16 FISH CULTURE. 



CHAPTEE I. 



OUR INLAND FISHERIES. 



The waters of our inland fisheries must be divided 

 under two heads, viz. those which are capable of 

 producing salmon, and those which are only capable 

 of producing fish of less value. 



As the salmon is of infinitely the greatest import- 

 ance, I shall treat of it first. 



In olden time there can be no doubt that salmon 

 was far more abundant than it is now ; and we hear 

 of its being a common practice of apprentices to 

 have it entered in their indentures, in many places, 

 that they were not to eat salmon more than a certain 

 number of times per week ; and it is in the memory 

 of many that servants have rebelled against being 

 fed to a great extent upon salmon. It may be urged, 

 in mitigation of this fact, that before railways were, 

 the expense and difficulty of transporting salmon for 

 long distances caused a vast supply of this fish to be 

 thrown upon certain limited districts at times, and 

 fresh salmon was thus often, for want of outlet for 

 the sale, sold at as low a price as \\d. and 2d. per 



