ENGLAND AND WALES 243 



running up has very much increased. In August 

 and September floods, nearly the whole of the fish 

 entering the Coquet have been Salmo solar. In 

 October and November, as a rule, we have the bull- 

 trout. It is very difficult to account for the great 

 increase in salmon. There is no serious pollution, 

 and it may be that many of the salmon that were 

 wont to enter the Tyne, which is very badly polluted, 

 now prefer the waters of the Coquet. The harbour 

 mouth of the Coquet at Warkworth has been 

 dredged a good deal of late years, and some think 

 that the deepening of the channel has attracted the 

 salmon. The river has been better guarded of late, 

 and the fish passes have been improved." 



The ALN contains sea-trout, which seem to be 

 multiplying. Net-men who fish in the sea at the 

 cnouth do very well indeed. Now and then there is 

 a fair rod season, and fish up to 10 Ibs. are caught. 

 The sport, however, is very uncertain. A few small 

 salmon are occasionally to be found. The manage- 

 ment of the lower part of the river from Alnwick 

 to the sea is in the hands of a local committee, and 

 under their guidance the stocks of sea-trout and 

 brown trout have improved. Mr. J. de C. Paynter 

 writes : 



" Since the harbour at Amble, in Alnmouth Bay, 

 was deepened by dredging, the Coquet has been 

 tending to become a salmon river. I think that if 

 the entrance to the A In from the sea could be 

 deepened salmon would run up in considerable 

 numbers. There is no serious source of pollution. 



