of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



Ill 



the season's catch would be heavy. Curers did their best to get their 

 statls of workers up to the full strength and to engage as many extra 

 women as could be got. By the end of the following week they were 

 fully prepared for heavy landings, which, however, were never made 

 during the remainder of the season. The fleet increased until it con- 

 sisted of 275 vessels, mostly steam-drifters, and fishing operations were 

 regularly carried on within a wide area, but every week a light fishing 

 had to be recorded. The total quantity of herrings landed at Wick 

 coming under the Guarantee amounted to only 82,308 crans, or nearly 

 10,000 crans short of the quantity landed during the corresponding 

 period in the year 1919, when the fleet of boats and the number of shore 

 workers were little more than half the numbers employed in the year 

 1920. For the light supplies the demand was keen, and prices, except 

 for the first two days, always exceeded the minimum of 45s. per cran 

 which the scheme allowed. The average price was 49s. 5^d. per cran, 

 and the total value of herrings landed coming within the scheme 

 amounted to £203,586. 



A large number of the stranger boats did not confine their operations 

 to Wick fishing areas, but landed many of their catches at other ports, 

 Fraserburgh, Buckie, Lerwick and Stornoway. It was thought, however, 

 that those of them which remained with the Wick fleet obtained the 

 best results. The gross earnings of the local craft, viz. : — 19 steam 

 drifters, 32 motor and 3 sail boats, varied greatly, but on the whole, 

 considering the season, they did well : — 



Steam drifters from £915 to £2132, average £1165. 

 Motor boats „ £650 to £2091 „ £936. 

 Sail boats „ £375 to £500 £400. 



Of the total quantity landed under the Guarantee Scheme 88,339 

 barrels were cured gutted, 11,000 crans were kippered and 730 crans 

 were freshed. Kipperers had a good season, but with their high expenses 

 and low output curers who succeeded in realising any profits were in 

 the minority. Out of their total cure the fishcurers of Wick district 

 handed over 78,613J barrels to the Board under the Guarantee. 



The scheme proved a great blessing to the trade, and although 

 fishermen and curers expected more out of it than was obtained, the 

 short catch, seeing that cured herrings proved so difficult to dispose of, 

 was more in the interest of the industry than a heavy catch would have 

 been. So far as Wick district was concerned the machinery of the 

 Government Scheme worked with great smoothness. Of cured herrings 

 taken over by the Board 32,342-^ barrels remained on hand in Wick 

 district when the year closed. 



Twenty-nine local crews in 15 steam drifters and 14 motor boats 

 engaged in the East Anglian herring fishing. This fishing season was 

 of short duration, and it will be long remembered by the fishermen, 

 because of the fineness of the weather experienced during its progress. 

 The gross earnings of the motor boats were almost equal to those of the 

 steam drifters, the range being from £500 to £1535 and the average for 

 the 29 vessels £913. 



The average prices obtained by the line fishermen for the principal 

 kinds landed in Wick district were, cod 21s. 9d., haddock 19s. l|d., 

 halibut 90s. 6£d. and skate 17s. 10^d., all per cwt. ; as against cod 34s. 8d., 

 haddock 20s. 10Jd., halibut 109s. 8Jd. and skate 23s. 0£d. in the 

 year 1919. 



Lobsters and crabs were more plentiful than usual, and the returns 

 of these shell-fish show, as compared with those of the year 1919, a large 



