250 Appendices to Tiventy -fifth Annual Report 



English Her- The English herring fishing is becoming increasingly important as 

 ring Fishing. an outlet for the energy of Scottish fishermen. Fourteen steam 

 drifters and ninety-five sailers belonging to the district were engaged in 

 it. The weather conditions frequently prevented the sail vessels from 

 getting to sea, and consequently they did not do so well as last year. 

 Their gross earnings ranged from =£230 to £450. The steam drifters, 

 under the same weather conditions, demonstrated their superiority over 

 the others, being able to go to sea with comparatively little interruption. 

 They all did well, their earnings, which ran from £750 to £1160, being 

 very similar to those of the previous year. 

 Iiish Herring Three steam drifters aud forty-two sail boats went to Ireland, or double 

 Fishing. ^ e numDer that went in 1905. Their catches generally were small, but 

 the exceptionally high prices obtained — 50s. to 90s. per cran — made their 

 earnings fairly good. The steamers grossed from £300 to £500, and 

 sailers from £100 to £200, one or two of the latter reaching £300 to 

 £400. 



Crah Fishing. Crab fishing returns show a considerable increase, the quantity and 

 value being nearly twice as great as in the previous year. This is 

 accounted for by the fact that there was no loss of creels, as was the case 

 last year at the most important part of the season. 



Boatbuilding. Boatbuilders were fairly busy during the year, building four steam 

 drifters and fifteen sailing craft. Their chief occupation will now be the 

 construction of steam drifters, as the success of this type of vessel during 

 the last two years has led to a number of orders being booked. Were it 

 not for the difficulty of disposing of the sail boats the orders would be 

 much more numerous. 



Casualties. In the end of October a distressing accident occurred in connection 

 with the English fishing. The boat "Norseman," belonging to Macduff, 

 while making for the harbour at Lowestoft, was run down by a passing 

 steamer'and all her crew of eight men drowned. Five of these belonged 

 to Macduff, three of them being brothers and one a brother-in-law, and 

 much sympathy was felt for the aged parents, who lost all their sons at one 

 sweep, and for the widows and orphans so suddenly bereaved. With the 

 exception of this catastrophe, there was no loss of life in connection with 

 the fisheries, and the damage to boats and gear was comparatively 

 trifling. 



James Farqtjharson, 

 Macduff, 5th January 1907. Fishery Officer. 



Buckie District. 



General The result of the fisheries prosecuted in this district during the year 



Remarks. \$QQ W as moderately successful, showing an increase both in the quantity 

 and value of fish landed when compared with the returns for the pre- 

 ceding year. The increase is mainly due to the success of the early 

 herring fishing. The majority of the fishermen belonging to the district 

 devote their attention principally to the herring fishing at other stations as 

 the seasons come round, and to them the year has been one of exceptional 

 prosperity, especially to those possessing steam drifters, a number of whom 

 earned from £3000 to £3800 for their year's work. It is estimated that 

 earnings amounting to fully £400,000 have been brought home to the 

 district from the various herring fishings engaged in. The success of the 

 year's operations is attributed more to the high prices obtained for the 

 herrings than to the hoavy individual catches of fish captured, and the 

 season throughout has been purely a fishermen's one. 



