xxxvi 
Tenth Annual Report of the 
Keturns com- 
piled for over 
seventy years. 
Fish landed in 
Shetland in 
excess of that 
of any other 
District. 
Quantity cured 
there in 1891. 
Quantity cured 
in Orkney and 
Stornoway 
districts. 
Quantity of cod 
pickled in 
Wick. 
Industry might 
he much more 
developed. 
Productive- 
ness of fishing 
grounds in 
some districts. 
Fish packed 
in ice for des- 
patch to the 
southern 
markets. 
Quantity of 
fish cured in 
each of the last 
five years. 
It is now more than seventy years since the first returns of the 
cod, ling, and hake fishery were compiled, and during that long 
period the quantity of these fish landed in Shetland has far exceeded 
that of any other district in Scotland. Last year 1,793,971 fish 
were cured there, which, when dried, weighed 59,135 cwts., being 
42'23 percent, of the total number, and 40*32 per cent, of the total 
quantity, cured in Scotland. Stornoway and Orkney are next in 
importance, — the former having 22,225 cwts. of fish dried and 
150 barrels pickled, and the latter 21,271 cwts. dried and 281 barrels 
pickled. Wick, as was the case in the preceding year, had the 
greatest quantity of pickled cod, — amounting to 5085 barrels, or 
57'22 per cent, of all the cod pickled in Scotland. 
It has often been remarked by those who are best informed on 
the subject that this fishery is capable of great development, 
especially in the waters round the islands of Orkney and Shetland, 
and the Outer Hebrides. As illustrating the productiveness of some 
of the fishing grounds in these districts, it may be stated that one day 
last season on the north-west side of Shetland, about 28 miles off 
land, in 120 fathoms of water, a boat took 103 cwts. of halibut and 
112 cwts. of ling. There are also other grounds in less depth of 
water around the Orkney and Shetland Islands and along the west 
coast where cod are found in considerable abundance, but they are 
not fished to any extent. 
Owing to the great demand for fresh fish, large quantities of cod 
and ling were packed in ice at Shetland, and other outlying 
districts, for transport to the southern markets. 
The following is a statement of the total quantity of cod, ling, 
and hake cured in each of the last five years :— 
Years. 
1887, 
1888, 
1889, 
1890, 
1891, 
Cured Dried. 
Cwts. 
122,832 
137,216 
145,661 
145,2661 
146,661 
Cured in Pickle. 
Cwts. 
7,538 
7,052 
6,920 
6,186 
8,886 
Cod ling and ^ - 18 P art i cu ^ ars °f tne c0 &> li n g> anc * hake cured dried and exported, 
hake cured and cured in pickle, when compared with 1890, are as follows : — 
and exported 
in 1890 and 
1891. 
Years. 
Total Quantity 
Cured. 
Total Quantity Cured Dried, and 
Exported. 
Dried. 
In 
Pickle. 
To 
Ireland. 
To the 
Continent. 
To Places 
out of 
Europe. 
Total. 
1890, . 
1891, . 
Cwts. 
145,266| 
146,661 
Barrels. 
6,186 
8,886 
Cwts. 
64,599 
51,668 
Cwts. 
18,390 
20,900 
Cwts. 
15,786 
5,504 
Cwts. 
98,775 
78,072 
Increases in 1891, . 
Decreases in 1891, . 
1,394 
2,700 
12, SSI 
2,510 
10,282 
20,703 
