﻿MANUAL 
  OF 
  FISH-CULTURE. 
  29 
  

  

  observation, 
  but 
  to 
  a 
  region 
  where 
  it 
  finds 
  a 
  rich 
  feeding-ground 
  and 
  

   rapidly 
  increases 
  in 
  size.* 
  In 
  northern 
  rivers, 
  those 
  of 
  Kew 
  Brunswick 
  

   and 
  beyond, 
  as 
  in 
  those 
  of 
  northern 
  Europe, 
  the 
  salmon 
  returns 
  from 
  

   the 
  sea 
  when 
  it 
  has 
  attained 
  a 
  weight 
  of 
  2 
  to 
  C 
  Dounds, 
  and 
  is 
  then 
  

   termed 
  a 
  "grilse." 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  rivers 
  of 
  Canada, 
  in 
  general, 
  grilse 
  occur 
  in 
  great 
  numbers, 
  

   coming 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  at 
  a 
  later 
  date 
  than 
  the 
  adults, 
  but 
  ascending 
  

   like 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  upper 
  waters, 
  mingling 
  freely 
  with 
  them, 
  rising 
  to 
  the 
  

   same 
  fly, 
  and 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  weirs. 
  The 
  mesh 
  of 
  the 
  nets 
  is 
  limited 
  

   by 
  law 
  to 
  a 
  size 
  that 
  takes 
  the 
  adult 
  salmon, 
  but 
  allows 
  the 
  grilse 
  to 
  

   slip 
  through. 
  To 
  this 
  circumstance 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  part 
  owing 
  that 
  by 
  the 
  

   time 
  the 
  fish 
  have 
  reached 
  those 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  suitable 
  for 
  

   angling 
  there 
  is 
  commonly, 
  if 
  it 
  be 
  late 
  enough 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  a 
  great 
  

   preponderance 
  of 
  grilse, 
  so 
  that 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  than 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  

   are 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  angler. 
  In 
  Nova 
  Scotia 
  many 
  grilse 
  are 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  

   Shubenacadie 
  Eiver 
  from 
  August 
  until 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  fall. 
  On 
  the 
  Mirami- 
  

   chi, 
  in 
  New 
  Brunswick, 
  grilse 
  make 
  their 
  appearance 
  about 
  July 
  1, 
  and 
  

   from 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  that 
  month 
  till 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  August 
  they 
  constitute 
  

   the 
  main 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  salmon 
  entering 
  the 
  river. 
  Some 
  sportsmen 
  

   report 
  that 
  the 
  grilse 
  caught 
  exceed 
  the 
  adults 
  in 
  the 
  ratio 
  of 
  5 
  to 
  1. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  August, 
  in 
  the 
  Nepissiguit, 
  Restigouche, 
  and 
  St. 
  

   John 
  of 
  Gaspe, 
  grilse 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  some 
  years 
  to 
  exceed 
  the 
  

   adults 
  in 
  the 
  ratio 
  of 
  3 
  to 
  1. 
  They 
  run 
  into 
  the 
  Nepissiguit 
  mostly 
  

   between 
  July 
  25 
  and 
  September 
  1. 
  Their 
  scarcity 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  angling 
  season, 
  or 
  say 
  previous 
  to 
  July 
  20, 
  is 
  attested 
  by 
  numer- 
  

   ous 
  fishing 
  scores. 
  A 
  series 
  of 
  scores 
  of 
  salmon 
  fishing 
  in 
  the 
  Godbout 
  

   River, 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  Lawrence, 
  shows 
  that 
  previous 
  to 
  

   July 
  15 
  or 
  20 
  the 
  adult 
  salmon 
  taken 
  with 
  the 
  fly 
  in 
  that 
  river 
  exceed 
  

   the 
  grilse 
  in 
  the 
  ratio 
  of 
  10 
  to 
  1 
  or 
  more. 
  

  

  In 
  our 
  rivers 
  grilse 
  are 
  seldom 
  seen, 
  and 
  only 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  are 
  taken 
  per 
  year 
  

   in 
  a 
  weir 
  in 
  the 
  St. 
  Croix, 
  which 
  takes 
  about 
  70 
  adults. 
  In 
  the 
  Dennys 
  

   River 
  the 
  ratio 
  of 
  grilse 
  to 
  salmon 
  caught 
  is 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  1 
  to500, 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  Penobscot 
  they 
  are 
  quite 
  as 
  rare. 
  Adult 
  salmon 
  running 
  in 
  this 
  

   river 
  several 
  weeks 
  earlier 
  than 
  in 
  those 
  of 
  eastern 
  New 
  Brunswick, 
  we 
  

  

  * 
  There 
  has 
  been 
  consitlerable 
  discnssion 
  on 
  this 
  point, 
  and 
  the 
  conclusions 
  of 
  some 
  

   observers 
  are 
  at 
  variance 
  v*'ith 
  the 
  above 
  statement. 
  In 
  Scotland 
  many 
  years 
  ago 
  it 
  

   seemed 
  to 
  be 
  well 
  established 
  by 
  the 
  observations 
  of 
  Buist 
  that 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  

   salmon 
  put 
  on 
  the 
  silvery 
  coat 
  and 
  went 
  to 
  sea 
  at 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  oue 
  year, 
  but 
  that 
  others 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  brood 
  did 
  not 
  get 
  ready 
  to 
  go 
  imtil 
  two 
  years 
  old. 
  American 
  observa- 
  

   tions, 
  however, 
  tend 
  strongly 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  young 
  salmon 
  passes 
  two 
  

   whole 
  summers 
  in 
  the 
  river, 
  going 
  out 
  to 
  sea 
  in 
  the 
  autumn 
  following 
  its 
  second 
  

   summer 
  or 
  the 
  next 
  spring. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  seaward 
  migration 
  is 
  

   restricted 
  in 
  any 
  river 
  to 
  any 
  exact 
  ]ieriod 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  weeks 
  duration, 
  but 
  that 
  it 
  

   extends 
  over 
  many 
  mouths, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  salmon, 
  l>y 
  reason 
  of 
  superior 
  native 
  

   vigor 
  of 
  growth 
  or 
  from 
  other 
  equally 
  efficient 
  cause, 
  attaining 
  the 
  migratorj'^ 
  stage 
  

   months 
  earlier 
  than 
  others 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  brood. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  one 
  American 
  observer 
  that 
  salmon 
  fry 
  remain 
  in 
  the 
  streams 
  

   until 
  October 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  year 
  before 
  going 
  to 
  seai, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  go 
  down 
  

   until 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  the 
  third 
  year; 
  i. 
  e., 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  two 
  years 
  old; 
  though 
  some 
  

   may 
  go 
  down 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  year; 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  salmon 
  do 
  not 
  return 
  until 
  

   they 
  are 
  four 
  years 
  old. 
  

  

  