Ivi Part I. — Twenty-fifth Annual Report. 



During the year the cruisers alone detected in all 33 vessels 

 engaged in illegal trawling, and over 700 fishing craft were detained 

 or cautioned for defective marking and lighting. In the prosecu- 

 tions for illegal trawling a conviction was obtained against the 

 offenders in every case, with the exception of two in which verdicts 

 of " not proven " were given. Of these offending vessels eight were 

 under the Norwegian flag and the remainder were British. A con- 

 siderable amount of work was entailed in connection with the steps 

 taken against foreign trawlers in the Moray Firth. 



During the year the cruisers steamed 66,211 knots in their com- 

 bined patrol duties, and 3100 tons of coal were consumed. 



No accidents of any kind have to be reported, a fact which 

 reflects credit on the commanders, officers, and engineers in the 

 service, as risk of accident is necessarily incurred in handling the 

 cruisers in close proximity to fishing vessels and navigating inshore 

 in all sorts of weather. 



PROSECUTIONS FOE ILLEGAL TRAWLING. &c. 



Appendix L, No. II., contains particulars of the prosecutions of 

 masters of trawling vessels for illegal fishing during 1906. There 

 were 38 of such, being the same number as that for 1905, which 

 year established a record. Since 1886, when prosecutions for 

 illegal trawling were first undertaken, down to 31st December last, 

 439 prosecutions were instituted by the criminal authorities for 

 this class of offence, the yearly average number for the same period 

 being about 21. 



The number of convictions obtained last year — 35, or one more 

 than that for 1905 — constitutes a record, the remaining three cases 

 resulting in a verdict of " not proven." The extreme penalty of 

 £100 allowed by the Statute was inflicted in six instances, and the 

 fines ranged from £20 up to that maximum. The total amount of 

 fines imposed during the year was £2280, or £365 below that for 

 1905, but this reduction is accounted for chiefly by the fact 

 that the full penalty was inflicted during the latter year in 

 16 instances, compared with six in 1906. The average amount of 

 the fines for last year — £60 — is, of course, also lower. Of the fines 

 imposed, £1376 13s. 4d. was paid, being £99 below the total for 

 1905. Since prosecutions were first instituted in 1886 up to the 

 close of the year under review the total amount of penalties 

 imposed has been £16,621 5s., and of that, £9793 6s. 8d. has been 

 paid. The alternative of imprisonment given last year ranged 

 from 15 to 60 days, and 13 of the accused chose that form of 

 punishment. 



When a trawler is captured by a fishery cruiser or an 

 Admiralty vessel fishing in territorial waters the trawler is 

 ordered to the nearest convenient port, when the fishing gear 

 in use at the time of capture is removed from the offending 

 vessel and stored, pending the result of the trial of the master 

 thereof. If the trial results in a verdict of guilty, then the 

 gear is sold and the net proceeds lodged in Exchequer. If a 



