848 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [June 1, 1903. 
THE STEAM TRAWLmG INDUSTRY- 
IK THE NORTH OF SCOTLAND AND IN CEYIiON, 
[It is an unhappy coincidence that the fol- 
lowing very interesting, instructive and en- 
couraging account of fishing by steam traw- 
lers off the North of Scotland, should reach 
us just after the Colombo experiment has 
been closed, with a heavy loss to the spirited 
promoter, though we see it stated now that 
the total debit does not nearly reach the 
lakh mentioned to us by one who ought to be 
an authority. Before, however, the writer 
of the following account condemns the stop- 
page of trawling off Ceylon, he must ex- 
plain the failure of a trial on an even 
larger scale by a Scotch Firm in Bombay 
which brought out and started a fully- 
equipped trawler, and gave it an ample trial, 
we believe ; but without results to warrant 
a continuance of the enterprise. Surely, it 
must be that fish are not so plentiful in 
the Indian Ocean and that the local markets 
are also not sufficient to take off any increased 
qnantity at a profitable rate?-ED. T.A.] 
(Communicated.) 
It cannot be said that Colombo is rash in 
entering upon new enterprises, or in adopting 
UP to date methods of prosecuting existing 
iridustries. It has for years been a marvel 
to many, who have witnessed the great 
success of trawl-fishing elsewhere, why 
Ceylon should still lag behind and remain con- 
tent with a meagre suppply of the fish 
•which abound round her coasts, food so 
much more wholesome and suitable for the 
tropics than the tough beef produced in the 
country. In every new enterprise, however, 
there are always difficulties to contend with. 
Sentimental croakers will arise to plead for 
the poor fishermen, who, from time imme- 
morial, have earned a scanty and precarious 
living by the old methods. 
I am old enough to remember the populous 
villages in Scotland, the inhabitants of which 
earned their bread by hand-weaving, and 
recollect the howls of execration with which 
the introduction of machinery was met. I 
recollect too, in Ceylon, when the railway 
to Kandy was proposed, the poor cartmen and 
the village providers of fodder, formed the 
theme of many pleading letters. Coming 
nearer home the introduction of the Linotype 
is causing many wails from young composi- 
tors who begin to wonder if it is worth 
while serving seven years to learn type- 
setting Old methods must pass away, and 
time be economised in this busy age. The 
catching of fish by baited hook and line is 
only for men whose time is of little value. 
Trawling, by the way, is no new innova- 
tion In all probability it was practised in 
the *Sea of Galilee 1900 years ago. Certainly 
the fish then were caught v^ith a net, and 
net by the misereahle make-shift of a line 
and hook. Moreover, there are many of 
the best fishes that won't take the hook, 
and since the introduction of trawling to 
Aberdeen, there has been added to the sup- 
niv many excellent fishes never before heard 
of or seen in our markets, chiefly flat fish 
equal to the English sole and also turbot, 
which do not readily take the hook, are 
now plentiful here. 
Very likely, the same would happen in 
Colombo where some change from ohe ever- 
lasting searfish, good as it is, would be 
welcomed. But, it is argued, " the sea would 
soon be emptied and the greedy trawlers 
when the market was likely to be over- 
stocked would throw the good food over- 
board, in order to keep up prices." As a 
matter of fact we have never seen the 
market over stocked, and the more fish that 
is taken out of the sea, the more rapidly 
seems the supply to increase, "practically 
inexhaustible," says Professor Mackintosh, 
of St. Andrew's, the best authority we have 
on the subject. 
cwt 
Fifteen years ago we landed 
of all kinds ... ... 176,103 
Last year we totalled ... 1,547,21 
And the strange thing is that instead of being 
in excess of the demand, the prices realised 
are quite 100 per cent over what they were 
15 years ago, so many more have learned 
to appreciate this excellent food, who, owing 
to the lack of facilities for carriage could 
not before procure it. 
We are glad to see Colombo has made a 
start in the right direction, and that iti 
one trawler has found a few good, and some 
rare fish. It is to be hoped the enterprising 
owner will not be too easily discouraged by 
the early struggles incidental to all such 
undertakings. It is in the hope that 
it may be useful to those interested that I 
am led to offer a brief history of the 
Steam Trawling Industry in Aberdeen. 
The inception of Steam Trawling in 
Scotland ought, perhaps, to be credited 
to Mr. R. W. Duff, late Governor of 
New South Wales who in 1881— as 
then M.P. for Banffshire— seeing the loss 
of life by the ordinary frail fishing craft, 
wrote a letter to the newspapers pointing 
out that in his opinion, the time had 
come for the introduction of steam boats in 
the catching of fish, and to evidence his 
interest in the matter, he promoted a Com- 
pany at Granton, called The General Steam 
Company, Ltd. This Company, is still in 
existence. It had its ups and downs, but is 
now a thriving industry. Twenty-one years 
ago, two shrewd Aberdonians put their 
hard heads together, and thought out the 
prospect of introducing trawling to the 
Granite City. They quietly went south, 
and, taking a consulting Engineer with them, 
proceeded to Dublin of all places, and there 
invested in an old tub of a tug boat, called 
" The Toiler," which under her own steam 
soon paddled her way to Aberdeen. " The 
Toiler," cost £1,500, was quickly put in ship- 
shape for her new work, and went to sea 
on 22nd March, 1882, the crew consisting of 
her owners and two friends. Only one di'ag 
was made ; the haul was not a big one, bub 
sufficient to allow of a distribution amongst 
the party, and this was the first trawled 
fish ever caught by an Aberdeen boat. Next 
day " The Toiler " began her regular bus 
ness, returning with 3 boxes of haddpg^ 
