18 
Appendices to Ninth Annual Meport 
There were no lives lost in connection witli this fishing, but 2 boats were 
totally lost and 1 damaged — the loss amounting to £137. The loss and 
damage to nets was heavy, amounting to £1680, and was caused chiefly 
by weight of fish. 
11. WEST COAST HERRING FISHERY. 
The nine fishery districts on the West Coast of Scothiad are : — 
Stornoway, Loch Broom, Loch Carron and Skye, Fort William, 
Campbeltown, Inveraray, Kothesay, Greenock, and Ballantrae. 
Stornoway District. 
The Islands of Lewis, Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, Barra, and 
the smaller Islands within this range ; also St Kilda. 
District Fishery Office — Stornoivay. 
In all the record of herring fishing in this district, the catch of 1890 
has been exceeded only by that of 1870, when, with a fleet of 1470 boats, 
the total quantity cured was 159,180 barrels. The quantity cured last 
year was 125,039 J barrels, and the fleet numbered 983 boats. 
In almost every respect the season was an exceptionally successful one, 
there being evidently no scarcity of herrings on the coast at any time. 
The early lishiug began on the 8 th January ; but, owing to a continuance 
of stormy weather at this time, little progress was made until the end of 
the month. The second week of February was the most successful of 
the winter fishing season — some very large takes, reaching as high as 
103 crans per boat, being landed. Unfortunately, at this period the 
home markets were well supplied with foreign herrings, causing prices to 
fall considerably ; and the herrings, which had been very large and full 
of milt or roe, began to spawn at the end of February. These circum- 
stances, together with the stormy weather experienced, operated in bring- 
ing the fishing to a close earlier than usual, the total catch amounting to 
9604 crans. During winter the fishermen found small quantities of 
anchovies in their nets, a circumstance which had never been known to 
occur in this district. March and April were unproductive; and the 
close time established by the fishermen of the district — extending from 
15th April to 15th May — having expired, the summer herring fishing 
began immediately thereafter. 
This fishing was prosecuted from 7 stations of the district, the prin- 
cipal of these being Stornoway, where a fleet of 570 boats were employed, 
and Barra with 380, minor stations with 33, making a total for the 
district of 983 boats, of which 160 were district boats. The average 
take per boat in Stornoway was 160 crans, and in Barra 52 crans. The 
total quantity of herrings cured in both sections was 125,039 J barrels, 
being 43,519| more than in the preceding year. Of the total quantity 
Stornoway section contributed 105,004^, barrels and Barra section 20,035 
barrels, the former showing an increase of 36,103|- barrels on the preceding 
year, and the latter an increase of 7416; 29,112 crans were disposed of 
as kippers and 11,317 crans were sent to market in a fresh or lightly 
salted condition. The kippered and lightly salted fish, which comprised 
two-fifths of the catch at Stornoway, were consumed in the home markets. 
With the exception of a gale, which occurred on the night of 24th June, 
the weather during the summer was all that could be desired. Calms 
were less frequent than in recent years, and consequently the fish 
