BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 217 



54.— NOTES UPON THE SCOTCH FISH AND FISHERIES. 



By JOHN ANDERSON. 



Salmon. — Our rivers are not giving half the salmcm they used to 

 give. Indeed some do not give one-fourth. In the Tay alone have any 

 artificial fry been placed. I have advocated a public hatchery for all 

 Scotland, but cannot get them to see the necessity of having it. Owing 

 to our net fishing being now stopped so early, too many fish get up to 

 our spawning ground and at once they commence to fight and kill one 

 another, then putrify, and get covered over with fungus. It seems to 

 astonish them, although I have seen it on our river banks for the last 

 60 years, only on a very small scale, according as the quantity get up 

 before spawning. 



I send you a few particulars of the run of our salmon, grilse, and 

 trout up our river Forth during the season. I do not know what your 

 views are as to grilse; by many they have always been considered as 

 the young of salmon ; t but I am happy to say I have now convinced 

 hundreds they are not. Our salmon and grilse are just as different as 

 our geese and ducks. The young salmon approaching our rivers weigh 

 from three-fourths of a pouno" up to 1 pound in December, and are seen 

 again in February to weigh 3 to 6 pounds. Every spring tide finds 

 them half a pound heavier. They just follow our winter salmon, while 

 our first grilse are never seen before May and then they weigh from 1£ 

 to 3 pounds, and in July 5 pounds and up to 12 pounds. The youngest 

 salmon and the largest have the same distinct marks on them, an oval 

 scale and a crescent tail, while the youngest and largest grilse have a 

 nice diamond scale and mackerel tail. In the third year I have found 

 and pointed them out 20 to 25 pounds each, but our fishermen call them 

 salmon as they obtain a higher price. In writing I only speak for the 

 Forth. • 



About twenty years ago, when the hatchery was established for the 

 Tay, the old keeper, Peter of the pools, as they called him at Stormont- 

 field ponds, wrote the inspector of the river Tay, saying he could not 

 understand his numerous family of 200,000, for one-half seemed quite 

 inclined to go to sea and the other half or perhaps one-third seemed 

 disinclined to go near the outlet of the pond while the others were leav- 

 ing by the thousands. Mr. Buist, my worthy friend, wrote me asking 

 if I could enlighten him on such a queer and interesting matter. I at 

 once explained the true cause, namely: The bailiffs when capturing the 

 fish to abstract the ova, as it happened in winter, often during the time 

 ice was on the water or a storm of snow was lasting, had little time to 

 make investigations and might have taken the ova from a good-sized 

 grilse instead of a salmon. Indeed, as they all considered it only a 



