60 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



Year. 

 1835 

 1836 

 1837 

 1838 

 1839 

 1840 

 1841 

 1842 

 1843 

 1844 

 1845 

 1846 



The year 1842 is the record in this series, the total catch 

 being no fewer than 107,318 fish ; but for this wonderful run 

 of grilse the last quinquennial average would have shown a 

 considerable decline. If, for instance, one or other of the 

 two last years had been in place of the 1 842 figures, the average 

 would have been 62,762 or 62,163. 



As is noted in the case of early figures given for the Tweed 

 District, there is more fluctuation in the grilse than in the 

 salmon column ; but the grilse return here given for the Tay 

 does not show that violent fluctuation which the Tweed does 

 at, however, a rather later period. It is not possible, at the 

 present day, to compare modern returns with those given, even 

 if one had full returns from the Tay Salmon Fisheries Company, 

 because the amount of netting is now so completely altered ; 

 but one thing is very certain, viz. that grilse never now come 

 in such numbers as are represented in the above column. The 

 growth of bag net fishing in the sea must be recollected in this 

 connection ; but even then, a feature of our present day fishing 

 is that good years are not so good as of old, and bad years 

 are much worse and more frequent. During some recent 

 years, indeed, it might be said that grilse have almost utterly 

 failed in many parts. From this it must not by any means 

 be inferred that the Tay Salmon Fisheries Company is not a 

 prosperous concern. Prices are high. 



In the history of the Tay, litigation has arisen from time to 

 time. The Bermoney Boat Case is historical. The toot and 

 haul fishing and drift net cases went to the House of Lords, 

 and resulted in the decision, given as recently as 1900, that in 

 Scotland those forms of fishing cannot now be practised in any 



