of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



41 



and up to and including the year 1862, the limits of the district were 

 much greater, comprising the coast right round to the upper parts of the 

 Solway. In 1863 the coast from (and including) Ayr southwards was 

 formed into the district of Ballantrae, referred to below. The tables 

 referring to the district will be found appended (pp. 115, 127). 



The gross quantity of herrings landed in the district in the years 1855- 

 1906 amounted to 141,098 crans, or about 493,850 cwts., giving an 

 annual average quantity of 2713 crans. The annual fluctuations ranged 

 from 182 crans to 33,640 crans. In the first half of the fifty-two years, 

 1855-1880, the quantity of herrings landed in the district was 97,819 

 crans, giving an annual average of 3760 crans; in the second half, 1881- 

 1906, the aggregate quantity was less than half of this, viz., 43,279 crans, 

 the annual average being 1660 crans. Taking the period from 1863, 

 since the district had the limits it has at present, the aggregate quantity 

 landed was 141,098 crans, the annual average for the forty-four years 

 being 2807 crans. In the first half of this period, 1863-1884, the 

 quantity landed was 88,722^ crans, the annual average being 4033 crans; 

 in the second half, 1885-1906, the aggregate was 34,795| crans, the 

 annual average being 1581 crans. The great difference was caused by 

 quite an exceptional and abnormal fishing in 1868 and 1869, as explained 

 below, when over 50,000 crans were landed. If these be deducted, then 

 the average for the forty-two years falls to 1743 crans, and the average of 

 the remaining twenty years of the first half of the period to 1920 crans, 

 as compared with the 1581 crans for the last twenty-two years. The 

 catch in this district has thus fallen on the whole. 



Taking the whole period in groups of ten years, the annual averages are 

 as follows : — 



1857-1866. 1867-1876. 1877-1886. 1887-1896. 1897-1906. 

 2,318 6,472 1,634 1,587 1,689 



And in five-yearly periods the averages are: — 



1857-61 



1,642 



1882-86 



1,864 



1862-66 



2,994 



1887-91 



2,077 



1867-71 



11,637 



1892-96 



1,097 



1872-76 



1,307 



1897-1901 . . 



400 



1877-81 



1,404 



1902-06 



2,978 



The table of the annual quantities landed and the curve representing 

 them show that the years 1855, 1860, 1862, 1865, 1868, 1869, 1870, 

 1882, 1888, 1905, and 1906 were above the general average for the whole 

 period, while the lowest years are to be found from 1896 to 1901. 



Unfortunately, the records of this district, so far as the locality where 

 the fish were caught is concerned, are very defective, particularly in the 

 early years. From occasional notes, it may be surmised that there was 

 usually a fishing in June and July in the earlier part of the period in Luce 

 Bay and neighbourhood, but probably the chief fishing was on the coast 

 of Ayrshire and over to the coast of Arran. In 1862 the summer fishing 

 was on the Ayrshire coast, the total for the year being 5260 crans, the 

 catches in the principal months being as follows : — 



July. August. September. October. 



896 2,564 1,675 55 



