of ike Fishery Board for Scotland. 



vii 



Disposal of Herring Catch. 



The measures adopted in 1917 to encourage the home consumption 

 of the herring catch by discouraging pickling, and increasing the 

 facilities for marketing the fish either fresh, or if preserved, in a form 

 suitable to British tastes were reinforced in 1918 by the closure of 

 practically all the remaining channels of export, and by the great 

 impetus given to the freshing and kippering trade by the high level 

 at which prices ruled throughout the year. The cumulative result is 

 shown in the following table : — 



Bloaters 

 or Reds. 



Freshed. Kippered. 



Tinned. 



1918 

 1917 

 1916 



Cwts. 

 1,064,587 

 666,889 

 442,292 



Cwts. 

 899,388 

 654,598 

 547,795 



Cwts. 

 77,130 

 46,133 

 22,459 



Cwts. 

 61,425 

 59,678 

 79,212 



Cured 

 Un- 

 gutted. 

 Barrels. Barrels. 



Cured 

 Gutted. 



31,031 

 193,081 

 343,582 



45,649 

 25,360 

 30,612 



Practically all the herrings cured ungutted are eventually con- 

 verted into " reds," so that, with a total catch which was practically 

 the same in each of the three years, the quantity disposed of fresh or 

 preserved in other ways suitable for the home market increased by 

 90 per cent., while the quantity cured gutted fell to the same extent. 



So great was the demand for freshing, kippering, etc., that, after 

 the introduction of maximum prices, a system of rationing had to be 

 adopted in order to secure an equitable distribution of the supplies 

 among the buyers clamouring to purchase them. The kippering in- 

 dustry in particular has rapidly expanded. New establishments have 

 been erected, existing smoke-houses improved and extended, and others 

 which had long been idle renovated and used. Supplies were seldom 

 equal to the demand, and when opportunity offered were supplemented 

 by herrings from East Anglia and Norway. 



It would have been impossible to achieve these results but for the 

 whole-hearted co-operation of the Railway Companies, who spared 

 no effort to cope with the abnormal volume of traffic with which they 

 were called upon to deal, and although it was inevitable that break- 

 downs should occasionally occur, it is a matter for congratulation that 

 the enterprise shown by all concerned was successful in providing the 

 country with such a large addition to its food supply in the time of its 

 greatest need. 



Cure and Export op Pickled Herrings. 



In view of the conditions prevailing in 1918, it is not a matter for 

 surprise that the number of barrels cured gutted (31,000) was the lowest 

 in the history of the industry. Practically every foreign market was 

 closed, and as pickled herrings do not appeal to British tastes, it was 

 highly problematical whether, in the event of any being cured, it would 

 be possible to dispose of them. A few of the more speculative curers 

 undertook the risk, but only when the breakdown of transport for 

 freshing purposes caused a temporary glut and brought prices down to 

 a moderate level, and hence it is that the bulk of the cure is returned 



