of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



xiii 



MEANS OF CAPTURE. 



Daring the year under review there were employed in the cap- Boats and 

 ture of sea fish round the Scottish coasts 10,554 hoats and vessels, (Appendix A 

 of the gross tonnage of 142,081 tons, and the aggregate value of No. I., 

 £3,154,027 ; fishing gear of the total value of £963,522, and 38,856 fSLfcLr. 

 fishermen and boys, these figures showing, in comparison with those Fishermen and 

 of 1905, a reduction of 27 in the number of boats and vessels, Eoys ' 

 increases of 5,696 tons in their tonnage, and £715,116 in their 

 value, an excess in the value of fishing gear to the extent of 

 £97,738, and 2698 more fishermen and boys. 



Of the total number of boats and vessels engaged in the prose- Allocation : 

 cution of the industry, 9669, or 92 per cent., consisted of sailing y°^ ,ld 

 boats employed for the greater part in the capture of herrings by Number, 

 means of drift, seine, and trammel nets, and of white fish with 

 hooks and lines ; *545, or 5 per cent., were steam vessels used — 

 except in the case of several mussel dredgers — in herring drift-net 

 and long-line fishing ; and 340, or 3 per cent., were steam and 

 sailing beam and otter trawlers. 



Of the gross tonnage, 13 4,772 tons, or 81 per cent., was absorbed Tonnage, 

 by the sailing boats ; the steam drifters and liners accounted for 

 14,506 tons, or 10 per cent.; and the trawl vessels represented 

 12,803 tons, or 9 per cent. 



Of the combined capital, amounting to £4,117,549, represented Value ^inciud- 

 by the boats and vessels and fishing gear, £1,653,397, or 40 per j^^ ishing 

 cent., was invested in sailing boats, nets — consisting of drift, seine, 

 and other forms, lines — comprising great, small, and hand, bush 

 and buoy ropes and stoppers, and crab and lobster creels ; 

 £1,340,938, or 33 per cent., was invested in steam herring drifters 

 and long liners, and nets, lines, and bush and buoy ropes ; and 

 £1,123,214, or 27 per cent., in steam and sailing beam and otter 

 trawlers, and their fishing accessories. 



30,870, or 79 per cent., of the fishermen and boys were employed Fishermen 

 on board the first group of boats and vessels ; 5030, or 13 per cent., and Boys - 

 on the second ; and 2956, or 8 per cent., on the third, 



I. Fishing Boats and Vessels (other than Beam or Ottei; 

 Trawlers) Propelled by Sails or Oars. 



Except in so far as regards the value of seine nets and the num- Sailing Boats, 

 ber and value of crab and lobster creels, the statistics relating to Dowmvard 

 sailing boats show, in comparison with those of 1905, a uniform 

 series of downward movements. 



* In view of the increasing number of English steam vessels engaged in drift-net fish- 

 ing off the coasts of Scotland and the extent to which their takes contribute to the 

 Scottish returns of herrings landed, it has been deemed advisable in future to include 

 statistics of these in the relative Appendix to the Board's Annual Report, where they 

 will accordingly be found on this occasion for the first time. This fact explains how 

 there has been returned for 1906, and referred to herein, a much larger number of steam 

 drifters and long liners than is accounted for by the year's addition of 65 vessels to the 

 Scottish fleet, 



