exceeded 1000 cwts. An increase 

 of 5400 cwts., or 47 per cent., in Ballantrae district also helped to 

 stem the decline. 



A perusal of the tables will show that on the West Coast the 

 fishing was prosecuted mainly by steamers, and that on the East 

 Coast the contrary was the case, these vessels accounting for 77 per 

 cent, of the West Coast catch, and only 5 per cent, of the East Coast 

 catch. The latter circumstance is accounted for to a large extent by 

 the fact that in the Firth of Forth the herrings kept to the inshore 

 and shallow waters, where they could be captured only by small boats, 

 or by means of anchored nets. 



Early Herring Fishing. 



The early herring fishing is carried on principally in May and J une, 

 and was formerly practically confined to the West Coast and the west 

 side of Shetland. In recent years, however, the old order of things 

 has completely changed, and it is now preponderatingly an East 

 Coast and east side of Shetland fishing. The reasons for this 

 transition were discussed at some length in last year's report. It was 

 pointed out that the development of the fishing on the East Coast is 

 probably to be ascribed to the growth of the steam fishing fleet, and 

 that a remarkable acceleration of the movement occurred last year 

 owing to the opening up of new markets on the Continent, in which 

 the young and immature fish landed on the East Coast early in the 

 season were in demand. How potent the latter factor was, and how 

 striking the general change which has taken place, will be seen from 

 the following table, in which the figures for the years 1902, 1909, and 

 1910 are contrasted : — 



Year. East Coast. °^ t e ^ n a d nd West Coast. Total. 



Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. 



1902 .. 68,679 399,618 267,968 736,265 



1909 .. 604,262 435,942 273,919 1,314,123 



1910 .. 1,249,432 1,103,003 192,372 2,544,807 



