APPENDIX I. 



POST-WAR PROBLEMS. 



Memorandum by Paymaster Lieut. -Commander D. T. 

 Jones, R.N.R., on the Re-establishment of the 

 Scottish Pishing Industry after the War. 



L HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION. 



The " harvest of the sea " is a paradox ; the operation of sowing is 

 absent, but the reapers are many and the harvest is both rich and 

 abundant. The " bonnie fish and halesome farin' " immortalised 

 by Lady Nairne have for generations been a most welcome addition 

 to the table, and during the recent war they proved a very present 

 help in time of need, while the fishermen as a class were a tower of 

 strength in the defence of our shores. 



The operation of fishing was until recent times a laborious process, 

 but with the advent of steam much of this arduous labour has been 

 eliminated, while the precarious nature of the results has been gradu- 

 ally nullified by the wide extension of the field of operations. While 

 " all is fish that cometh to net," the real troubles of the fisherman 

 begin when the fish are brought to port. The extreme perishability 

 of fish and the remoteness of many of the landing ports from the 

 populous centres — and this applies especially in the case of Scotland 

 — have intensified the difficulties of distribution ; in short, the problem 

 of distribution is the crux of the situation. 



Generally speaking, the industry in the early days was encouraged 

 by the State as a nursery for our Navy, every fisherman being regarded 

 as a potential fighting man in the continual struggle for the supremacy 

 of the seas. The Scottish fishing population, however, on more than 

 one occasion received an infusion of Dutchmen and Frisians, and the 

 resulting blend has produced a class of fishermen second to none for 

 bravery, perseverance, and the spirit of self-help. 



A brief sketch of the genesis and rise of the Scottish fishing industry 

 is necessary to a proper appreciation of the important position which 

 it has reached as one of our chief national assets. From the earliest 

 times it has been of economic importance, not only as providing food 

 for the people at home (and they consumed a good deal of cured fish, 

 though the lack of transport precluded any appreciable development 

 of the trade in fresh fish) but also as producing a large quantity for 

 exportation. 



Herring fisheries were prosecuted in the Firths from the early part 



