204 
Part III. — Tenth Annual Report 
depth is much greater. In westerly gales the cod came over this ridge, 
into the deep still water inside, and they either cannot or will not return 
to the open sea till they have spawned. Any season that the fishing is 
exceptionally heavy the fish are generally in poor condition, the opinion 
of fishermen being that the ordinary supply of food is not sufficient for 
the number of fish on the ground. The small boats engaged in this 
fishing carry an average of 6,000 yards of lines, with a total of 1,000 
hooks, and the bait used is the large Shetland mussels, locally known 
as 'yogs.' For the 10 or 12 weeks that this fishing lasts, a crew of 
five men usually land from 400 to 600 cwts. of fish if the season be a 
good one. Most of the 1 Greatline ' or Long Line Fishing about 
Shetland is now done in large decked boats of from 45 to 50 feet of keel, 
manned by at least six men, and carrying from 16,000 to 26,000 yards of 
lines. The total number of hooks on these would be from 2,500 to 4,500. 
Each boat carries from a dozen to 20 nets with which to catch herrings 
for bait. The fishing grounds worked on extend on the West and North 
Coast to the 100 fathom-line, but this limit is seldom reached on the East 
Coast, on account of its greater distance from land. Of 170 boats em- 
ployed last year (1891) 120 were owned and manned by natives ; and the 
test hailed mostly from Aberdeenshire and Banffshire. The fishing usu- 
ally commences about the first of March, and is prosecuted with great 
vigour till the end of May, when most of the crews give it up and com- 
mence the herring fishing. 
In a good season a crew's gross earnings range from ,£150 to £200, 
but as much as £240 has been earned by a crew for six weeks' fishing. 
The ' sixerns ' or open six-oar boats, which were in danger of becoming 
obsolete, have been regaining favour recently, and a good many new 
crafts of this description are being built.* They are from 20 to 25 
feet of keel, with steins considerably raked, making the extreme length five 
or six feet more, rather shallow, and of sharp build. They are cheap, light 
to work, and draw so little water that they can be used with advantage 
at places where larger boats could not with safety be employed. They are 
manned by a crew of six, and carry an average of 8,000 yards of lines with 
a total of 1,300 hooks. If obtainable, herrings are used for bait, otherwise 
sillocks, or part of the fish they catch. Halibut were very much used for 
bait before fresh fish were exported from the islands. The ' sixerns 1 com- 
mence fishing in May and work till the middle of August. In moderate 
weather the Shetland fishermen go a long distance to sea in these boats. 
Small boats locally known as ' four-oars ' are also used in the long line 
fishing, but, except at Scalloway, not to any- great extent. 
' Until 1876-80, when East Coast fishermen began to come to Shetland, 
the natives were content to work on the same line3 as their forefathers had 
done, without the least change in the style of boats, material, dates, or 
methods of fishing. So far as known, on no occasion was there ever more 
'than 70 cwts. of fish landed from a 1 sixern ' for one trip. Since the large- 
decked boats came into general use such a take would be considered 
rather a low average in good weather, and no less than 240 cwts. have 
been landed for one trip. Last summer two boats fishing at Ronasvoe 
landed 31 tons of -fish, worth £200, in a week — the one having 17 and 
the other 14 tons — but each made two trips to the fishing grounds. 
The change thus effected has fully met the decrease in the deep-sea 
fishing aboard smacks, and the result is that, during the past half century, 
The ' sixerns ' and smaller boats used in Shetland are all built on the Norwegian 
model. Until some time into the present century, boats used to be brought from 
Norway in sections and put together in Shetland. A few small skiffs are still 
annually imported from Norway, but these are brought ready for sea. 
