Fishery Board for Scotland. 



XXXV 



fishing was heaviest in the week ending 15th August, when the 



fleet averaged 44| crans per boat. Until 12th August the grounds 



usually fished lay from 20 to 60 miles seaward ; but on that day 



great shoals of herrings were discovered on the in-shore grounds, ^^^^gjl^o^g^^ 



2 to 8 miles off land, when a very abundant fishing was got — the Grounds. 



Peterhead boats having averaged 30 crans each, and the Bod dam High average 



and Port Erroll boats 45 crans. Unfortunately, on the following 



morning a violent storm from the north-east suddenly broke out, storm on I3th 



and almost completely stopped the fishing for some days. With the ^^g^s*- 



exception of those landed at bhe commencement of the fishing, the 



quality of the herrings taken throughout the season was generally Quality of 



much better than in 1884. Of the year's catch about 3000 crans JJan'^^^igs?^'' 



were kippered. There were four vessels employed in the deep-sea 



fishing, and all the herrings which they took were cured on board. Deep-sea 



They yielded 2652 barrels, and a considerable portion of them Fishmg. 



obtained the crown brand. The fishing closed on the 12th September, 



when it was found that the gross number of barrels cured in the 



district amounted to 224,087. This was a decrease of 73,889 Barrels cured 



barrels from the number cured in 1884, but the catch of that year ^i^H^^^^^ 



was the largest ever recorded. 



Fraserburgh District. 



From Kattray Head, inclusive, to Troup Head, exclusive. Boundary of 



District. 



District Fishery Office — Fraserburgh. 



Fraserburgh district had a fleet of 888 boats engaged in the Fleet of Boats, 

 herring fishing of 1885, being an increase of 148 boats on the 

 number in 1884, of which 742 fished from Fraserburgh, 107 from Number at 

 Pittulie, and 39 from Eosehearty. The fishing was successful, ^^^^ station, 

 although it produced much less than the unprecedentedly great 

 catch of 1884. The aggregate takes yielded an average of 176 crans Average catch, 

 to each boat, as against 278| crans in the preceding year. The 

 highest gross catch of any boat was 514 crans, and the lowest Particulars of 

 about 40 crans. The fishing began at a later date than in the Wishing, 

 previous year. Notwithstanding this, however, the takes landed 

 at its commencement contained an unusually large quantity of 

 very small herrings, and as these were comparatively unsale- 

 able, very few boats went to sea until about 20th July, when the 

 fishing became general. As the season advanced the herrings im- Quality of Her- 

 proved in size, and upon the whole they were of superior quality to [o^Take?o?*^^ 

 the catch of the preceding year. The most successful fishings i884. 

 were made on the weeks ending 1st, 8th, 22nd, and 29th August, 

 and 5th September, when a number of boats landed catches of 

 about 100 crans each. The best fishing grounds extended Grounds fished, 

 from 10 to 65 miles from land. The weather throughout the 

 season was generally unfavourable. Fogs and calms prevailed to Weather 

 some extent during the early part of the fishing ; and on the unfavourable, 

 evening of 12th August, after half the fleet had gone to sea, a storm of I2th 

 strong gale blew from the north-east, and, unfortunately, ^wo ^^gj^^^*^- ^^^^ 

 large decked boats, with their entire crews, consisting of twelve and 13 persons 

 men and one boy, were lost. This gale also caused great (browned, 

 loss in nets, many of which were sunk or torn. The total 



