68 



Appendices to Thirty-ninth Annual Report 



whereas the increased cost of lines, bait, labour and motor fuel has 

 rendered small-line fishing unremunerative. 



At Aberdeen great-line fishing was very successfully prosecuted by a 

 fleet that at one time numbered about 120 steam vessels. That number 

 included over 30 local trawlers, which fitted out with great-lines and 

 worked during the summer months, and a large number of vessels of 

 the drifter class, which hailed from Peterhead, Buckie and the Fifeshire 

 ports, and which worked principally in the North Sea. The larger liners 

 worked off the N.W. coasts of Orkney and Shetland, off the West coast 

 of Ireland and off Faroe, Rockall and St. Kilda. Landings of halibut 

 constituted a record, the fish having doubtless multiplied through the 

 closure of the fishing grounds during the war. Halibut- were in great 

 demand, and the average price, 93s. 7d. per cwt., was the highest on 

 record at the port. The most successful drifter-liner earned £12,000, 

 while of the larger liners the best earned the unprecedented total of 

 £22,000 for the year's work. 



With the increase in the landings of both trawl and line fish at 

 Aberdeen, there was also a boom in the ice-manufacturing business, 

 which is an indispensable adjunct to the fresh fish trade. The Aberdeen 

 factories had a record season, the total output reaching 110,000 tons, 

 against 65,000 tons in 1919. Many English vessels called at Aberdeen 

 for supplies of ice during the summer months, owing to scarcity of this 

 commodity at their home ports, and considerable quantities were al?o 

 sold to France. 



It is rather an interesting fact that ice is sold in Aberdeen at a 

 lower rate than anywhere else in Britain. The price in Aberdeen in 

 1920 was £1 per ton, as compared with £1, 7s. 6d. at Grimsby^ and 

 £1, 10s. at Hull. The pre-war price at Aberdeen was 7s. 6d. 



Shipbuilding, so far as fishing vessels were concerned, was slacker 

 than it has been for many years, largely owing to the fact that a great 

 many Admiralty vessels were being offered for sale. Prices of trawlers 

 had declined by about 25 per cent, since 1918-19. Motor boats were 

 also decreasing in value, and, since the return and reconditioning of 

 steam drifters after Admiralty service, it has become increasingly 

 difficult to find crews for motor boats in some districts. 



R. J. Duthie, 

 General Inspector of Sea Fisheries. 



Edinburgh, 23rd March 1921. 



REPORT ON NET AND LINE FISHING. 



By the Senior Assistant Inspector. 



The year under review was one of varied experience, and did not 

 produce such satisfactory results as were generally looked for. At its 

 commencement the catching power of the industry had been re- 

 established, but distribution was by no means restored to the position 

 held prior to the war. To judge from the present outlook, considerable 

 time will be required to bring the industry back to anything approaching 

 its pre-war condition. 



The chief difficulties during the year were the excessive working 

 expenses, including the heavy cost of transport of material and workers, 

 the general slump in trade, and the continued closure of the best 



