of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



57 



Perhaps the catches in November should be added, which would bring 

 the total up to 9861 crans. On 18th November a trial was made by 

 eight boats off the Ayrshire coast, but no herrings were caught. On 

 27th and following days good catches were secured off Ayr Heads, in 

 the south part of Ayr Bay, and so close inshore that a good many of the 

 drift-nets were torn on the rocks. The fishing here continued through- 

 out December with great success ; in the week ended 20th, 5288 crans 

 were taken, almost entirely by seine-net, off Ayr Harbour, within a few 

 hundred yards of the shore, and in from two to seven fathoms of water. 

 Towards the end of December the fishing in that locality came to a sudden 

 termination, but it was renewed in January 1891 off the Heads of Ayr; 

 in the week ended 10th the fishing was between Ayr and Dunure Head, 

 but the shoal began to move south, and in the next week the totals fell 

 to 32 crans. After this the weather was stormy for a time. The fish- 

 ing in February was on Ballantrae Banks ; in the first week, though the 

 weather was fine, only 96 crans were taken, and in the second week only 

 20 crans ; in the week ended 21st February 4875 crans were landed, 

 mostly by seines, and there was a large proportion of small fish among 

 them, and then the fishing came to an abrupt end, no herrings being got 

 in March. The weekly particulars are these : — 



December. 



January. 



February. 



Boats. 



Crans. 



Boats. 



Crans. 



Boats. 



Crans. 



47 



637 



75 



247 



92 



96 



139 



2,276 



144 



1,545 



124 



23 



184 



5,288 



48 



32 



224 



4,875 



132 



535 







225 



53 







66 



' 30 









8,736 





1,854 





5,047 



The total was thus 15,637 crans, of which more than half were taken in 

 December. If the catch in the last week of November be added, the 

 total is raised to 16,111 crans. 



At the end of the year the herrings returned to Ayr Bay, but they 

 were also taken in Loch Ryan, as they had been to some extent in October. 

 Most were got off Ayr, and the fishing in Loch Ryan closed in the first 

 week of December. During December the fishing was off Ayr Heads 

 and neighbourhood. In January, 1892, the first week was stormy, and 

 it was found that the herrings had left the ground ; none were taken 

 that month, and there was no "appearance" of herrings. It was not till 

 ihe second week in February that they were again found on Ballantrae 

 Banks, and the fishing went on there till the end of the month, without 

 great success, and there were large numbers of small unsaleable herrings 

 in the catches. In the first week of March the weather was fine, and 65 

 boats landed 1572 crans, of which 1059 crans were caught by trammels, 

 and the rest by seines. The fishing closed on 8th March, the total for 

 the season being 6259 crans, If the November catch be added, the 



