of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



219 



m In the means of capture the most noticeable feature is the continued reduc- 

 tion in the number and tonnage of first-class fishing boats. This decrease is 

 most marked on the north-west of Shetland, where the herring fishing has been 

 a failure for a number of years. No new first-class sail boats and very few 

 second-hand boats have been added to the local herring fleet for several years. 

 On the other hand, the fleet of second-class skiffs, suitable alike for small line, 

 great-line, or cod-net fishing, is steadily increasing. At Scalloway and 

 -Burra Isle more than a dozen of these skiffs have been fitted with motor 

 engines, which are, as a rule, giving great satisfaction to the fishermen. The 

 additions to the Lerwick fleet have all been sail boats. 



The winter herring fishing, which proved so successful in 1910, was again 

 prosecuted in February and March by a fleet of about 40 steam drifters, 

 mostly from Peterhead and Moray Firth ports, but including some English 

 boats. Herrings were scarce off the south-east of Shetland, but a good, 

 though somewhat irregular, fishing was got off Unst, and the district total 

 for the winter season was about 7000 crans. For curing purposes the herrings 

 sold generally at from 9s. to 16s. per cran ; for kippering, 10s. to 30s. ; and 

 for bait, when scarce, up to 60s. per cran. The average price for winter 

 herrings was 12s. 8d. per cran, as compared with 13s. 6d. in 1910. Over 

 4500 barrels were cured for exportation to the Continent, but curers had 

 difficulty in disposing of them, even at low prices. 



The great summer herring fishing was commenced at Shetland at an 

 unusally early date. At Lerwick fifty steam drifters started fishing on the 

 first of May • by the end of that week there were 100, and before the month 

 closed there were 340 steamers, besides sail boats, in Lerwick Harbour. The 

 herrings caught early in May, as might have been expected, were very 

 immature. With the first heavy day's fishing prices fell to about 2s. per 

 cran, and several hundred crans that failed to find buyers had to be thrown 

 overboard. As a somewhat similar state of matters prevailed at other ports, 

 fishermen agreed to cease fishing, and they remained on shore for about 10 

 days. When they recommenced fishing in the last week of May, the fish 

 had improved somewhat in quality, and, although prices were rather low 

 for a time, the fishing was continued without further interruption for the 

 remainder of the season. Curers had at first some difficulty in disposing of 

 their early cured Matties, but those cured from the end of May onwards 

 gave great satisfaction to buyers, and commanded a ready sale at 

 advancing prices. This reacted favourably on the prices for the fresh 

 article, which reached an average of 20s. per cran by the middle of June, and 

 continued rising. The fishing, which had been good in June, was lighter 

 and rather irregular in July, and as the quality was then excellent, prices 

 rose to 30s., and occasionally averaged 35s. per cran. The fishing improved 

 in August, and continued good for the remainder of the season. The 

 English crews, many of whom had been away from home since April, began 

 to leave Lerwick in July, and all had gone by the end of August; but a 

 good many Moray Firth boats returned here towards the end of the season, 

 and most of them did exceptionally well. A few local sail boats carried on 

 a profitable fishing all through October when the weather permitted them to 

 go to sea. 



The west side fishing was again a failure, apart from the herrings landed 

 at Scalloway and Burra, which were mostly caught in the vicinity of Fair 

 Isle. At Baltasound only 11 curers opened their stations, as compared with 

 24 in 1910 and 42 in 1909. As formerly, most of the crews that fished at 

 Baltasound worked under engagements for four weeks, steamers getting £20 

 and sail boats £10 of bounty, with prices ranging from 14s. to 16s. per cran. 

 About 80 boats were engaged, and the catch up to the end of July, which 

 practically closed the season, exceeded 21,000 crans. 



At all the stations from Whalsay southwards to Sumburgh, local sail boats 

 had a fairly good season. The landings at Scalloway and Burra were less 



