of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



xxvii 



An examination of these figures shows at once the revolution which 

 has occurred. In 1902 the East Coast contributed less than 

 10 per cent, of the total catch; in 1903 the proportion rose to 

 nearly 20 per cent., and in 1904 to over 30 percent.; and, although 

 there was a slight recession in the proportion for 1905, in 1906 it 

 rose to over 50 per cent. In explanation of the change thus 

 exhibited, it may be stated that it has been clue mainly to the 

 comparative failure of the West Coast fishing, especially in June, 

 which has induced the East Coast fishermen to return earlier than 

 usual, and in the year 1906 there was added to this cause the 

 failure of the fishing on the west side of Shetland. The total value 

 of the early summer catch was £314,709, or little short of 50 per 

 cent, in advance of the figures for 1905, which corresponded almost 

 exactly with the relative increase in the catch. The East Coast con- 

 tributed almost 43 per cent, of the value, the West Coast over 25 per Distribution 

 cent., and Orkney and Shetland 32 per cent. As the corresponding y a ^ ch and 

 percentages of the catch were 51, 15, and 34, it will be seen that 

 the West Coast herrings produced the highest prices, this being 

 accounted for by the great esteem in which the herrings landed at 

 Barra (amounting to over 70 per cent, of the West Coast catch) are 

 held in the Russian markets. 



Winter Herring Fishing. 



The winter herring fishing, which is pursued almost wholly on Decrease in 

 the East Coast and the West Coast, was, in so far as quantity is increased 

 concerned, not so successful as in the preceding year, the total Value, 

 landings being 353,959 cwts. as against 478,988 cwts. The shortage 

 thus exhibited was roughly divisible between the two sections 

 referred to in the ratio of 5 to 8. On the East Coast it was mainly 

 due to the comparative failure of the Firth of Forth fishing owing 

 to scarcity of herrings on the usual grounds in the earlier portion 

 of the season ; while, on the West Coast, the falling-off was very 

 largely attributable to the iact that the quite exceptional fishing in 

 Loch Broom in 1905 (yielding over 66,000 cwts.) was not repeated 

 in 1906, when only 90 cwts. were landed. If, however, the decline 

 in the winter catch in 1906 was cause for regret to some of those 

 engaged in the industry, the fishermen as a whole could not com- 

 plain, for the reduced catch realised £116,553, or £12,616 more 

 than in the preceding year. Most of this increase went, appro- 

 priately enough, to Anstruther fishermen, in which district (if we 

 exclude the exceptional case of Loch Broom) the falling -off in the 

 catch was greatest, and was due to the keener competition pro- 

 bably induced by the shortage in the catch. 



(b) SPRATS, SPARLINGS, AND MACKEREL. 



Sprat fishing was, as usual, confined to the Firths of Forth and Sprats. 

 Tay and the Inverness and Beauly Firths. The total catch 

 amounted to only 5532 cwts., or less than half the catch in the 

 preceding year. This was referable almost wholly to the complete 



