28 THE FISHERIES. 



lbs. weight, down to the sahmon peal, of 2 lbs. or 3 lbs., 

 all that enter the bag-net are captured. It is pro- 

 posed, therefore, in the present Bill, that fixed-nets 

 shall use a certain sized mesh (five and half inch mesh) 

 which will permit an escapement in some degree ana- 

 logous to the escapement provided for by law in fixed 

 river engines. We hold it as an axiom in Salmon- 

 fishing, that no fixed engine should be allowed to 

 take a 5 lbs. salmon. By the enactments now in 

 force provision is made for the escape of fish through 

 boxes or cruives in sohd weirs, by providing that the 

 bars or rails shall have intervals of two inches. This 

 provision, if it were properly made, so as that the 

 bars should stand perpendicularly, and not horizon- 

 tally, would permit small salmon to escape through 

 the cruive, but no provision whatever is made for an 

 escapement through fixed nets : we maintain there 

 should be adequate escape through both. Whatever, 

 therefore, may be the decision arrived at in this par- 

 ticular, let us at least hope, that it will proceed upon 

 fixed principles and by equitable enactments. 



We must, however, devote a little more space to 

 an examination of this subject, as we conceive it to 

 be of the utmost importance to allow an ample escape 

 of the grilse or young salmon. The grilse or salmon- 

 peal returning to the river for the first time since his 

 descent to the sea as a fry, ranges in weight from 

 3 lbs. to 5 lbs. and upwards. It may be observed 

 that this salmon-peal has escaped all the dangers of 

 the intermediate stages. The fry in their passage 

 down the river are destroyed in myriads by pike and 



