I 



240 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



fish. At the end of this period the nets were bought off by the 

 angling tenants, who found that the supply of fish in the river 

 had most materially decreased. 



There are five complete quinquennial periods of rod returns, 

 the first being only approximate, the second commencing two 

 years after the commencement of the bag netting, and the 

 fifth ending with 1917. The first gives an average of 971, the 

 second, being that following and apparently affected by the 

 bag netting, giving an average of only 620, and the last three 

 rising to the substantial averages of 1,217, 1,282, and 1,636. 

 This increase has been maintained during the three years 

 1918-1920, which show an average of no less than 1,937. 



The reduction in the stock of fish in the river in 1899 should 

 be specially noticed. The combined results of both net and 

 coble and rods is only 649 fish, while the bag nets have 8658. 

 The combination of the two forms of netting is too great for the 

 Helmsdale. I have the Brora net and coble record from 1,864 

 and the falling away at and just after this bag-netting period 

 is also most marked. 



The noteworthy point in the case of the Helmsdale is the 

 rapid recovery noticeable on the cessation of all netting and the 

 commencement of the system of artificial floods after 1901. 

 Two hatcheries operating on the river were also erected in order 

 to improve results. Without any doubt, the spring angling has 

 in recent years been better than the angling of whole seasons 

 between 1897 and 1902, while the totals show that the Helms- 

 dale angling now is twice the value it was between the dates 

 named. From the experiences in other river districts it would 

 appear that this recovery could not have been so rapid, the 

 angling results could not have been so much increased, had the 

 storing of the head waters not been undertaken. 



With regard to the effect of removing the bag nets in the sea 

 I should like to add that while it has been conclusively shown 

 that bag-net fishing in the sea can be safely carried on without 

 injury to the stock of salmon which enters fresh water, this is 

 necessarily accompanied by the proviso that the fixed nets are 

 not fished too near the mouths of rivers where fish congregate, 

 and that other forms of netting be not overdone. The bag net 

 if properly situated is really less injurious than the sweep net 

 in the river or estuary. The distance which must intervene 



