142 



The Salmon 



conditioned ones are to be met with. On days that are unsuitable for 

 running, many of the fish are thin, and a greater number in proportion 

 are seal- marked, showing that fish in prime condition are more 

 inclined to run when the water and weather are suitable. More 

 fish run during night than during the day. 



THE MOVEMENTS OF THE FISH IN THE SEA 



We have little knowledge of their movements from the time 

 they visit the sea as smolts until they appear again along the coast, 

 and are either caught in the stake-nets or soon after they enter a 

 river. I am of opinion that every salmon or grilse on coming to our 

 shores wishes to enter its own river, and would do so if it were not 

 caught in these nets. A good deal of nonsensical talk has been 

 indulged in, in arguing the advisability of catching all the fish in the 

 sea and leaving the rivers unfished. The wiser plan, however, would be 

 to remove all stake and bag nets from the sea and catch the fish in the 

 rivers. They can be caught in the rivers at far less expense, and being 

 caught by sweep-nets, are not so roughly handled, and are killed at once 

 on being captured. They are thus in much better condition than those 

 caught in stake-nets, although I know many people think differently. 



During the sitting of the recent Royal Commission, Lord Elgin 

 was astonished to hear me say that the fish caught in our sweep- 

 nets were better than those caught in our stake- nets in the sea. 

 My explanation was, the method of catching them made the river 

 ones superior to those caught in the sea. If they toss about in the 

 stake-net until they die and are then rolled about by the waves, 

 their scales are torn and rubbed off and their flesh becomes soft 

 and flabby, and altogether they have the appearance of " cadged ' 

 fish. One can easily see this if the two kinds be compared on 

 a fishmonger's slab. The sea-caught ones lie as flat as a flounder ; 

 whereas the river-caught ones are stiff and rigid and do not lie flat. 



I am of opinion that the increased number of stake and bag nets 

 on the coast is not only curtailing the supply of fish, but is actually 



