APPENDIX 283 



The salmon fishermen above Nursling are admittedly the 

 principal sufferers, and they attribute their dearth of salmon 

 mainly to the obstruction below Nursling Mill. 



Net-fishing in the river used at one time to be most lucra- 

 tive, but it is now practically abandoned, although it is 

 supposed that illegal netting below Redbridge is by no means 

 unknown. But even if this be true, it cannot seriously affect 

 the question. There are, undoubtedly, fewer salmon in all 

 parts of the river than formerly, and that in this case it is 

 not due to nets is certain. The causes must be sought else- 

 where. 



It is probable that the general falling off of the salmon in 

 the Test may in part be due to the narrow passage on the 

 Southampton Water and the very considerable disturbance 

 of the water about Southampton. The increased destruc- 

 tion of salmon food herrings, etc. round our coast may be 

 an explanation of this annual decrease in the number of salmon 

 returning to this river, and, most likely of all, as suggested 

 to me by Mr. R. B. Marston, it may be due to the frequent 

 heavy firing at the entrance to the Southampton Water. 



The Test may be roughly considered to be divided into three 

 sections : the water below Nursling, the water from Nursling 

 to below Mottisfont say to and a little above the late Foster 

 Mortimer's water, " the Island," and the rest of the Test 

 water above the latter place. The two former include all the 

 salmon fishings, comprising about eight miles of the river ; 

 the last, the trout fishing portion of the Test, having a length 

 of over sixty miles. 



Just above Nursling Mill the river splits up into two por- 

 tions, one the Test River running through the mill and 

 over the mill-weir to the east, and the other the Little 

 River running to the west, these two branches joining again 

 above Redbridge. The Little River is not only very prolific, 

 but as a salmon river is earlier than the Test itself. The 

 fishings below the mill at Nursling consist of two beats, the 

 Nurslingjjand the Testwood waters. 



