of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



47 



The chief difficulty in connection with the retention of many of the 

 telegraph and telephone lines in question was that of expense, but in 

 certain cases this difficulty has been overcome by the aid of grants 

 by the Board of Health and the Board of Agriculture for Scotland. 



Obstructions to Fishing Opeeations. 



The year 1920 saw the removal of practically all the obstructions 

 which, through the exigencies of war, hindered fishing operations in 

 Scottish waters. These waters are now clear of mines, and obstruc- 

 tions remain only in some of the approaches to Scapa Flow, concern- 

 ing which the Board, who fully appreciate the desirability of free and 

 unimpeded access to all waters, have been in communication with the 

 Admiralty. 



Bare Fish landed at Aberdeen. 



Besides recording the landings of the species of fish enumerated 

 in Table B., No. II., appended to this Eeport, the Board's officials at 

 Aberdeen collect, for the information of the scientific staff, particulars 

 of any rare or unusual fishes included in the catches of vessels 

 working from the port, details of which may be interesting. Bream, 

 of which 801 cwts., valued at £169, were landed at Aberdeen last 

 year, all in the months from July to December, figure most prominently 

 in these returns. Of the true or black sole, which is comparatively 

 abundant in English waters, only 245 individuals, apart from an 

 exceptional shot of 3J cwts. secured in English waters, were noted. 

 The sturgeons landed numbered 7, taken singly at widely separate 

 points off the east, north and west coasts. Of the true John Dory 

 (not the cat-fish which has become popular under that name), 107 

 individuals were taken. Other kinds noted included lump suckers 

 (13), angel fish (2), wrasse (15) ,king fish (13), chimera (7), top knot (4), 

 bib (1 cwt.), and sunfish (2), and single specimens of each of the 

 following, viz., Iceland angler, tunny, black bass and weaver. 



CHAPTER IX. 



HARBOURS. 

 Improvement Schemes. 



In previous Reports emphasis has been laid on the necessity for 

 the provision of adequate harbour accommodation for the fishing 

 fleet. The development of the industry, the increase in the size of 

 the vessels employed, and the rapid transition from sail boats to 

 steam and motor vessels rendered many of the fishery harbours 

 practically obsolete, and as a consequence the fishermen at such 

 harbours were seriously handicapped in the prosecution of their 

 calling. The local harbour authorities were fully alive to the neces- 

 sity for extension, but most of the communities were small, and they 

 found it difficult to meet the heavy expenditure involved. 



For many years the Board have had at their disposal an annual 



