THE SALMON AND ITS MIGRATIONS 183 



they range in weight from half a pound to one 

 and a half pounds. 



Grilse begin to enter our rivers here about the 

 end of June and continue running up till about 

 the middle of September. I was much astonished 

 to read that in Norway large numbers <5f grilse 

 are netted with the salmon. It is hardly credible 

 that the fishermen would be so shortsighted as to 

 use, and the Government to allow, a size of mesh 

 small enough for that. In Canada the regulation 

 mesh is five inches wide, sufficient to allow grilse 

 to run through, but small enough to hold an eight 

 pound fish. Intelligent fishermen have found out 

 by experience that five inches is too small, and 

 nearly all now use nets of from six to seven and a 

 half inches mesh. This size net will not capture 

 any fish under nine to ten pounds. This loss of 

 smaller sized fish is amply compensated for by the 

 greater quantities of larger ones secured. In the 

 small mesh net most of the big ones are lost, by 

 not being properly gilled and falling out of the 

 net, and very likely also many large fish will not 

 attempt to run through. One thing certain is 

 that if it was not in their interest fishermen 

 would not use the large mesh. 



The average weight of salmon taken in nets is 

 about fifteen pounds. Additional protection 

 should be given to grilse by prohibiting the use 

 of trout nets entirely, or at least after the 1st of 

 July, instead of the 31st, as the present law per- 



