98 Part III — Twenty-fifth Annual Report 



Table showing the Total Quantity of Herrings Caught (in Crans) per year from 1889 to 1906, 

 and the Percentage above or below the average catch for the period given. 





Loch Fyne. 



Whole Clyde. 



West Coast. 



East Coast. 





Mean, 29,094 Crans. 



Mean, 69,512 Crans. 



Mean, 222,314 Crans. 



Mean, 698,007 Crans. 



Year. 



Total 

 Crans. 





o p 



Total 

 Crans. 



<u 



> 6 

 I" 



£ . 



<u as 



Total 

 Crans. 





0 a 



1 * 



Total 

 Crans. 



> a 

 _§ § 





1889 

 1890 

 1 

 2 

 3 

 4 

 5 

 6 

 7 

 8 

 9 



1900 

 1 

 2 

 3 

 4 

 5 

 6 



29,865! 

 38,291! 

 48,228 

 47,408! 

 36,389! 

 38,367 

 17,853 

 18,406 

 56,820 

 40,801 

 32,113 

 24,743 

 29,117 

 26,339 

 21,198 

 7,827 

 4,672 

 5,258 



2-7 

 316 

 65-8 

 62-9 

 25-1 

 31-9 



95-3 

 40-2 

 10-4 



004 



38-6 

 36-7 



15 0 



9-5 

 271 

 73-1 

 83 9 

 81-9 



87,357 

 102.733 

 106,774! 

 74,940 

 57,691 

 67,783! 

 40,332* 

 38,428 

 86,996 

 68,357 

 71,110! 

 72,935 

 73,078! 

 100,397 

 81,905 

 29,992 

 36,802 

 53,601 



25-7 

 47 '8 

 53 6 

 7'8 



25 2 



23 



4- 9 



5- 1 

 44-4 

 17'8 



17 0 

 2-5 

 42-0 

 44-7 



1-7 



56-9 

 471 



22 9 



193,711 



283,093 

 357,772 

 249,042 

 266,093 

 189,483 

 198,071 

 169,835 

 229,669 

 249,732 

 215,823 

 238,967 

 202,983 

 232,553 

 203,625 

 185,794 

 177,046 

 158,356 



27 3 

 60-9 

 120 

 19-7 



33 

 123 



7-5 



46 



129 



14-8 

 10-9 

 23 6 



29 



8 : 7 



8 : 4 

 164 

 20 4 

 38-8 



814,550 

 758,258 

 550,275 

 748,684 

 902,385 

 807,935 

 777,426 

 807,136 

 429,627 

 870,695 

 434,957 

 436,573 

 550,376 

 783,024 

 680,476 

 781,886 

 660,929 

 768,929 



16-7 

 8*6 



'7-3 

 29 3 

 15-7 



11- 4 

 15-6 



24-5 



15 0 



12- 0 

 10-2 



212 



38-4 



37 -7 

 37-5 

 21 1 



'2-5 



*5 : 3 



The mean annual quantity for Loch Fyne, Anatruther, and Loch Carron 

 district is very much the same, and it will be seen that the range of 

 variation from the mean in different years, or the amount of annual fluctua- 

 tion, is greater in the Loch Carron district than in Loch Fyne, while it 

 is practically the same in the Anstruther district as it is in Loch Fyne. 

 One may conclude, therefore, that the fluctuations in Loch Fyne are not 

 abnormally great, and are such as might be expected under natural 

 conditions. 



It may be noted, further, in connection with the fluctuations in Loch 

 Fyne that the bad years, in which the quantity of herrings caught is 

 small, are, as a rule, characterised by a scarcity of herrings in the later 

 months of the season. This is shown in the following table showing the 

 percentage proportions taken per month over the whole period, and in 

 the best and the worst years : — 



June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. 



1863-1906 . . . . 9-1 22-4 23'7 16-35 121 9-1 5-8 



Five best years .. 6-1 17-2 18-1 20-1 15 4 12-8 8-8 



Four worst years . . 16 2 25'2 9-1 13-3 14 8 3'8 5'2 



In the whole period the mean proportion taken in the last three months 

 is 27 per cent, of the whole ; in the five best years it is 37 per cent., and 

 in the four worst years it is 23.8 per cent. 



The Influence of the Moon on the Catch of Herrings. 



It is a common opinion that the changes of the moon have an 

 influence on the catches of herrings, and since the weekly reports offered 



