14 
Part III. — Tenth Annual Report 
turbot, and skate) caught by line-fishermen within the territorial 
waters of the Leith and Anstruther districts (the Firth of Forth 
and St Andrews Bay) last year was 5131£ cwts., compared with 
6799J cwts. in 1890, or a decrease of 1668 cwts. The average or 
mean catch of fish per ' shot ' of the line in the territorial waters, 
along the part of the coast referred to, was, in the period 1888-89, 
2*516 cwts., the total number of ' shots ' of the line being 85,975. 
In the period 1890-91, with 72,429 * shots/ the average or mean 
catch was 2*431 cwts. 
The Spanish Sardine Industry. 
The sardine, which is the young of the pilchard, is not now a 
regular inhabitant of the Scottish seas, although a stray individual 
may possibly be occasionally obtained. In response to inquiry the 
Fishery Officers of fourteen of the seventeen East Coast districts 
say that pilchards are never landed in their districts. A stray 
specimen may be got occasionally in the Moray Firth, off the Firth 
of Forth, or in the Firth of Clyde. Six or seven years ago, a few 
were caught at Cromarty and near Skye, on the West Coast ; but, as 
has been said, the pilchard cannot be considered a denizen of 
Scottish seas. Yet there is authentic evidence that the pilchard 
was at one time quite a common fish on the East Coast of Scotland. 
As late as the beginning of the present century they were as 
abundant at some places as the herring ; and this gave rise to com- 
plaints by the herring-eurers, when quantities of the pilchard were 
delivered to them mixed with the herrings. 
But, as is well known, large quantities of other fish are prepared 
on the Continent and in America as sardines, and sold as such 
—and this is especially so with the sprat and young herrings. 
Since these fish are abundant on the coasts of Scotland, the Board 
requested Mr W. Anderson Smith, one of its members, to proceed 
to Spain to investigate the modes of preparation of the sardine at 
the great seats of the industry in that country, and to ascertain the 
possibilities of establishing a trade in Scottish herrings, which are 
at present practically shut out from Spanish markets. The results 
of this inquiry are given in the present Report. Mr Smith describes 
the fishery for sardines, as carried on both in Spain and France, and 
discusses various points regarding the natural history of the fish, 
which has recently received much attention. On the Galician 
coast the fishery is carried on by great seine-nets, 650 yards long 
and 33 deep, which sometimes enclose vast numbers of pilchards. 
The process of cure and preparation are also explained. Very 
large quantities of fish, up to seven inches in length, are prepared, 
not in tins with oil, as is the case with the ordinary sardine of 
commerce, but by salting, and pressing into barrels or kegs, as in 
Cornwall ; and Mr Smith is of opinion that well-packed, well-cured 
Scotch herring of medium size, such as 'maties,' would compete 
satisfactorily with those Spanish fi^h, if they were prepared for 
keeping in a hot climate. The sizes of the barrels used and the 
prices obtained are given, and it is stated that the fine large Scotch 
