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Appendices to Thirtieth Annual Report 



therefrom made the year a prosperous one to all concerned. The total value 

 of all kinds of fish landed in the district was, in round figures, almost 

 £200,000, which, though a drop of .£30,000 from the previous year, is 

 considered highly satisfactory. The herring fishing, which is the staple 

 industry of the fishermen, fish-curers, and others, was followed all the year 

 round in Scotland, England, and Ireland ; therefore the prosperity of the 

 industry cannot be gauged by the results as shown in the returns. 



The means of capture maintain their usual progressive position, and the 

 total value, which includes the vessels and all the fishing material, shows an 

 increase of .£17,057 on the previous year. Eight steam drifters and one 

 trawl vessel were added to the fleet during the year. The steam drifters are 

 of the smaller size, and constructed of wood. They range in value from 

 £2200 to £2400. As herring fishing boats, the steel vessels, of which a 

 considerable number were built three or four years ago, are not now finding 

 so much favour with the fishermen, owing to their great cost and other 

 drawbacks. They, however, serve a double purpose, being well adapted for 

 steam line fishing, for which their size and equipment specially fit them. 

 The small steam drifter of about 80 feet keel, and constructed of wood, is 

 considered the most suitable for herring fishing, as, apart from its lower 

 initial cost, which is one-third less than that of the larger steel vessel, greater 

 advantages are claimed for it in the way of economy. 



The sail boats, especially those of the first class, are fast disappearing from 

 the register, 12 having been cancelled during the year, while a few more 

 are almost unfit for sea, and there is no probability of any of them being 

 replaced. 



In recent years there has been a great tendency to commence the great 

 summer herring fishing in the middle of May, but the season of 1911 pro- 

 vided the earliest commencement yet experienced, a practically general start 

 having been made in the beginning of that month. For several years after 

 the advent of steam drifters a limited number of crews did exceptionally well 

 in the early part of the season in supplying fresh buyers and kipperers, but 

 the catching power is now so great that more herrings have been caught 

 during the past three or four years prior to the old recognised time for 

 beginning the fishing than during the regular season, so that when the needs 

 of those engaged in freshing and kippering are supplied curing bas to be 

 resorted to, with the result that the Continental markets are continually 

 glutted with immature fish. The Continental buyers having suffered so 

 badly over their transactions in the early herrings of 1910, were determined 

 to stand aloof from the early and immature stuff of 1911, with the result 

 that a close time had to be resorted to in the third week of May. This 

 exceptionally early commencement might possibly, under ordinary conditions, 

 have worked oat well enough for both fisheumen and curers, but the 

 conditions under which operations commenced were somewhat abnormal. 

 Catches were heavy to begin with, and Continental importers, when the 

 season began, were in the position of having on hand large supplies of Irish, 

 English, and Scotch (West Coast) winter-cured herrings, and, as a con- 

 sequence, this increased the determination of the Continental buyers to 

 refrain from buying the early immature herrings of the season of 1911. 



Notwithstanding a week's close time, almost 20,000 crans were landed in 

 the month of May, but neither fishermen nor curers benefited from the 

 catches of that month, as, in addition to the immature nature of the fish, 

 the excessive heat checked the consumption in the Continental markets. 

 The first week of June saw the heaviest landings of the season, and this, 

 combined with the fact that curers were compelled to retain their May cure, 

 brought the price for the green article down to an average of 7s. per cran. 

 This was the lowest average for the season, for immediately thereafter a 

 shortage in the catch began to make itself felt, and the prices to fishermen 

 gradually rose to 20s. and 30s. per cran. The opening week of July 



