820 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES,' 



the chance of catching a mature sahnon would be largely increased, i^ro- 

 vided only such mature salmon are there to be caught, which has yet to 

 be proved. 



We know that in our own waters the capture of sea-going salmonoids 

 was at first, that is in the year 1869, confined to a few sniolts only, and 

 these were taken in the small meshed seines after strong freshets had come 

 down the Derwent in the end of October and the beginning of Novem- 

 ber. In subsequent years, and always in the same months, many of 

 these fish came to the hands of the salmon commissioners till the river 

 was very properly closed to the seine-nets above Hobart Town, and 

 many more of the same fish were doubtless taken of which the com- 

 missioners knew nothing. The capture of these smolts was in several 

 seasons followed by the taking in December, January, and February, of 

 salmonoids intermediate in size between smolts and grilse — that is, weigh- 

 ing from three-quarters of a pound to one pound and a half — and it was one 

 of these fish taken in December, 1869, of which Dr. Giinther wrote that it 

 presented all the characteristics usually found in the true salmon {Salmo 

 salar). 



Time passed on and one grilse was taken 'in December, 1873, followed 

 by two or three others in subsequent years, and in the beginning of 

 January, 1876, between two or three hundred of the salmonoids inter- 

 mediate between smolts and grilse were talcen at a few hauls of the 

 seine-nets on the open sea beaches, some distance below Hobart Town, 

 since which the river has been wisely closed still lower down. 



Eight of the last-mentioned fish, taken at random, were carefully ex- 

 amined and dissected, and of these eight, six jjroved to be unmistakably 

 true salmon {Salmo salar), while the remaining two exhibited character- 

 istics common to both the true salmon and the salmon trout {Salmo 

 tnitta), so that their species could not be positively determined. We 

 next come to the comparatively frequent capture of grilse this season in 

 one place, and by one small net ill-suited for the purpose. And so far 

 therefore, the sequence of events has been marvelously regular, and ex- 

 actly what was to be exj)ected if all went well. Yet it is not absolutely 

 certain that this regular sequence will be followed by the crowning tri- 

 umph in the shape of the captui'e of a 30-iJound salmon, though the 

 probabilities are greatly in favor of such a capture being soon made if 

 proper means are used to effect it. 



It is certain, from the life history of our salmonoids, as already detailed, 

 that the smolts descending the Derwent find ample food and sufticiently 

 salt water in the estuary immediately below Hobart Town to carry them 

 on to the stage referred to as intermediate between smolts and grilse, 

 after which stage we altogether lose sight of these fish for a time, dur- 

 ing which they jirobably go with the floods of autumn and farther out 

 on to the open coast, for when we next see them it is as grilse in early 

 spring (August and September), and they then appear to be working 

 theii" way up the Derwent estuary and following the myriads of indige- 



