LOCH TAY 93 



If, for the convenience of securing quinquennial averages, we 

 miss out the first year, the averages are, in chronological order : 

 347, 343, 300, 178, 195, 181, and 365. The drop from the third 

 to the fourth average is most marked, and the greatest depth 

 is reached in the year 1900. This was the year the House of 

 Lords decision put an end to drift-net fishing, and to toot and 

 haul fishing in the estuary ; and at the same time the keen 

 competition in net and coble fishing was then largely diminished 

 by the active policy of The Tay Fisheries Company. At the 

 same time 1900 was very cold, and a very low river temperature 

 seemed to prevent fish ascending as quickly as usual. It was 

 quite a good year in the lower reaches of the river. 



It would appear that the stock of spring fish has improved 

 within recent years ; and, without actually expressing a definite 

 opinion that the reduction of netting has resulted in the rise 

 shown in the last quinquennial period, the reflection is allow- 

 able that the first class of fish affected by over-netting is the 

 spring run. Loch Tay has clearly more than recovered itself. 



In the figures it is also noticeable that almost in every year 

 in which the total is poor, the average weight is also poor. 

 The lowest total of 79 in 1900 has also the lowest average 

 weight, and, with one exception, every year yielding less than 

 200 fish has an average weight of 18 Ib. or under, so that we 

 have this result : 



79 fish 

 100 

 139 

 153 



15-9 Ib. 

 16-95 

 19-25 

 17-5 



178 fish . . 17-5 Ib. 

 186 . . 18 

 199 17-5 



Mr. Augustus Grimble, in his account of Loch Tay, 1 written 

 in 1900 the worst year says that the total catch for the loch 

 was 89. I am, of course, not in a position to say if the 

 estate record is incomplete, but even if 89 be the total instead 

 of 79, the season is still the worst on record. 



I expect that the figure 139, which breaks the sequence, was 

 capable of some explanation, for after 1882, the year when it 

 occurred, no similar total appears for sixteen years. This 

 appearance of few fish and at the same time light fish, is quite 

 in accordance with netsmen's experience in catching grilse. 

 If when grilse begin to appear the weights are light, old fisher- 

 1 The Salmon Rivers of Scotland, vol. iv., p. 164. 



