XXX 
Tenth Annual Report of the 
Branding in 
Northumber- 
land discon- 
tinued. 
Great dissatis- 
faction. 
Act passed 
to amend the 
law as to 
branding of 
herrings on 
coast of North- 
umberland. 
Branding- 
resumed. 
From the year 1809 (when the brand was first administered) up 
to 1889, it had all along been the practice of the Board to brand 
cured herrings on the coast of Northumberland. In the latter year, 
however, certain difficulties arose which cast doubt upon the 
legality of their continuing to do so ; and, in consequence thereof, 
the Board resolved to discontinue branding at the English stations 
from and after 1st January 1890. This step caused great dis- 
satisfaction among fish-merchants, fish-curers, and others interested ; 
and strong representations were received from Lowestoft, North 
Sunderland, Leith, and other stations, urging that the with- 
drawal of the official brand would be most disastrous both to fish- 
curers and fishermen, and that the contemplated action of the Board 
would add greatly to the difficulties against which the fishing 
industry had to contend, and requesting the Board to reconsider 
their decision. The Beard thereupon resolved to ask the Secretary 
for Scotland to get their powers extended to the English stations ; 
and an Act to amend the law respecting the branding of herrings 
on the coast of Northumberland was accordingly passed through 
Parliament, by which ' the powers of the Scotch Fishery Board and 
* of their officers with respect to the branding or marking of 
1 barrels or half barrels under any Act, and of branding or marking 
' any measure specified in any Act, shall extend to the administrative 
' county of Northumberland, and to the sea adjoining the same, and 
' within the exclusive fishery limits of the British Islands, and the 
' provisions of any Act in regard to the exercise of those powers 
'and the enforcement of any penalties thereunder shall apply 
' accordingly/ 
Under these powers the Board resumed branding on the 
Northumberland Coast during 1891. 
SUMMARY OF HERRING FISHERY. 
Cured Fish. 
I. East Coast. 
Number of On the east coast of Scotland during the herring fishing season 
estlbiiXments °^ 1891 there were 632 herring-curing establishments, carried on 
on East Coast, by 546 fishcurers, against 630 establishments and 572 fishcurers 
in 1890. The decrease of 26 in the number of curers is accounted 
for by the facts that 30 new fishcurers embarked in the trade 
and 56 abandoned it. The returns of herrings cured (which are 
exclusive of those sprinkled or slightly salted), when compared 
with those for 1890, show a collective increase in six districts of 
Six districts 22,347^- barrels, and a collective decrease in eleven districts of 
incase and 28 ?,009 barrels, thus giving a net decrease of 264,661J barrels, 
eleven a de- The six districts which contributed to the increase were Leith, 
^easemquan- Anstruther, Buckie, Findhorn, Orkney, and Shetland ; while 
cured. iem those districts which exhibited the largest decrease were Fraser- 
burgh, Wick, Peterhead, and Aberdeen, to the extent of 93,126, 
65,552, 65,108, and 18,805 barrels respectively. Such a decrease at 
