156 



Sea -Trout 



tinguishing them at a glance. In marking the salmon smolts we are 

 not aware of having made a single mistake in this connection, although 

 there were plenty of yellow-fins also in the net, and no wired sea-trout 

 have been caught. Although yellow-fin is the name applied to the smolt 

 stage of the sea-trout, it must not be understood all have yellow fins, 



FIG. 154. Sea-trout, showing scales from the adipose fin to the lateral line. 



The four specks are sea-lice. 



for many have their fins of quite as dark a colour as those of a salmon 

 smolt (Fig. 156). As a rule, the yellow-fins are larger than the 

 salmon smolts, and this may be accounted for by the fact that the 

 former are from a month to six weeks older, and therefore have an 

 earlier start than the salmon smolts. 



I am of opinion that the yellow-fins do not go far out to sea 

 before returning as whitling (Fig. 157) about the end of June. 

 During the whole season we catch them, in the estuary, in all stages 



