

CHAPTER VI 



ARE THE SALMON DECLINING? 



The General Belief Is it Well Founded ? A Characteristic 

 of Popular Opinion Reasons for Misgiving Reasons 

 for Hope Survey of the British Islands. 



IN all parts of the United Kingdom one finds a 

 general belief that the salmon is not to be long in 

 the land. If one may judge by the general tone of 

 conversation among sportsmen, there is not a single 

 river that is as good as it was, and the common 

 expectation seems to be that before very long most 

 of the rivers will be without any salmon at all. 

 Like the Red Indians in America, the salmon of the 

 British Islands are regarded, even by those who 

 would fain think otherwise, as a doomed race. 



Is this opinion based on facts? Is it only a 

 symptom of that insular odd pessimism which, from 

 time immemorial, has inclined many Britons to be 

 convinced that the country is " going to the dogs " ? 



The subject was well worth investigating. General 

 opinions on any question that does not concern the 

 vital interests of the nation are usually, when probed, 



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