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Appendices to Thirty-ninth Annual Report 



Kilbrannan Sound. The best results were obtained in August. The 

 quality was not so good as last year, and the fish were smaller than usual 

 in this district. An average price of 28s. 4d. per cran was realised as 

 compared with 33s. lid. per cran last year. 



A number of motor line boats from Aberdeen and Montrose districts 

 were engaged in great-line fishing from Campbeltown during the spring 

 months, and landed some fine catches of cod, skate and eels. This 

 fishing was interrupted by the bad weather experienced during these 

 months, and the crews were handicapped by the shortage of herring 

 bait. When bait was available the demand for the white fish taken 

 was, on several occasions, poor owing to heavy landings at the trawling 

 ports on the East Coast. The landings at Granton especially had an 

 adverse effect on the prices ruling on the Glasgow market, to which the 

 bulk of the great-line fish was sent. The landings of the stranger crews 

 caused a number of the local fishermen to pay more attention to great- 

 line fishing than they had done for a number of years, and during the 

 season, while herring fishing was slack, about 6 pairs of the local skiffs 

 carried great-lines and landed fair catches, chiefly of cod, skate and 

 eels; but on the whole, despite the good landings, the great-line fishing 

 was not a success from trie fisherman's point of view, and some of the 

 stranger crews did not earn enough to pay expenses, especially those 

 who arrived late in the season. 



Small-line fishing was engaged in with more success than for a 

 number of years at Campbeltown and the creeks in Lochindaal, Islay. 

 At Campbeltown the catch consisted chiefly of whitings and haddocks, 

 which met with a ready sale locally at prices bordering on the old 

 control figures. 



The returns from Gigha show a big increase in the quantity of cod 

 landed. About three-fifths of the total landings were cured dried by 

 the crews, and carried to ports on the Ayrshire coast and the Clyde for 

 sale. The prices realised ranged from £3 to £4 per cwt., averaging 

 about £3, 10s. 



The returns of the shell fisheries show an increase in the number of 

 lobsters landed, but a decrease in the values. The average value of the 

 lobsters landed was- Is. 8d. as against Is. lljd. for the previous year. 



There was a marked decline in the landings of lobsters at Port Ellen, 

 and a slight decrease at Jura and Colonsay; but increased landings on 

 the west Kintyre coast at Gigha and at the other Islay creeks more than 

 balanced the shortage at the creeks first mentioned. 



No new boats were built in this district during the past year, and 

 carpenter work was confined to minor repairs and slight alterations in 

 the fleet. 



Owing to the poor demand for nets from the local fleets, and the 

 absolute cessation of demand from the East Coast, the local net factory, 

 after having worked for a number of weeks on short time, has had to 

 close down for an indefinite period. 



There was no loss of boats apart from the wreck of the motor boat 

 already referred to, and the damage to boats was not abnormal. The 

 loss of creels was the chief item of expense in the outlying creeks, and 

 damage to gear in the Firth of Clyde was confined to the destruction of 

 some seine nets in dealing with the heavy shoals in Loch Fyne. 



No life was lost in connection with the fisheries of the district during 

 the year. 



Geo. M'Gee, 

 Fishery Officer. 



Fishery Office, 

 Campbeltown, 20th January 1921. 



