134 APPENDIX. 



Upper parts of rivers, involves the same difficulty. 

 The period at which salmon frequent different fish- 

 eries depends entirely upon their local situation. The 

 spring or winter salmon will not enter rivers at all 

 while snow-water is descending, and as most of our 

 rivers have their sources in mountain districts, snow- 

 water, more or less prevails, during the winter and 

 spring ; it may therefore be alleged, subject to very 

 little exception, that the spring or winter salmon is 

 only to be caught in the sea and tideway. No doubt 

 a few of them, in favourable seasons, may run up 

 rivers, but the instinct of the spring or winter sal- 

 mon is, to remain in the sea or tideway, until snow- 

 water from the mountains has disappeared, which 

 seldom happens before March or April. This is 

 the reason that those who have interests in the up- 

 per parts of rivers advocate a late commencement of 

 the fishing season, and, as a necessary consequence, 

 a late termination. The difficulty, therefore, in my 

 opinion, is to be met, by fixing the close season to 

 end, and the fishing season to commence, at the ear- 

 best possible period consistent with the due protec- 

 tion of the spawners, which are then at the head of 

 the river ; and I conceive that the 10th or 15th of 

 January will fully attain that end. The bulk of the 

 spawning in all rivers is over at Christmas, and the 

 kelts or spent fish are then on their return to the 

 sea ; but having spawned, the loss of a few of them 

 is a less evil, than prohibiting the fishing for spring 

 or winter salmon, beyond the 15th January, as those 



