of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



Ivii 



verdict of "not guilty" or "not proven" is given, the gear is 

 returned to the owners of the trawler. Last year the net amount 

 realised for forfeited gear was £153 19s. That sum does not 

 represent the total realised for such gear, however, as the expense 

 of seizure, storage, &c, has to be deducted from the accepted price 

 in many cases, and where purchasers agree to pay that expense 

 they doubtless take such into account in estimating as to their 

 offer. As has been pointed out in previous reports, in cases of 

 detections made by others than the Board's cruisers or naval 

 vessels, it is generally impracticable to seize the gear. 



For some years the Moray Firth was the area of operations of 

 the greatest number of offending trawl masters, but while nine 

 were prosecuted last year for encroaching on that area — a con- 

 siderably less number than in 1905 — fourteen were prosecuted for 

 trawling in the closed waters off Shetland and six for working in 

 those off the Fife coast. Four of the offenders were detected 

 in Lewis waters, one off the coast of Sutherlandshire, one near 

 Stonehaven, one in the vicinity of Barra, one off Skye, and one 

 near the island of Cara, Argyllshire. 



Of the 38 masters prosecuted last year, nine of them were in 

 charge of foreign vessels when detected, and these vessels were all 

 fishing in the Moray Firth and flying the Norwegian flag. Convic- 

 tions resulted in every case. This number is much below that for 

 1905, when 24 "foreigners" were proceeded against for illegal 

 fishing. 



Appendix L, No II., is a summary of details of prosecutions for 

 illegal trawling undertaken from 1886 to 1906. 



During last year a prosecution was instituted for a breach of 

 the Lighting Eegulations which resulted in the accused being 

 fined £5, with the alternative of 30 days' imprisonment, an alterna- 

 tive which was chosen. There were also two cases of prosecutions 

 for breaches of the Eegulations for Eegistration of Sea Fishing- 

 Boats, when the accused were each fined £20, but they both chose 

 imprisonment. (See Appendix L, No. IV., for details of these three 

 cases.) 



INJUEIES SUSTAINED BY THE BOATS OE GEAE 

 OF FISHEEMEN. 



The highest number of cases of injuries sustained by the 

 boats or gear of fishermen dealt with by the Board's officers, 

 since the passing of the Sea Fisheries (Scotland) Amendment 

 Act, 1885, providing for their doing so, was that for 1888, 

 when 128 complaints were inquired into. The number has 

 gradually fallen year by year, with one or two exceptions, until for 

 last year it stood at the remarkably low figure of 27. 



Of these cases there were nine of loss of or damage to lines, and 

 a similar number affecting nets, the remainder being complaints of 

 damaged gear or collisions. 



For some years trawlers have been the chief offenders in connec- 

 tion with this class of offence. In 1906, however, fishing boats 

 occupied the first place, there having been ten of such laid to their 



