of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



19 



the season terminated on 2nd October. The most prolific grounds 

 proved to be what are known as the Fladden Grounds, from 80 to 

 120 miles north-east by east and east-north -east from Aberdeen. 

 Before the war this area was regularly fished in the summer 

 months by trawlers, but no " ground " herrings of any consequence 

 were found there. During 1920, however, an immense shoal of 

 herrings was located on these grounds, which had not been fished to 

 any extent since 1913. The general opinion among fishermen was 

 that the herrings had congregated there to spawn, as when opera- 

 tions commenced the majority of them were found to be full of milt 

 or roe, whereas towards the end of the season the catches consisted 

 largely of spent fish. 



At the beginning of the season the ordinary trawl net was em- 

 ployed. Some skippers, however, laced and contracted the meshes 

 of the nets so as to prevent the escape of the herrings during the 

 hauling of their nets. Five or six vessels were fitted with a special 

 trawl net, and their catches were heavier than those of the vessels 

 which used the ordinary trawl net laced up. Some 30 German 

 trawlers which were working on the Fladden Grounds at the same 

 time with special trawl nets were also reported to have met with 

 great success. The special net resembles the ordinary net in almost 

 every respect except that the former is made with a very small mesh 

 in the belly, baitings and cod-end. 



In the North Sea herring trawling is prosecuted always in day- 

 light, and the best catches are secured generally between the hours 

 of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.' Operations are carried on at full steaming 

 speed, and consequently the fastest vessels are the most successful. 



In all 71 trawlers were engaged from Aberdeen during the past 

 season. They made from one to six voyages each to the herring 

 grounds, the aggregate for the season 25th August to 2nd October 

 being 180, and the landings amounted to 10,830 crans of the value of 

 £36,714. The most successful vessel earned £2553 in four trips, 

 which included the value of the few white-fish landed. The next 

 beat earnings were £2200, £1848, £1744 and £1662. The herrings 

 were of very good quality, consisting mostly of fine full fish number- 

 ing from 820 to 900 per cran. The bulk of the catch was purchased 

 for kippering, and the quality of the kippers was considered excellent. 



Disposal of Herring Catch. 



The quantity of herrings consumed fresh in Scotland or despatched 

 fresh to the English markets during the whole year was approxi- 

 mately 700,000 cwts. or 22 per cent, of the total landings, as against 

 870,000 cwts. or 23 per cent in the preceding year, and 300,000 cwts., 

 representing approximately 6 per cent, of the catch in the years 

 before the war. The proportion kippered amounted to 28 per cent, 

 of the landings as against 12 or 13 per cent, in pre-war years, so that 

 about half of the total landings in 1920 was placed on the home 

 markets, as against only one-fifth before the war, while the actual 

 quantity so disposed of has been nearly doubled. This is specially 

 gratifying in view of the very unsatisfactory state of the chief over- 

 seas markets for cured herrings, and is largely attributable to the 

 efforts made to develop the home market during the war. 



