20 THE FISHEIIIES. 



lixed net. We cannot, therefore, regard the matter 

 otherwise than, and we charge the fact to be, that 

 these predatory animals have had great privileges 

 conferred upon them by the Act of 1842 ; and that 

 their combined depredations, form one large item 

 amongst the causes, which have produced the falling 

 off of our salmon fisheries. 



But amongst the theories propounded, when that 

 disastrous measure legahzing fixed-nets, was intro- 

 duced, it was gravely maintained that one advan- 

 tage to be expected from their use, was, that they 

 rescued salmon for the purposes of man, from the 

 jaws of porpoises and seals ; that salmon were in- 

 chned to delay and hanker in the sea, on their way 

 to, and previous to entering, the river ; and that, 

 during all this time, they were preyed upon by 

 seals and other natural enemies. We shall not detain 

 the reader with any further refutation of this theory, 

 as we think it has been sufficiently shown, that salmon 

 in the sea know how to take care of themselves ; their 

 habit being to keep out of range of their marine ene- 

 mies. That they do, in point of fact, so avoid their 

 sea enemies, we could give numberless entertaining 

 instances ; but it is unnecessary to do so, as this in- 

 stinct, we conceive, will not be questioned. It may, 

 however, be mentioned as a very remarkable cir- 

 cumstance, that the bag-net captures a great propor- 

 tion of very large fish. Salmon 20 lbs. and 30 Ibs^ 

 weight, and upwards, are quite familiar to the bag- 

 net fisher, but were at all times scarce during the 



