16 



Thirty -ninth Annual Report 



Clyde Herring Fishing. 



In the Clyde a fairly regular fishing continued throughout the 

 summer and autumn, and in the later months of the year the shoals 

 entered Loch Fyne, where large hauls were secured by the seine net 

 motor boats, and the earnings of the crews were highly satisfactory 

 up to the end of the year. The total landings of herrings in 

 Inveraray district for the year 1920 were 93,982 cwts. valued 

 at £36,281. These figures show increases as compared with 1919 

 of 52,009 cwts. and £20,088, and have not been reached since 

 1899, when the landings for the district were 109,810 cwts. valued 

 at £40,876. 



English Herring Fishing. 



East Anglian Fishing. — Scottish fishing vessels which intended to 

 participate in the East Anglian autumn herring fishing, numbering 

 nearly 800 steam drifters and between 200 and 300 motor boats, 

 proceeded south from the middle to the end cf September, while 

 Scottish curers and kipperers also moved their workers, to the 

 number of over 7000, and their curing stocks to Yarmouth and 

 Lowestoft. 



The technical administration of the Guarantee in East Anglia 

 was entrusted to a number of the Board's Fishery Officers, whose 

 services were lent to the English Fishery Department for the 

 purpose. 



The East Anglian fishing proved very productive, and this gave 

 especial satisfaction, following as it did upon the poor and disappoint- 

 ing season in Scottish waters. The season was, however, not without 

 its vicissitudes, as the fishing had just reached its height when the 

 coal strike occurred, and drifters were restricted to 50 per cent, of 

 their normal requirements of coal. Fortunately the shoals of 

 herrings, which to begin with were found from 50 to 60 miles away, 

 gradually worked their way towards the land until they were only 

 10 miles off shore, so that no great interruption to fishing was caused. 

 Indeed, on several occasions, it was found necessary to restrict fishing 

 operations to enable curers and freshers to clear the heavy landings 

 on hand. From a fisherman's point of view the season was very 

 satisfactory, but owing to the difficulty of finding remunerative 

 markets for cured herrings results were not so satisfactory for the 

 curers, who, however, received under the Guarantee prices sufficient 

 to recoup their expenses. 



The earnings of the Peterhead fleet, which may be taken as fairly 

 representative of Scottish boats, were for steam drifters from £782 to 

 £2850, averaging £1400 ; and for motor boats from £700 to £1200, 

 averaging £850. Working expenses were heavier than anticipated, 

 the averages for drifters and motor boats being £850 and £350 

 respectively, but this is accounted for by the heavy cost of coal, 

 which, as the result of the strike, was in many instances as high as 

 £5 per ton. 



The following statement shows the number of Scottish fishing 

 boats employed, and the quantity and value of herrings landed by 

 them at the English and Irish fishings, for the whole year. 



