180 
Part III. — Ninth Annual Bejport 
* herring have been taken, lies about thirty-three miles distant E.N.E. 
* from May Island. Herring spawn here in summer. Distant from' the 
'May about eighteen miles E. by S., the north end of the 'Mar' bank 
' begins, and it extends towards the south-east for fully eight miles, with 
* about three miles in breadth. About six miles distant S.S.W. from 
' ' Mar' bank lies ' Presmannan Hard,' extending for about seven miles in 
' an east north-easterly direction, with a breadth of about one mile ; and 
' about four miles south-east of * Presmannan ' is found the ' Pelder Hard,* 
* which extends east north-eastward for six or seven miles. The ' Ber- 
'wick' bank, an excellent fishing-ground for herrings and all other 
* kinds of fish, is found distant E.S.E. thirty-five miles from the May, and 
' extends fully ten miles north-west and south-east, with an average 
' breadth of about eight miles. 
' Besides these larger banks there are numerous smaller reefs or gravelly 
' hards, with sandy patches lying between, all of which are more or less 
* rich and fertile.' 
Haddock fishing by Fifeshire yawls is general over all the Firth of 
Forth to a few miles outside May Island, and by St Andrews fishermen 
in larger boats between the Bell Kock and May Island eastwards. There 
has not been any offshore haddock fishing (from 30 to 70 miles out) of 
any importance during the last eight years. Herrings spawn in winter 
(February) at several places off the coast, especially around May Island 
and between Fife Ness and the May ('Hirst'). Nineteen or twenty 
miles east of May Island the herrings spawn in summer at a bank named 
the ' First Reef,' which is also an excellent fishing-ground for cod. Seven- 
teen or eighteen miles further eastward lies the ' Second Reef,' where 
herrings also spawn in summer, i.e. at a distance of about 35 miles from 
the nearest shore. From April to June there are excellent cod-fishing 
grounds from 100 to 200 miles east and north-east of May Island. In 
winter cod are abundant in the neighbourhood of May Island. In this 
district there are several deserted spawning-grounds of the herring. One, 
referred to above, famous in the herring fisheries of the Forth, was the 
' Traith,' lying off Pittenweem, where the herring shoals spawned in 
summer. Another, situated on the north side of Fife Ness, was named 
' Auld Hakes.' Herrings used to spawn here in summer, but they do 
not do so now. 
The fishing-grounds off the coast of Forfarshire correspond with those 
described above, viz., the ' Second Reef,' running in a north-easterly direc- 
tion and lying about 26 or 27 miles off the coast ; the * Mars Reef,' about 
25 miles off, a limited area of about 5 square miles in extent, where the 
herring spawns ; about 20 miles off' the ' White Spat ' and the ' Shauld- 
water.' The fishing-grounds nearer shore are the 'Cairn,* referred to 
under Stonehaven district ; the ' South Deep,' about 8 miles off Montrose; 
the ' Castleness,' ' Black Spat,' and ' Turin-land,' all within 6 or 7 miles 
off the shore at Lunan Bay ; and the ' Hills,' about 6 miles off Arbroath. 
Haddocks are fished for at these latter places, but it does not appear that 
the herring spawns there. 
The inshore fishing-grounds off the Kincardineshire coast are of varied 
character ; in the southern part tlie bottom is rocky, and in the northern 
part it is formed of areas of sand and gravel with intervening lidges, the 
principal ridges having local names applied to them. The one nearest 
the shore, about 2 miles off, is called ' Mid-ground ;' the next, about 4 
miles off, is called ' Kind-shot ;' a mile or two further out is the ' Saft- 
yird ;' then comes the ' Hard-yird ' and the ' Cairn ;' and about 11 miles 
off the ' Buckie-yird ' and the ' Cowieman's hard-yird.' About 15 miles 
off lies the ' In-Shaul,' where haddocks are abundant ; a few miles farther 
