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Appendices to Thirty-ninth Annual Report 



were made at Lerwick for the summer herring fishing. Practically all 

 the available curing stations were well stocked with barrels and salt, and 

 the shore workers were well up to pre-war strength. Stations were 

 opened also at Hoswick, Levenwick, Whalsay and Scalloway. Fishing 

 was commenced at Lerwick and Scalloway early in June, but the fisher- 

 men at these places were induced by fishermen on the East Coast of 

 Scotland to cease operations until the Government decision as regards 

 a guarantee was announced. When operations were resumed at the 

 end of June a well equipped fleet of 350 boats had assembled at the 

 port of Lerwick, 



While fishermen stood idly by in June they did not allow the 

 possibility of a scarcity of herrings in July to enter into their calcula- 

 tions. Hopeswerehigh,asthe minimum price fixed under the Government 

 Scheme admitted of the season's earnings being on a substantial scale. 

 The fleet set to work on the usually prolific grounds south-east of Bard 

 Head, but they found that the grounds were infested with dog-fish. 

 These remained off the coast during the whole season. After a pro- 

 longed trial with meagre results, a number of steam drifters left for 

 stations on the Scottish coast, and others went prospecting on the 

 northern grounds off Balta and Fetlar. A dense shoal was located in 

 these waters, but unfortunately the shoal though dense was not dis 

 tributed over a wide area. 



Many very heavy takes were secured, but it often happened that 

 while certain boats netted up to and over 200 crans others in the vicinity 

 got little or nothing. A considerable part of the season's catch came 

 from these northern waters. Good catches were also secured occasion- 

 ally in the waters round Fair Isle. The crews of local sailing boats 

 fished persistently on the near grounds off Bard Head, and, until the last 

 week of the season, when spents appeared there, earned little or nothing. 

 For the week during which the Guarantee expired many crews earned as 

 much as during all the preceding weeks of the season. The northern 

 grounds were too far distant from Lerwick for sailing boats to work 

 there, xllthough the summer catch of 1920 realised £30,000 more than 

 the 1919 catch, the earnings in 1920 had to be divided among a much 

 larger fleet. 



In view of the meagre landings competition on the part of the curers 

 was keen. Prices centred round 55s. per cran for a considerable time. 

 About the end of July curers adopted a rationing scheme at 50s. per 

 cran for good quality, 47s. 6d. for mixed, and 45s. for spents. This 

 arrangement worked without a hitch and was adhered to till the close of 

 the season. 



The best fished local steam-drifter grossed £2200. That amount was 

 considerably in excess of the earnings of any other local boat. English 

 and Moray Firth drifters fishing at Lerwick during the whole season 

 grossed generally from £750 to £2500. Motor boats had from £400 to 

 £1100. and sailing boats from £150 to £700. One sail boat earned 

 only £20. 



A considerable part of the catch consisted of large empty herrings, 

 or herrings with milt and roe partially developed. A small proportion 

 only were full of milt and roe. The herrings were not so rich in fat as 

 Shetland herrings often are, but it must be remembered that the June 

 shoals, which are usually the richest, were lost. 



Generally speaking the majority of the fishermen did little more 

 than clear expenses. Many steam, motor and sailing boat3 incurred a 

 loss on the season's work. If the shoals had been uniformly distributed 

 over the areas usually fished fishermen could not have failed to have a 

 profitable season. The shoals were unusually sporadic, and fishermen 



