12 



Thirty-ninth Annual Report 



quantities of herrings landed in Scotland and the average price per 

 cwt. for each of the years 1900 to 1920. 



At the beginning of the year the outlook was far from bright. 

 The political and economic conditions prevailing in the Continental 

 countries, which normally constitute the chief markets for cured 

 herrings, combined with the depreciated exchanges, were such as to 

 render the possibility of private trading a difficult one, while high 

 working costs and heavy transport charges, as in all other branches 

 of fishing, militated greatly against the chances of satisfactory 

 earnings being made by the fishermen, even if good catches were 

 secured. Preparations were, however, made on a fairly extensive 

 scale at all the herring ports, and the catching power of the industry 

 was quite up to its pre-war level. Fishing operations during the 

 early months of the year proved productive, and as it was possible 

 to dispose of nearly all the catch on the home markets the financial 

 results were fairly satisfactory. The summer and autumn fishings 

 are, however, largely dependent on the export trade, and during the 

 past year could not have been conducted apart from Government 

 assistance. Although such assistance was given, the summer fishing 

 yielded so poor a result as to be practically a failure, and but for the 

 successful autumn fishing shared in by the Scottish fleet at East 

 Anglia the financial position of many of the fishermen would have 

 been precarious. 



Winter Fishing. 



Although very stormy weather prevailed, the winter herring 

 fishing was actively prosecuted, particularly off the north and north- 

 west of Scotland. The results in the Minch and the adjacent lochs 

 were nob so satisfactory as in previous years, the landings at 

 Stornoway especially being disappointing ; but the grounds on the 

 north coast proved exceptionally productive, individual catches 

 ranging up to 227 crans,* and so dense were the shoals that nets were 

 frequently sunk owing to the weight of fish. The bulk of the catch 

 from these grounds was landed at Wick and Scrabster, but owing to 

 the frequent congestion at these ports as a result of the heavy 

 fishing many of the larger drifters ran with their catches direct to 

 various East Coast ports, proceeding as far as Peterhead, and as may 

 be seen from the return of monthly landings given at page 18, the 

 quantities delivered in East Coast districts during January and 

 February were very considerable. 



The bulk of the catch was disposed of for kippering or despatch 

 to the markets in a fresh state, only a few barrels being cured, and 

 at first good prices were realised, but the continued heavy supplies, 

 added to, moreover, by consignments from Norway, soon had the 

 effect of glutting the southern markets, and prices rapidly fell. 

 This, with the loss of netting through stormy weather and weight 

 of fish, rendered operations unremunerative, and in view of the 

 dwindling margin between earnings and expenses, the majority of 

 the fleet ceased work before the end of February and returned to 

 their home ports. 



In the Firth of Forth the winter fishing was continued until the 



* Cran = about cwts. 



