10 



Thirty-ninth Annual Report 



drifters. As in the case of the latter, the operations of the medium 

 sized motor boats were less remunerative, and in this class also the 

 demand for motors greatly slackened. 



Of the 83 sail boats constructed 78 were under 18 feet keel for 

 use in handlining in Fraserburgh, Orkney, Shetland and Stornoway 

 districts. No large sailing boats have been built for many years, and 

 the decrease in the sailing fleet was due principally to the breaking- 

 up of obsolete craft. 



The total value of fishing vessels amounted to £9,381,239, making 

 with gear valued at £2,535,229 a total of £11,916,468, which figures 

 show a substantial increase on those of the previous year. The high- 

 water mark in the price of vessels, however, was passed, and towards 

 the end of the year the prices of trawlers fell about 25 per cent, as 

 compared with those of 1918 and 1919. The suitability of drifters 

 for great lining, the success attendant on that branch of the in- 

 dustry, and the operation of the Government herring guarantee tended 

 to maintain the value of these craft, in spite of the precarious outlook 

 in the herring industry, but the value of motor boats and of sail boats 

 of all classes fell considerably. The value of the gear of motor 

 ' boats, a considerable number of which were laid up, was slightly 

 less. 



During the year 80 boats valued at £92,245 were totally wrecked 

 or otherwise lost, and in addition 740 vessels sustained damages 

 estimated at £54,975, making the total loss on boats £147,220 as 

 compared with £39,789 for the previous year. An outstanding 

 feature was the large number of motor boats lost by fire, and the 

 Board drew the attention of owners and skippers to a notice issued 

 by the Board of Trade as to the precautions to be taken against fire 

 on these vessels. The loss on nets and other fishing material lost or 

 damaged was £281,803, an increase of £165,161 over the previous 

 year, most of which was sustained during the winter herring fishing. 

 The foregoing figures do not include losses sustained by Scottish 

 vessels at the English and Irish fishings. At the East Anglian 

 fishing these were very considerable in individual cases, although in 

 the aggregate lighter than usual. 



Particulars of the number of persons employed in fishing and in 

 the various other branches of the Scottish fishing industry are given 

 in the Table F., No. 1 (p. 140). The number of fishermen was 36,319, 

 being a decrease of not quite 2000 as compared with the pre-war 

 total, but this shortage is largely accounted for by the reduction 

 in the number of English drifters visiting Shetland for the summer 

 herring fishing, the number of Scottish fishermen being 32,993, as 

 compared with 33,823 in 1913 (Tables A., No. 1 (p. 3) ? and A., 

 No. 2 (p. 16)). Of the total number of fishermen 10,400 were 

 engaged on steam drifters or liners, 8600 on motor boats, 3900 on 

 steam trawlers, and the balance of 13,400, including most of the 

 crofter and other part-time fishermen, on sailing boats. 



It is regretted that the loss of life among fishermen during the 

 year was much greater than in 1919, 40 as compared with 13. The 

 casualties occurred chiefly in taking harbours or by falling overboard. 



The total number of persons engaged in all branches of the in- 

 dustry, including fishing, shows a falling off of nearly 20,000, being 

 70,983 as against 90,710 in 1913. The decrease is largely confined 



