oj the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



51 



The best week's fishing for the season was during the week ending 

 3rd August, when 536 crans of excellent quality were landed. For the 

 season the total catch amounted to 3217 crans, valued at £11,867, compared 

 with 2605 crans valued at £6197 in 1917. 



Of the total catch, 2541 crans were converted into kippers and 575 

 crans freshed, only 125 barrels being cured gutted. 



The bulk of the herrings kippered and freshed was consigned to London, 

 Glasgow, and the Midlands, and as the returns were always good,kipperers 

 and freshers had a very successful season. 



The few barrels of herrings which were cured were soon disposed of 

 in the locality. 



The boat-building trade was brisk throughout the year, but owing 

 to the builders at Banff and Macduff being busily employed on Admiralty 

 work, refitting and building steam drifters, they were unable to undertake 

 orders from fishermen. 



From the building yards at Banff and Macduff, 8 new steam drifters 

 were launched during the year for the Admiralty, whilst 2 motor boats of 

 over 30-feet keel and 1 sail boat of 18-feet keel were built at Gardens- 

 town for fishing purposes. Barrel-making, on the other hand, received 

 little attention, and only one cooper was employed at this work for a 

 part of the year. 



Unfortunately, among the losses to be recorded for the year there is 

 that of a steam drifter which, whilst engaged in fishing, was sunk by an 

 enemy submarine, while one of the crew (a man belonging to Gardens- 

 town) was killed by the explosion or by the enemy's gun-fire. 



The loss of gear at the Scottish fishings was small, but the amount of 

 netting lost by some of the motor boats which participated in the herring 

 fishing at Yarmouth was above the average. 



A. J. Munro, 



Fishery Officer. 



Fishery Office, 

 Macduff, 6th January 1919. 



Buckie District. 



The returns of fish landed show that the various fishings carried on 

 within the limits of this district during the past year were attended with 

 good results. The total landings show an increase of 11,643 cwts., while 

 the value exceeds that of 1917 by £64,161. The increase is chiefly due 

 to herrings, and codfish landed by nets. 



It can hardly be said that the prosperity of the fishing community 

 in the district is due to the success attending the local fishings, which 

 are carried on generally by the older class of fishermen from the various 

 creeks, the majority of the fishermen being employed at herring fishing 

 for the greater part of the year on the East and West Coasts of Scotland, 

 English and Isle of Man waters, where they have had a most prosperous 

 year's work. 



A considerable number of the district fishermen are still employed 

 in Admiralty service. 



The cod net fishing, which commenced in January, was taken part 

 in by 4 steam, 31 motor, and 38 sail boats in the restricted area allowed 

 them in the Moray Firth by the Admiralty, and was continued with good 

 results until the close of March. The average price received for the fish 

 landed was 97s. lid. per cwt., compared with 41s. lljd. in 1917, and the 

 average earnings per boat £956, against £407 in the previous year. 



