of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



215 



conducive to the most satisfactory results. The fishing grounds most 

 commonly wrought upon were more southerly than usual. Operations were 

 conducted over a very wide area, ranging from eighteen to sixty miles off, 

 from east by north to south-south-east. A considerable portion of the catch, 

 however, was caught at from twenty to forty miles off, from east by south to 

 east-south- east. Owing to the attitude adopted by the Continental dealers 

 towards the purchasing of May-cured fish, curers were in a dilemma as to 

 how they should proceed. A number of the large curing firms did withhold 

 from making purchases until early in June, and by doing so they possibly 

 adopted the safest course. Those early-cured fish did not give satisfaction 

 to dealers, and in numerous cases some difficulty was experienced in getting 

 them disposed of. Such an early start as was made was not favoured by 

 the trade in general. The necessity of arranging for a close time for future 

 years was frequently discussed by interested parties, and it was expected 

 that some definite action in the way of bringing that about would be adopted 

 before another season came round. At the most prosperous period of the 

 season a large fleet of steam, motor, and sail craft worked from Wick. Had 

 the harbour area been more spacious an even greater number would have 

 visited the port. Year by year there is an increased number of steam 

 craft employed. In one week they reached as high as 196, along with 

 8 motors and 230 sailers. Steamers had earnings of from .£600 to £1220, 

 sail boats from £200 to £720, while one motor that worked constantly 

 had £580. 



Owing to the keen competition, prices for fresh herrings from the first 

 week of June on to the close of the season were well maintained. Indeed, 

 they were so high in comparison with the prices paid for the cured article 

 that there could not have been a great margin of profit for curers. 



The prosecution of the winter herring fishing was attended with very 

 discouraging results. The fleet at work was but a small one, and owing to 

 the poor catches obtained the work was not continued for the usual period. 

 On the Caithness coast a great scarcity of herrings was experienced. 

 It is usually off the Orkneys that supplies are most abundant at that 

 season of the year, but even those grounds were less productive than in 

 former years. 



As a herring-fishing station, Scrabster is now almost totally neglected. 

 What herrings were landed there in the winter months were delivered from 

 boats that could not land at Wick, owing to adverse weather conditions. 

 Again, in the summer it was chiefly boats on the passage from the West 

 Coast that landed there. With the view of encouraging the industry, the 

 harbour authorities made curers the offer of stations free of rent. That 

 offer, however, could not be taken advantage of when there were no boats 

 working there. 



The freshing of herrings to Hamburg in ice and salt was begun on a small 

 scale in 1910, when 637 crans were dealt with in that way. In the year 

 under review a considerable development was made in that line, there being 

 two firms engaged in the venture. For a period of the season four carrying 

 vessels were engaged, but for the latter part only two were employed. The 

 quantity of herrings disposed of in that manner was 5175 crans. 



A large portion of the herrings cured in the district was shipped to 

 Continental ports. Of the whole quantity so dealt with about three-fifths 

 were sent to the various German ports, while two-fifths were distributed 

 amongst the different ports in Russia. The shipments to America were 

 slightly in excess of the preceding year's quantity. There is every indication 

 that a slow development in that trade is taking place. 



It is remarkable that, while the volume of trade at Wick in connection 

 with the herring fishing industry has of recent years been expanding, the 

 catching power of the district tends to decline. Sailing boats are getting 

 fewer in number, and at the same time the number of men employed at the 



