xxviii 



Part I. — Ttventy -fifth Annual Report 



Sparling. 



Mackerel. 



failure of the fishing in the Firth of Tay and the partial failure 

 in the Inverness and Beauly Firths, and was due to the scarcity of 

 the fish on the usual grounds. The total value amounted to £1994, 

 or 30 per cent, less than in the preceding year, so that the decline 

 in value was not so great as in the case of the catch — a fact 

 largely attributable to the competition of foreign curers at Inver- 

 ness. 



Sparling fishing is confined mainly to the Firths of Forth and 

 Tay. The total catch in 1906 was 271 cwts., valued at £539, as 

 compared with 577 cwts. and £951 in 1905. 



Mackerel fishing as a distinct industry is prosecuted only in 

 certain districts on the West Coast, the fish landed elsewhere in 

 Scotland being obtained incidentally in herring nets. The total 

 catch in 1906, was 30,569 cwts., valued at £9482, as compared with 

 19,741 cwts. and £5550. Practically the whole of the increase 

 in the catch was referable to the West Coast (especially to Loch 

 Carron and Skye and Stornoway districts), and there seems little 

 doubt that a mackerel fishery is being surely, if slowly, established 

 on the West Coast. Particulars of the attempts being made to 

 develop the fishery will be found in Appendix P, p. 285, and in 

 the corresponding Appendix P. in the Report for 1905 (p. 234). 



III. Fish Taken by Lines and Trawls. 

 (a) ROUND FISH. 



Comparison 

 of Results 

 with 1905. 



Continued 

 Decline of 

 Line Fishing. 



The grand total quantity of round fish landed in 1906 was 

 2,284,368 cwts., valued at £1,004,824, the quantity being nearly 

 102,000 cwts. in excess of the preceding year's total, but the value 

 practically the same. Both quantity and value are the highest on 

 record for this class of fish. L T nfortunately, however, the line 

 fishing continues to show a decline, the catch being less than half 

 of what it was ten years ago. In the year under review it was, 

 however, some solatium to the line fishermen that their reduced 

 catch realised over £7000 more than in 1905. Of the total catch 

 the East Coast contributed 90 per cent., Aberdeen with 67 per 

 cent, thereof holding a preponderating position, while the 

 remainder was divided between Orkney and Shetland and the West 

 Coast in the ratio of about 6 to 5. As regards value, the East Coast 

 accounted for 91 per cent., Orkney and Shetland for 4 per cent., 

 and the West Coast for the remainder. From the point of view of 

 methods of capture, trawling was credited with 74 per cent, of the 

 catch and 72 per cent, of the value, as compared with 72 per 

 cent, and 73 per cent, respectively in 1905. 



Haddocks. 



Record Catch 

 — attributable 

 to Trawlers. 



Of round fish, haddocks are the most important contributors to 

 the food supply. The total catch in 1906 was 1,074,515 cwts., the 

 highest ever recorded, and equal to an increase on the preceding 

 year's total of over 15 per cent. ; and it is pleasing to note that the 

 increase was contributed to bv liners as well as trawlers — in the 



