3. MONTHLY LANDINGS BY DISTRICTS.

The following statement shows by fishery districts how the landings by British vessels were distributed over the year:

RETURN showing the Quantity of WHITE (i.e. DEMERSAL) FISH landed by British vessels in each Fishery District in Scotland in each Month of the Year 1923.

District.

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Total.

Totals 1923 156,161 146,390 209,667 100,819 151,504 202,266 201,525 207,968 183.287 180,819 179,423 149,331 2,069,160 Totals 1922 140,405 225,099 317,394 274,734 283,891 292,123 261,450 237,736 213,454 229,515, 182,078 171,066 2,828,945

As a rule the heaviest landings are made in the spring and early summer, but this feature was less pronounced during 1923 owing to the Aberdeen dispute.

4. COMPOSITION OF AGGREGATE CATCH, AND WHOLESALE
MARKET PRICES.

The principal species of demersal fish landed in Scotland by British fishing vessels in 1923 are given below in order of value, with comparative figures for the years 1922 and 1913.

It will be seen that haddocks and cod and codlings accounted each year for more than half of the aggregate, both in quantity and value. The landings of halibut, plaice and lemon soles were relatively small, but were of greater value that the heavier landings of the cheaper kinds, such as whitings, skates, ling and saithe. The average wholesale market price of white fish, i.e., the price of the fish as sold at the quayside at the ports of landing, was 23s. 9d. per cwt., as compared with 20s. 6d. in 1922 and 11s. 11d. in 1913. The increase in price as compared with the previous year compensated in a measure for the smaller catch. As a rule prices tend to rise to a maximum about the month of December, when the supplies available are usually shortest, and to fall to a minimum in summer, when the landings are heavy, quality is affected by the heat, and the competition of plentiful supplies of herrings has to be faced.

5. FOREIGN LANDINGS.

The total landings of demersal fish taken by foreign fishing vessels and landed at Scottish ports during 1923 amounted to 791,408 cwts., valued at £418,830, as against 358,969 cwts. and £159,676 in 1922, and 561,005 cwts. and £191,979 in 1913. The contributions by the various means of capture were as follow:—

The quantity of demersal fish taken in the various fishing regions during 1923 by foreign fishing vessels with comparative figures for 1922 are shown in the following table :

The following statement shows by fishery districts how the foreign landings of demersal fish were distributed over the year:

Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Total.

Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. Cwts. Cwts.

Totals 1923 45,269 51,148 130,522 149,000 182.947 27,569) 2,009 Totals 1922 927 15,604 64,347 69,445 91,740 26,814 4,640 12,408

30,463 50 746 61 564 60,171 791,408 5,323 7,878 21,571 38 212 358 969

On account of the prolonged voyages chiefly to Icelandic waters usually made by the foreign fishing vessels which put in to Scottish ports, their catches are for the most part in inferior condition and realise much lower prices than those of the British vessels, as may be seen by comparing the following statement with the corresponding statement on page 24:

6. ABERDEEN'S SHARE IN THE SCOTTISH FISHERIES.

The importance of Aberdeen as a fishing centre is at once apparent from the foregoing statements.

In pre-war years not only was there a steady increase in the quantities landed at the port annually, but the proportion of those landings relatively to the quantities landed in the rest of Scotland increased still more rapidly, until in 1913 Aberdeen accounted for no less than 73 per cent. of the total demersal fish landed in Scotland. This proportion dwindled during the war years, but the recovery thereafter was immediate though hardly complete, since the German vessels did not return to Aberdeen in the same numbers as before. In 1923 the German landings—although restricted during June, July and August owing to a strike in the German trawl industry-were exceptionally heavy; there was, however, a large falling off in the British landings at Aberdeen on account of the dispute in the spring, and the total landings at the port were lower than in the previous year, although again representing about 66 per cent. of the aggregate for Scotland.

7. TRAWLING.

British Landings.-The aggregate trawl catch in 1923 amounted to 2,092,861 cwts., valued at £1,916,207, and of this total British vessels acccounted for 1,307,761 cwts., valued at £1,500,704, as compared with 1,807,758 cwts. and £1,819,672 in 1922. Of the total quantity landed by British trawlers 61 per cent. was landed at Aberdeen and 29 per cent. at Granton, and the balance at various other ports, principally Dundee, Ayr and Oban. The Scottish steam trawling fleet in 1923 consisted of 336 vessels, which accounted for the great bulk of the trawl catch, the landings by motor trawlers. and sailing beam trawlers amounting to only 1984 cwts., valued at £4584, and 1957 cwts., valued at £1979, respectively.

