BEFORE THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. 135 



cruives because by being fixed they don't come over 

 the spawning beds ; cruives prevent the mother fish 

 from running up. 



Mr, John Halliday again called in. — Stake-nets 

 have increased the supply on the Newberry fishery. 

 At page 86. speaks of a mill-dyke across the river ; 

 takes all the water out of the bed of the river into 

 the mill-dam, which must be very destructive to the 

 whole fishery in the river, as it must impede the 

 spawning fish ingoing up, and the fry and parent fish 

 in returning to the sea ; might be prevented by a 

 sluice to enable the fish to go up and down ; in- 

 jury of a dam-dyke may be prevented by a stop ; 

 I think the fisheries could be provided for without 

 the necessity of removing tlie dam-dykes ; thinks 

 that they don't see the salmon from the time they 

 leave the river as fry until the next year early 

 in the spring, when they begin to return to the 

 rivers young salmon ; thinks they don't return to 

 the river where bred ; can't distinguish one river 

 fish from another when the fish are well grown ; 

 nothing but salmon in a porpoise, which is their 

 sole food. P. 89. Coble-nets not destructive but on 

 the spawning beds ; when salmon find themselves 

 enclosed they go to the bottom ; under rope must 

 be close to the bottom ; has seen small sea-fish and 

 worms in the stomach of the salmon ; greater 

 quantity of good food in the sea than in the rivers ; 

 the cause of scarcity, which applies to all the rivers, 

 is the want of protection, and the increased quantity 



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