xlvi 



Fourth Annual Report of the 



Produce of 



Winter 



Fishing. 



Its estimated 

 value. 



Best week. 



Great 



quantities of 

 Herrings sent 

 by special 

 trains. 

 Summer 

 Fishing and 

 its value. 



Low prices 

 of Herrings. 



nets; and by trammel-nets. Last winter's catch amounted to 27,671 

 crans, of which 4306 crans were kippered, and 23,365 were sent 

 fresh, or lightly salted, to the home markets. The estimated value 

 of this fishing was £46,673. The industry was prosecuted on the 

 exposed bank of Ballantrae, and it was often interrupted by stormy 

 weather. The most successful fishing was made in the week 

 ending 14th March, when the fleet got regularly to sea. 12,033 

 crans were then landed, which formed nearly one half of the 

 season's catch. On each day of that week, upwards of 100 waggon 

 loads of herrings were sent away from Girvan by special trains ; 

 and 3000 telegrams, in connection with the fishing, passed through 

 the Girvan post office during the week In the summer fishing the 

 70 boats engaged used drift-nets, and their total catch amounted 

 to 3311 crans. This catch was worth £4755, making the value of 

 the whole year's fishing to be £51,428. The fish taken throughout 

 the season were of fairly good quality, but the prices were very 

 low as compared with those of recent years. In some previous 

 seasons, the same quantity of herrings as were caught last year 

 would have realised £82,000. 



SUMMARY OF WEST COAST HERRING FISHING. 



The returns of the herring fishing on the West Coast of Scotland 

 i?BarrX^^^^ show a gross increase in the quantity of barrels cured in 1885 of 

 cured.^^^ 12,943:^ on the gross number in the preceding year, 253,969f 

 barrels having been cured in 1885, as against 241,026J in 1884. 

 Of the nine districts, four show a collective increase of 29,487J 

 and five a collective decrease of 16,544 J barrels. The 

 principal increase was in the districts of Ballantrae and Inveraray, 

 and the principal decrease in Loch Broom and Fort- William. 

 During the year herrings were found in greater or less abundance 

 Herrings found at every station on the West Coast, but with few exceptions the 

 station^" shoals wcrc not large. 



The official returns of all the herrings cured on the West Coast 

 of Scotland for the fifty years preceding last year, on the average of 

 each period of ten years, exhibit a continuous large increase. The 

 following table shows the particulars : — 



Increase in 



four Districts Un^^pi„ 

 and decrease in ^'^^^ 

 ftve. 



Yearly aver- 

 age of 



Barrels cured 

 in periods of 

 ten years. 



Periods of Ten Years. 



1835 to 1844 inclusive, 

 1845 „ 1854 „ 

 1855 „ 1864 „ 

 1865 „ 1874 „ 

 1875 „ 1884 „ 



Barrels cured in 1885, 



Yearly average of 

 Barrels cured. 

 70,067 

 79,300 

 110.665 

 171,196 

 194,135 



253,969| 



Increase per The number of barrels cured in the year 1885, when compared 

 1885 on 1884 "^^^^ 1884, shows an increase of 5 '36 per cent.; when com- 



andon ' pared with the average of the preceding ten years, it shows an 

 fwen\y-Tve\'''' increase of 30-64 per cent.; of 25 years, 48*54 per cent.; and of 

 and fifty years. 50 years, 102*16 per cent. 



