of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



287 



APPENDIX Q. 



ENQUIRY INTO THE RELATIVE MERITS OF CUTCH AND 

 TANNIC ACID AS PRESERVATIVES OF HERRING 

 DRIFT NETS. 



East Green, 

 Anstruther, 1st December, 1906. 



Sir, 



As requested by your letter of 18th July last, 1 beg to submit 

 the following report on the two nets — one barked by cutch and the 

 other by tannic acid — which were handed to me at Aberdeen in August 

 last for the purpose of testing which agent was the most suitable for the 

 preservation of herring drift nets. 



The nets were received too late in the season to test them at the 

 summer herring fishing, so I resolved to take them to the English 

 coast and test them there. They were placed in the middle of the 

 drift, and were both subjected to the same usage. Between the 18th 

 September and the 6th October they were shot seven times, but on 

 these seven occasions there were no herrings in any of the nets. 



On the 9th October a take of 88 crans was secured. On hauling the 

 nets it was found that the net which had been cured by tannic acid 

 would not bear the strain of hauling, although it was no better fished 

 than the other nets. Only a part of the net was recovered, and it was 

 found to be quite rotten, while the net which had been barked with 

 cutch was quite fresh, and, in fact, was used for another week without 

 preserving it in any way, after which it was dried and found to be in 

 good condition. 



The test to which the two nets were subjected shows that cutch is 

 far more suitable as a preserving agent for herring drift nets than 

 tannic acid. 



I am, (fee, 



(Sgd.) John Mackay. 



The Secretary, 



Fishery Board for Scotland, 

 Edinburgh. 



