§ 60. Mr. Boothbyasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to ensure the distribution of such drift and seine nets as become available to the boats most urgently in need of them.
§ The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Westwood)Cases of hardship due to the lack of nets by fishermen are being investigated by local fishery officers and the issue of additional licences to manufacture nets is being regulated accordingly.
§ 62. Mr. Henderson Stewartasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many fishing vessels from the East Fife coast were sold between 1939 and the present time; what were the sizes and ages of these boats; in how many cases these boats were sold because they had become uneconomic or unsuited to modern fishing methods; what is the total number of boats now available, and how many boats are now required to offer employment to fishermen now idle.
§ Mr. WestwoodOut of a fishing fleet consisting at the beginning of 1939 of 83 vessels exceeding 35 ft. in length overall, 48 have been sold away from the Anstruther fishing district. With the hon. Member's permission I shall arrange for a table showing the sizes and ages of these boats to be circulated in the OFFICIAL REPORT. I am not in a position to say for what reasons these vessels were sold. The total number of boats now available is 40, of which three are steam drifters and I estimate that 15 motor boats of between 50 and 60 ft. in length would' be sufficient to offer employment to the fishermen in the district who are now idle.
§ Mr. StewartIs not the right hon. Gentleman aware that his Under-Secretary stated in a recent Debate on fishing that boats had been sold by the owners in Fife for purely selfish and private enterprise reasons? Will the right hon. Gentleman give the real reasons?
| LIST OF FISHING VESSELS 35 FT. AND OVER SOLD OUT OF ANSTRUTHER DISTRICT FROM 1939 TO DATE. | |||||||||
| Year of sale. | Name of Vessel | Letters and No. | Type | Length in feet | Age-in years. | Port to which transferred. | |||
| 1939 | " Godetia " | … | … | … | KY.145 | M/B | 45.5 | 20 | Oban |
| „ | "Orion" | … | … | … | KY.183 | „ | 48.3 | 12 | Arbroath |
| „ | " Bright Ray " | … | … | … | KY.193 | „ | 46.5 | 12 | Glasgow |
| 1940 | " Emulate " | … | … | … | KY.56 | M/B | 55.5 | 5 | Aberdeen |
| „ | " Fortunatus " | … | … | … | KY.144 | „ | 43.5 | 18 | Aberdeen |
| „ | " White Heather " | … | … | KY.173 | „ | 49.9 | 6 | Fraserburgh | |
| „ | " Harvest Moon " | … | … | ML. 15 | „ | 70 | 36 | Eyemouth | |
| „ | " Gowan" | … | … | … | ML. 38 | „ | 72.3 | 37 | Buckie |
| „ | " True Love " | … | … | ML. 51 | „ | 71 | 38 | Eyemouth | |
| „ | " Endeavour " | … | … | ML.80 | „ | 69.5 | 38 | Scrabster | |
| „ | " Chrysoprase " | … | … | ML.84 | „ | 68.15 | 37 | Fraserburgh | |
| „ | " Condor " | … | … | … | ML.487 | „ | 70.6 | 36 | Fraserburgh |
| 1942 | " Vigilant " | … | … | … | KY.200 | M/B | 48.4 | 24 | Arbroath |
| „ | " Marjory " | … | … | … | ML.41 | „ | 70.1 | 36 | Peterhead |
| 1943 | " Pilot Star " | … | … | KY.48 | S/D | 86 | 27 | Fleet wood | |
| „ | " Spes Aurea | … | … | KY.81 | „ | 86 | 26 | Fleetwood | |
| „ | ' Agnes Gardner " | … | … | KY185 | „ | 86 | 26 | London | |
| „ | " Acorn " | … | … | … | KY.194 | „ | 86 | 27 | Fleetwood |
| „ | " Norman Wilson " | … | … | … | KY.228 | „ | 86 | 27 | Fleetwood |
| „ | "Plough" | … | … | … | KY.232 | „ | 86 | 26 | Fleetwood |
| „ | " Protect Us " | … | … | KY.156 | M/B | 47.5 | 17 | Grimsby | |
| „ | " Brighter Hope " | … | … | KY163 | „ | 38 | 17 | Whitehaven | |
| „ | " Silver Cloud " | … | … | KY.168 | „ | 37.9 | 18 | Newbiggin | |
| „ | " Express " | … | … | … | KY 641 | „ | 49.7 | 23 | Bridlington |
| 1944 | " Cassiopeia " | … | … | KY.14 | S/D | 86 | 26 | Milford Haven | |
| „ | " Spes Melior " | … | … | KY.19 | „ | 86 | 27 | Aberdeen | |
| „ | " Lasher " | … | … | … | KY.25 | „ | 86 | 27 | Aberdeen |
| „ | " Copious " | … | … | … | KY.I75 | „ | 86 | 27 | Fleetwood |
| „ | " Flush " | … | … | … | KY.184 | „ | 87 | 26 | Fleetwood |
| „ | "Scarlet Thread " | … | … | KY.197 | „ | 86 | 28 | Aberdeen | |
| „ | " Defensor " | … | … | … | KY.208 | „ | 86 | 27 | Aberdeen |
| „ | " Calliopsis " | … | … | KY.223 | „ | 86 | 28 | Milford Haven | |
| „ | " Mace " | … | … | … | KY.224 | „ | 86 | 27 | Fleetwood |
| „ | " Twinkling Star " | … | … | KY.347 | „ | 86 | 26 | Fleetwood | |
| „ | " Boy John " | … | … | KY.131 | M/B | 65.7 | 7 | Newhaven | |
| „ | " Arfon " | … | … | … | KY.177 | „ | 39.9 | 35 | Girvan |
| „ | " Deo Volente " | … | … | KY.217 | „ | 54 | 12 | Glasgow | |
| „ | "Faithful" | … | … | … | ML. 240 | „ | 46 | 17 | Peterhead |
| 1945 | " Argosy " | … | … | … | KY.51 | M/B | 53.4 | 9 | Kilkeel |
| „ | " Royal Sovereign " | … | KY.75 | „ | 69 | 9 | Colonial Government | ||
| „ | " Star of Hope " | … | … | KY.119 | „ | 54.4 | 9 | Eyemouth | |
| „ | " Good Hope " | … | … | KY.165 | „ | 47.5 | 14 | Eyemouth | |
| „ | " Foxglove " | … | … | … | KY.195 | „ | 37.6 | 19 | Whitby |
| 1946 | " Royal Burghs " | … | … | KY.5 | M/B | 38.6 | 26 | Campbeltown | |
| „ | " Foxglove" (late "Merit ") | KY.195 | „ | 37.6 | 20 | Newhaven | |||
| „ | " Vesper" | … | … | … | KY.169 | „ | 60.3 | 9 | Berwick-on-Tweed |
| „ | " St. Ayles " | … | … | … | KY.170 | „ | 40 | 11 | Newhaven |
| „ | " Refuge " | … | … | … | KY.306 | „ | 41.6 | 28 | Hartlepool |
§ Mr. WestwoodI thought I had given a fairly full reply to the Question. There may be varying reasons why they disposed of these boats. One reason may have been the price they were able to get at the moment, which happens to have been over £3,000 in some cases.
§ Following is the table: