of the Fisher ij Board for Scotland. 



liii 



fishing for herrings with drift, seine, or trammel nets, or for white 

 fish with small or hand lines, &c. ; and 81 were steam vessels, 

 of the total value of £488,620, intended for prosecuting white-fish 

 fishing by means of otter trawl nets. 



The extent of the output of the first denomination of vessels — steam. Drifters 

 which exceeded that of 1905, both as regards number and aggre- and Lmers « 

 gate value, in the ratio of seven to one — reflects the growing 

 conviction of the community that steam-driven vessels possess 

 distinct advantages over sailing boats in the prosecution of herring 

 fishing by means of drift nets. Twenty-six of the vessels, of the 

 average value of £2600, were launched from the building yards 

 of Buckie district, and nine, of the mean value of £3000, from those 

 of Aberdeen, while the remainder were built in the districts of 

 Anstruther, Banff, Peterhead, and Findhorn, their average values 

 ranging from £2,500 (the mean cost of the Banff and Peterhead 

 vessels) to £2300 (that of the vessels constructed in Findhorn 

 district). 



Now that there are being built, more especially to the order of 

 fishermen, so many steam vessels intended for employment in fishing 

 for herrings by means of drift nets, the following description of one 

 which was launched last February may not be uninteresting : — 



The vessel is 87 feet in length, 18 feet 6 inches in breadth, and ^JJ^ 1 ™ 1 



9 feet 10 inches in depth; and, when light, she draws 10 feet of Description, 

 water — compared with 8 feet 6 inches in the case of sailing boats, 



under similar conditions — but with a heavy catch of fish on board 

 her draught is increased by 1 foot. 



From the deck of the vessel rise two pole masts, from each of 

 which a small sail can be stretched, and the foremast is fitted in 

 such a way as to be capable of being lowered when the vessel is 

 steaming against a head wind or when drift-net fishing is engaged in. 



The cabin is provided with sleeping accommodation for nine 

 men and other arrangements for the comfort of the crew which 

 compare favourably with those obtaining on board sailing drifters 

 of even the most modern type. The forecastle is fitted up with 

 spare lockers, lamp- room, w.c, &c. 



For the greater security of the crew, the vessel is divided into 

 water-tight compartments. 



The vessel is also provided with acetylene gas for lighting- 

 purposes. 



The engine of the drifter is of the compound surface condensing 

 marine type, with an 18-inch stroke, and two cylinders of 13 and 

 18 inches diameter respectively, developing 240 h.p. and giving a 

 speed of 11 knots per hour. The marine boiler provided is of 

 mild steel, and is 9 feet in length, with a mean diameter of 



10 feet. It has a pressure of 120 lbs, per square inch. 



The vessel cost £3300 and its fishing equipment £757, making 

 together £4057, an increase of £2942 on the cost of a sailing 

 drifter of modern type and fishing gear, which may be assessed 

 at £1115. 



The year's output of sailing boats was short of the return for sailing Boats. 

 1905 by 4 per cent., but there was an increase of 11 per cent, 

 in value. 



