109 



POLLUTION OF THE TYNE. 



BY A. MEEK. 



This season (1921) has again been a bad one for the Tyne. 

 Smolts were numerous, and large numbers have been killed in 

 the Newcastle region by the pollution. This year it cannot be 

 said that trade effluents caused the destruction, for owing to the 

 miners' strike the by-products works and other works had ceased 

 operations. The season has been an abnormally dry one, and 

 during May and June the river was very low. This allowed of 

 an accumulation of ordinary sewage in the tidal part of the river, 

 and the effect could be seen and smelt. 



Inspector John Crawford sent me on May 25th a sample 

 of 25 smolts. Of these I identified 16 as trout, 6 as salmon and 

 3 were so intermediate in character as to leave me wondering 

 whether on occasion pairing was absolutely specific. The smolts 

 were not in very good condition, but the scales of those examined 

 showed that they had been hatched in 1919. 



Mr. Crawford also wrote to me on July 21st, 1921, stating that 

 owing to the drought the smolts have been much later in getting 

 to the sea. Some are very large, and have been hanging about 

 the tideway during this month, and this is very late for smolts. 

 Large numbers were destroyed from Lemington down to New- 

 castle, and at a time when the water from Lemington to Scots- 

 wood was not much polluted. Mr. Crawford also states that it 

 is difficult to give an accurate estimate of the number destroyed, 

 but he has no doubt there were several thousands. 



