120 THE SALMON. 



tain powers regarding seasons to the Quarter Sessions 

 powers, however, which, mainly from ignorance and care- 

 lessness, if also from selfishness, were greatly abused. In 

 almost all cases also, the English fishing was too long and 

 too late, and the imperfections of the law were greatly 

 aggravated by its being almost universally disregarded. 

 For more than twenty years, Ireland has been more 

 favourably situated in this respect than the other two \ 

 kingdoms, having, under the Act of 1842, had its seasons 

 both much shortened and judiciously varied by the Com- 

 missioners, the benefit of which arrangements proved 

 almost sufficient to counterbalance the evils wrought by 

 other causes. 



We come now, however, to the grand cause of the 

 general decrease, which is partly included in the cause 

 just dealt with, but may be roundly expressed by the 

 term over-fishing. This over-fishing has been of two 

 kinds, and to some extent of two dates. In the first 

 place, by the old and ordinary mode of net-and-coble, in 

 the lower or nettable portions of rivers, which brought 

 about the earlier of two declensions ; next, by the com- 

 paratively new mode of stake and bag nets on the coast, 

 which, co-operating with the continued overworking of 

 the former system, has mainly produced the more 

 recent decline. 



First, as to the diminution caused through the over- 

 fishing by the old or ordinary modes. That the efficiency 

 or severity of the fishing would increase as the demand 

 and the prices rose with the advance in population and 

 means of transport, was to be expected. One piece of 

 evidence that the work was overdone that the killing 



