254 



Appendices to Twenty-fifth Annual Report 



Cod Fishing. 



English Her- 

 ring Fishing. 



Irish 



Herring 



Fishing. 



Mackerel 

 Fishing by 

 District Crews 

 fit Milford- 

 haven. 



Barrel-making. 



Loss of Life. 



Fishery 

 Barometers. 



able change was attributed was the exclusion of trawlers from the Moray 

 Firth after July of the current year. From the time that trawlers ceased 

 to operate in the Firth the catches of the line fishermen gradually 

 improved, and by October and November such catches were being 

 secured, when favourable weather prevailed, as had not been got for a 

 considerable number of years. 



There was little cod fishing done in the Moray Firth by line fishermen 

 as that species of fish was very scarce. Fishermen, however, are hopeful 

 that the fishing may improve if trawling is prohibited in the Firth. 



A fleet of one hundred and twenty-three sailing boats and nineteen 

 steam drifters — the greatest that ever left this district — proceeded to the 

 English coast to prosecute the herring fishing. A most successful season 

 was experienced by the crews of the steam craft, the earnings of those 

 who were at work for the whole season ranging from .£1000 to .£1440. 

 Some crews, however, sustained heavy losses of netting. The weather 

 conditions during three weeks of the season were very unfavourable for 

 the sailing craft, and consequently to them the season was not generally 

 a successful one. They had gross earnings of from £80 to .£720. The 

 high prices that were paid for fresh fish was the leading feature of the 

 season, and to that the high earnings of drifters is to be attributed. It is esti- 

 mated that the gross earnings of the nineteen steamers were £20,490, 

 while one hundred and twenty-three sailers had £31,620. 



Only a small number of boats from the district went to the Irish coast 

 in order to engage in the herring fishing. They arrived in the early part 

 of the season, when little was being done, and as they were discouraged 

 by their indifferent success, they did not continue operations for any 

 length of time. One crew that remained longer than the others ulti- 

 mately met with fair success, earning £250. 



Early in the year four Lossiemouth crews proceeded to Milfordhaven 

 for the purpose of prosecuting the mackerel fishing, but unfortunately the 

 venture was not a successful one. More satisfactory results were obtained 

 in previous years. 



An increased number of barrels was made in the district. A large 

 portion of the quantity manufactured was shipped off to various stations 

 in Shetland, while a considerable number was dispatched to the English 

 centres. 



In the course of the year two men lost their lives at sea by falling 

 overboard, while two were drowned in harbours while boarding their boats 

 at night. 



There are two fishery barometers in the district, both of which are in 

 good working condition, and continue to serve the purpose for which they 

 were intended. 



Lossiemouth, 3rd January 1907 



James Ritchie, 



Fishery Officer 



Cromarty District. 



General The fishermen of the district were fairly prosperous in 1906. The 



Remarks. \oca\ fisheries, conducted chiefly by means of small-lines, produced better 

 results than in the preceding year. The value recorded for fish landed 

 at the district creeks represents, however, only about one-third of the 

 fishermen's total earnings. 



