of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



xxix 



ratio of about 2 : 5. Trawlers contributed 868,347 cwts. to the 

 catch (or nearly 81 per cent, of the total), and of this quantity 

 nearly 70 per cent, was referable to Aberdeen district, and most of 

 the remainder to Leith. These two districts are naturally also 

 credited with the increase in the trawled catch, amounting to 

 over 13 per cent, as compared with 1905. As regards the line 

 catch, the principal contributors, in order, were Montrose and 

 Aberdeen, followed by the districts on the south shore of the Moray 

 Firth, and, generally speaking, these were also the districts which 

 accounted for the bulk of the increase in the line catch, although 

 a fair improvement was also exhibited in the Stornoway returns. 

 The increased landings were accounted for by the fact that 

 haddocks were more plentiful than usual on the customary fishing 

 grounds. 



The total value of the haddocks landed amounted to £521,914, Decline in 

 as compared with £528,950 in 1905, so that the increase in the ^wied Catch 

 landings did not prove of any corresponding benefit to the fisher- but increase 

 men. In this connection, however, it is worthy of note that the ^M^tch. 

 loss fell entirely upon the trawlers, whose increased catch (by over 

 100,000 cwts.) realised nearly £24,000 less than in the preceding 

 year; the line catch, on the other hand, brought nearly £17,000 

 more than in 1905. The decline in the value of trawled haddocks 

 is more than accounted for by the Aberdeen returns, and may be 

 explained by the facts that the very warm weather during the 

 summer months and the landing of large quantities of small 

 Icelandic haddocks during the same period reduced prices to an 

 exceptionally low level, considerable quantities, indeed, having to 

 be sold as manure. The increase in the value of the line catch 

 was largely attributable to the East Coast, nearly all the districts 

 participating in the improvement, though Montrose, Anstruther, 

 Findhorn, and Leith were credited with the greatest proportions. 



God. 



The total catch of cod in 1906 was 720,271 cwts., valued at 

 £322,113, these figures showing increases of 6 per cent, and 8 per 

 cent, respectively on the 1.905 returns. Of the gross landings and 

 value, trawled cod accounted for 68 per cent, and 66 per cent, 

 respectively, these proportions being somewhat greater than in the 

 preceding year. Aberdeen with more than three-quarters and 

 Leith with over one-seventh of the trawled catch were the most 

 important contributors, while as regards the line returns the East 

 Coast accounted for about seven-elevenths of the total catch 

 (Aberdeen and Wick being the outstanding districts), Orkney and 

 Shetland for about one-fifth, and the West Coast for the remainder. 



It is regrettable that, although there was an increase in the gross 

 catch and value of cod, this improvement was not shared in by the 

 line fishermen. On the contrary, the landings of the latter showed 

 a decrease of nearly 21,000 cwts', while the value was nearly £2000 

 less as compared with 1905. It may be pointed out, however, 

 that the decline in the catch was confined wholly to the East 

 Coast (the other sections showing increases), and was, to no small 



