xxviii 



Thirtieth Annual Report 



III. Demersal Fish, taken by Trawl, Lines, and Nets. 



The year 1910 was noteworthy in that the quantity of demersal 

 fish landed constituted a record. This record was, however, set up 

 only to be broken, the landings in 1911, which amounted to 3,055,099 

 cwts., exceeding those of 1910 by 86,501 cwts. This is the first time 

 the catch of white-fish has reached three million cwts. These figures 

 do not, either, reveal the true extent of the increase, inasmuch as the 

 landings by foreign vessels are this year wholly excluded, whereas in 

 1910 they were excluded only from the 1st October, when the 

 decision to do so was made. How much greater the increase would 

 have been had the catch been returned on the old basis will be 

 readily appreciated when it is stated that the landings by foreign 

 vessels amounted to no less than 316,852 cwts. As a matter of fact, 

 if the comparison is confined only to the landings by British vessels, 

 the actual increase in 1911 is found to amount to 286,073 cwts. 



Of the total catch, 2,127,001 cwts., valued at £1,039,076, were 

 taken by trawls ; 858,647 cwts., valued at £389,726, by lines ; and 

 69,451 cwts., valued at £29,173, by nets; the corresponding figures 

 for 1910 being 2,102,031 cwts., valued at £1,102,976, by trawls; 

 751,297 cwts., valued at £349,578, by lines ; and 115,270 cwts., valued 

 at .£38,785, by nets. It will thus be seen that, while a considerable 

 proportion of the increase is referable to trawling, the greater 

 measure of credit must be given line-fishing, which improved upon 

 the preceding year's results to the extent of 14 per cent. 



From a financial point of view the year's results were much less 

 satisfactory, the total value, which amounted to £1,457,975, being less 

 than that of the preceding year by £33,364 — a decline for which the 

 poor tone of the market at Aberdeen, consequent upon the great heat 

 experienced throughout the summer, was responsible. 



In view of the dominating position which Aberdeen, as the head- 

 quarters of trawling and steam line fishing, occupies in the Scottish 

 white-fish fishing industry, the following particulars of the fishing 

 from that port are of interest. The percentages of the total catch 

 and value of white fish contributed by Aberdeen in 1911 were 64 and 

 66 respectively, as compared with 65 per cent, and 69 per cent, in the 

 preceding year. Trawlers made 11,200 landings and steam liners 

 1676, as compared with 11,096 and 1501 respectively in the preceding- 

 year. The operations of the trawlers resulted in an average catch per 

 trip of 148*4 cwts., which realised £72, as against 134*6 cwts. and £76 

 in 1910 ; while the average catch per trip of the steam liners amounted 

 to 175-3 cwts., which realised £92, the corresponding figures for 1910 

 being 172-9 cwts. and £96. 



(a) BOUND FISH. 



The total quantity of round fish landed in 1911 was 2,693,396 

 cwts., valued at £1,104,818, these figures representing an increase in 

 quantity of 83,283 cwts., but a decrease in value of £42,819, as 

 compared with the preceding year's total. The catch constitutes a 

 record for this class of fish. As has already been indicated, line- 

 fishing accounted for the bulk of the increase, although trawling also 



