SALMON 259 



a certain number of early-running fish do drop back into the 

 salt water. 



The men at the nets tell me there is usually a run of fish at 

 the first or third quarters of the moon, and if this is right, 

 then the chances are fully four to one against the run taking 

 place during the thirty-six hours of the close time ; while 

 furthermore it must be remembered that unless the fish find 

 the river flowing big enough to take them up, even the hitting 

 of the mouth exactly on the close day will be of no avail. 



Of late years there is hardly a salmon river in Scotland 

 that has not shown a decreasing yield both to nets and rods ; 

 especially are there four dismal records brought to our notice 

 as sad examples of what other rivers may eventually sink to. 

 In Ireland, the Blackwater and the Laune have been nearly 

 fishless, while in Scotland the Tweed and the Spey have been 

 quite as bad. Now it is incontestable that the only certain 

 way of increasing the stock of salmon is the drastic one of 

 lengthening the weekly close time for the river nets and limit- 

 ing the number of the sea nets. With regard to the river close 

 time, another twenty-four hours should be added to the present 

 thirty-six ; it should commence on Friday evening at six 

 o'clock, and last till six o'clock on the following Monday 

 morning. 



An increase, however, of but twelve hours would do wonders 

 if properly seen to and fairly distributed ; for in my humble 

 opinion a close time terminating at six o'clock on Monday 

 morning for the nets at the mouth of a big river ought not 

 to end at the same hour for nets that are twenty miles higher 

 up the water ; nets working four miles above the river mouth 

 should not be permitted to ply till ten o'clock on Monday 

 morning, or four hours after those at the mouth have started ; 

 while again those nets sweeping the river from four to eight 

 miles still higher up should not be allowed to commence 

 work till two o'clock, and so on all the way up the river, 

 and allowing a delay of four hours for every four miles until 



