STORAGE AND PASSES 279 



coast cannot be carried on without seriously injuring 

 a river so small as the Helmsdale. The number 

 of fish taken by coast nets is more than double the 

 average total take of fish for the fifteen years from 

 1882 to 1896. It is true that in particularly good 

 years the nets on the Helmsdale took as many as 

 11,000 salmon and grilse; but that was quite ex- 

 ceptional, and it is probable that many of the pools 

 in the river were netted at that time. The best 

 netting seasons of which there are records were as 

 follow : 



Year 1807, 57,805 Ibs. taken; average 7'06 Ibs. 

 1816, 68,250 6-13 



1883, 32,373 8-17 



1895, 34,401 8-34 



Although there are records of poor seasons, the 

 average was pretty good. We find that between 

 1882 and 1896 the nets on the river took on an 

 average 3187 salmon and grilse each year. The 

 worst seasons on record were as follow : 



Year 1839, 6139 Ibs. taken; average 6-55 Ibs. 



1847, 7490 6-31 

 1879, 3948 



1897, 6317 8-24 



1898, 2830 7-98 



1899, 2166 7-80 



It is instructive to note that whilst the rod-fishing 

 yielded 1739 salmon and grilse, averaging 9*34 Ibs., 

 in 1895, only 307 fish, averaging 9*09 Ibs., were 

 taken in 1899, two years after the coast nets had 



