178 
Part III. — Tenth Annual Report 
1844, but the gross tonnage increased in the period between 1845-49 and 
1885-89 by no less than 56,591 tons. The Scotch fishing boat of forty-five 
years ago had an average tonnage of about 6*5; in the period from 1885-89 
the average tonnage was 8*3, and it was 8*1 in 1890-91. These figures 
refer to the boats of all classes — the relative increase in the tonnage of 
first-class boats has been immensely greater. The value of the boats has 
also greatly increased. In 1845-49 the value of the fishing boats was 
£209,805, or an average per boat of about £20, 3s. In 1885-89 the value 
was £777,869 — or greater by £568,064 than in the earlier period — and 
the average value per boat was about £51, 15s. So with the fishing gear. 
In the first period of the series the mean annual value was £321,921 ; in 
the period from 1885 to 1889 the mean annual value was £837,839 — an 
increase of nearly £516,000. The value of lines has increased in greater 
ratio than the value of herring nets, and it will be seen from the table 
that, while in late years there has been a considerable diminution in the 
number of fishermen and boats, in the tonnage and value of boats, and in 
the value of nets, the value of lines has gone on progressively increasing. 
The figures which I have given show how very great have been 
the progress and development of the Scotch sea-fisheries during the last 
sixty-five years. The number of men and boats, and the seaworthiness 
of the latter, have greatly increased ; and there has been a corresponding 
prosperity among the fishing population. This progress may be shown 
very effectively if the number of fishermen is used as a basis upon which 
to group the figures relating to boats and gear. In Table II. I give the 
ratios corresponding to each hundred fishermen in the various periods 
since 1825. 
TABLE II. — Showing the Annual Mean Number of Boats, the Tonnage 
and Value thereof, and the Value of Boats and Gear per Hundred 
Fishermen since 1825. 
Period. 
1825- 
1830- 
1835- 
1840- 
1845- 
1850- 
1855- 
1860- 
1865- 
1870- 
1875- 
1880- 
1885- 
1890 and 
29 
34 
39 
44 
49 
54 
59 
64 
69 
74 
79 
84 
89 
1891 
Boats. 
Value of 
1882-86 
1887-91 
238 
23-7 
23- 9 
24- 5 
25- 9 
27-0 
29- 2 
30- 7 
31- 2 
32- 9 
31-7 
30-9 
30-5 
30-2 
30-7 
30-3 
OD 
c 
o 
H 
170-8 
179-9 
202-1 
221-2 
237-8 
230-5 
233-1 
242-6 
254-4 
247-6 
251-7 
249-9 
£ 
523 
512 
589 
680 
780 
835 
1,051 
1,370 
1,582' 
1,468' 
1,525-6 
1,518-2 
700-2 
674-4 
856 
999-5 
1,199-2 
1,144-5 
1,262-4 
1.450- 5 
1.451- 8 
330-5 
1,522-4 
1,371-9 
£ 
102-8 
125-3 
149-8 
167 
189 
213 
238 
237 
252 
5 
7 
9 
6 
1 
5 
275-0 
239-4 
265-6 
Total Value of 
Boats and Gear. 
£ 
1,326-4 
1,311-8 
1,595-7 
1,847-5 
2,169-0 
2,193-6 
2,552-5 
3,057-6 
3,286-7 
3,074-3 
3,287-4 
3,155-8 
