5. Mr. WEDDERBURNasked the Secretary of State for Scotland the financial results of the past Scottish fishing season and the extent to which this has been prejudiced by foreign imports of fish?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for SCOTLAND (Sir Archibald Sinclair)The total catch of the Scottish summer herring fishings, to which I assume the hon. Member's question to refer, had a value of £921,000 in 1931 as compared with £1,269,000 in 1930, a decrease of 27 per cent. The total catch amounted to only 528,540 crans in 1931 as compared with 802,500 crans in 1930, a decrease of 34 per cent. The decrease was due to scarcity of fish on the grounds and not to the competition of foreign imports.