100 



Appendices to Thirty -ninth Annual Report 



that the outstanding feature is the great reduction in the number of 

 1st class sail boats and the increase in the number of motor boats. 





Fishing Vessels belonging to Buckie District. 





Year. 





Motor. 



Sail. 



Total 

 Boats 





Steam. 



1st 

 Class. 



2nd 



Class. 



3rd 

 Class. 



1st 

 Class. 



2nd 

 Class. 



3rd 

 Class. 



No.. 



: 



1914 



298 









243 



102 



51 



694 



1920 



287 



119 



9 



2 



26 



71 



77 



591 



Total decrease from 1914 . 



103 



Notwithstanding the great number of local steam drifters which 

 have been sunk while on service, it is gratifying to know that the 

 number of steam drifters at present belonging to the district is not much 

 Jess than in 1914. This is caused by the replacement of the drifters 

 lost on service by Admiralty drifters in either of the two ways open to 

 ex-service fishermen, viz.: — purchasing for .cash, or purchasing by de- 

 ferred payments under the scheme worked through the Board. The 

 latter method was that more generally adopted. 



When the usual time for participating in the summer herring fishing 

 drew near, the outlook for the industry was anything but bright, and 

 had not the Government been induced to grant another guarantee there 

 is no doubt that for the year at least the herring fishing industry would 

 have collapsed. 



Thanks to the financial assistance from the Government the industry 

 was carried on, and in consequence the general results of the district 

 fisheries have turned out better than was at one time expected. 



During the year under review, the total quantity of fish landed in 

 the district was 141,421 cwts. valued at £129,950, showing an improve- 

 ment over the results for 1919 of 22,144 cwts. in quantity and £8765 in 

 value. Herrings were chiefly responsible for this improvement, showing 

 increases of 18,650 cwts. and £25,523. On the other hand, although the 

 quantity of cod was 1609 cwts. more than in 1919, the value was less 

 by £18,674. 



The majority of the district fishermen, however, devote their attention 

 throughout the greater part of the year chiefly to herring fishing from 

 other fishing centres, and for that reason the above figures do not give 

 a true indication of their earnings. 



It is estimated that the gross earnings of the fishermen who followed 

 the herring fishing throughout the year amounted to about £1,000,000, 

 but, owing to the heavy working expenses of steam and motor drifters, 

 the aggregate net-earnings would not amount to much more than half 

 that sum. Although the above earnings look considerable when taken 

 collectively, it will be seen that when divided among 3500 fishermen the 

 average earnings per man for labour and nets is only about £4 

 per week. 



During January and February the majority of the drifters which 

 were reconditioned participated in the winter herring fishing on the 

 West Coast. As a rule they landed their herrings at Slallaig, Kyle-of- 

 Lochalsh, Stornoway and Wick, but occasionally they steamed to Buckie, 

 where good prices were usually obtained. The total quantity of herrings 

 landed at Buckie during the opening months of the year amounted to 



