156 SALMON FISHING 



barred for migratory fish. In the estuary to the 

 south, as far as the river Ayr, there is no salmon 

 river. On the north, except the Echaig, with its 

 intermittent flow, there is none but the Leven. 

 That river opens, at Dumbarton Rock, a gateway to 

 the watershed of Loch Lomond. This great district 

 is not under the control of a District Board. The 

 Loch Lomond Angling Improvement Association, 

 however, taking a broad view, leased the fishing 

 rights of Loch Lomond and the Leven nets, abolish- 

 ing the nets, and now leases the Clyde nets, working 

 them to clear the rent. The Association, besides 

 its netting statistics, receives approximately correct 

 reports of fish caught on the loch. A fair estimate 

 can thus be made of the total yield. In 1904 the 

 nets lost through the Leven running high. In 1905, 

 a season of drought, the nets gained and the loch 

 lost. The currndo returns show a great increase of 

 stock. In 1904 there were taken by net and rod 

 592 salmon and grilse and 3104 sea-trout ; in 1905, 

 1083 salmon and grilse and 6054 sea-trout. The 

 increase is partly due to the Association's hatchery. 

 Certain of the loch shores have thereby been re- 

 stocked. At Luss, in October 1904, twenty-one 

 sea-trout were marked with silver badges. It is 

 believed that in October 1905 nine of them were 

 seen. It is just possible that a few of these were 

 the same fish appearing more than once ; but it 

 is certain that five of them were counted once 

 only. The sole obstacle to a splendid increase is 

 pollution of the Leven, which in a dry season makes 