The trawling grounds of the Aberdeen fleet were in the North Sea, off Orkney and Shetland, in a wide area off Cape Wrath and the Butt of Lewis and in the Minch, and also off St. Kilda, Rockall, the Flannan Islands, and the West Coast of Ireland, and off Faroe, while a few voyages were made to Iceland. Despite the scarcity of fish on the North Sea grounds the aggregate landings at Aberdeen during the period when fishing was most intensive were adequate to supply the usual home markets. Adverse weather, especially during the first and last quarters of the year, affected the supplies by hindering fishing operations. In February a number of the smaller vessels. averaged only 45 hours' actual fishing for the month, while in November even first class vessels were restricted to grounds within 150 miles of the port.

After the conclusion of the Aberdeen dispute in May most of the local fleet proceeded to sea, but 43 trawlers and 9 liners remained in harbour owing to the unfavourable prospects. The Faroe grounds were unproductive during May and June, but the catches, consisting chiefly of codlings, met with a good demand for filleting, which became even better in the two following months when German vessels were absent from the port. During the strike in the German trawl industry two Aberdeen vessels landed their catches at German ports, but the prices realised did not encourage a repetition of the venture.

Owing to better prospects in September the trawl fleet was augmented by several vessels which had been laid up since the spring, and in the following month a number of vessels which had been working as liners were refitted for trawling. Many profitable voyages were made to the North Sea grounds during the two closing months of the year, when restricted supplies, occasioned chiefly by stormy weather, resulted in very high prices; but the margin of profit was not sufficient to compensate for the loss incurred earlier in the year, and on the whole the year's operations were unremunerative.

The Granton fleet was as usual employed chiefly in the North Sea; the larger vessels worked on the grounds extending to 200 miles off the Aberdeenshire coast and 240 miles off the May Island, while the smaller vessels operated off Tod Head, the Bell Rock, the May Island, the Bass Rock, St. Abbs Head and the Longstone. The aggregate trawl landings at Granton amounted to 378,245 cwts., as compared with 383,815 cwts in 1922, but notwithstanding the smaller catch the results were more remunerative than in the previous year. The quantity dispatched direct to Glasgow was 152,514 cwts.

as against 160,419 cwts. in 1922. Seed haddocks, as the smallest selection of this species is termed locally, accounted for over onethird of the aggregate landings, but good catches of fair sized haddocks were secured off St. Abbs Head in June, while in September there were heavy landings of haddocks which had been feeding on herring spawn, although the demand for these was poor. During the first quarter of the year the nearer areas received most attention owing to the adverse weather then prevailing, but longer voyages were made throughout the summer. In order to minimise the heavy expense involved in working on the more distant grounds a number of landings by Granton crews was effected at Aberdeen.

The small fleet based on Dundee was also usually employed in the North Sea, the bulk of the catch being taken within 180 miles E. of the Bell Rock and Tay Buoy. The vessels made longer voyages than in 1922, but on the whole the working costs were lower and the results were fairly satisfactory.

As in the preceding year a number of Granton trawlers were employed on the West Coast during 1923. The maximum activity was reached in May when 33 vessels were making alternate landings at Oban and Ayr, usually from the Dubh Artach and Skerryvore grounds. The former port is nearer the grounds, but the vessels visited the latter port for ice and other supplies; the necessity for this, however, may soon be removed as a scheme was afoot for the establishment of an ice factory at Oban. The weather throughout the season, which extended from March to September, was very unfavourable and the catches were smaller than in 1922, so that the venture did not prove a success.

Foreign Landings.-The landings by foreign trawlers at Scottish ports were made chiefly at Aberdeen and amounted to 785,474 cwts., valued at £415,630, as compared with 357,552 cwts., valued at £155,915, in 1922. The German landings dominated the Aberdeen market during the stoppage by the Aberdeen fishermen, and although the Germans themselves were engaged in a dispute from June to August the number of landings effected at Aberdeen during the year was 814, against 378 in 1922. During April 90 German trawlers, representing 23 per cent. of the total German trawl fleet, were fishing from Aberdeen, and their landings at that port exceeded the total quantity landed during the month at German ports by German. vessels.

8. GREAT LINING.

The quantity taken by great line vessels amounted to 387,418 cwts., valued at £437,678, as compared with 557,995 cwts., valued at £527,473, in 1922. The landinga at Aberdeen accounted for 61 per cent. of the total quantity, while the balance was landed chiefly at Peterhead and Fraserburgh on the East Coast and Mallaig, Oban and Stornoway on the West Coast. There are three main classes of vessels employed in great lining from Scottish ports, viz. :—(1) vessels belonging to Aberdeen, comparable to the largest trawlers, which are regularly employed throughout the year except for a short period in winter; (2) trawl vessels fitted out with great lines during