IMPROVEMENT OF FISHERIES 229 



most waters are overstocked ; in-and-in breeding 

 has tended to dwarf species ; and no attempt at 

 cultivating the waters a system commonly fol- 

 lowed in Catholic times has been made. 



Nor, in the principal lakes at all events, has 

 discrimination been exercised between the game 

 or sporting fish on the one hand, and coarse 

 fish on the other. 



The transference of char from one lake to 

 another has been carried out in several instances ; 

 and irresponsible experiments (such as turning 

 down trout-fry) have been tried in Windermere, 

 Coniston, and other lakes. 



Probably no striking results in the improve- 

 ment of our fisheries will be achieved until a 

 responsible governing body takes some particular 

 sheet of water in hand and works on a well- 

 thought-out plan for a definite object, and over 

 a series of years. The results of such an 

 experiment would be invaluable. They would 

 afford data which would prove of more or less 

 general application to the whole district. 



Immediately the subject were approached, how- 

 ever, several difficulties would present themselves. 

 A consideration of the case of Windermere at once 

 suggests a set of problems. For instance : 



1. Have we sufficient accurate knowledge of the 

 life-history of the char, particularly in relation 

 to its spawning, to be confident that the present 

 "close-time" conduces to its increase? 



2. Are the most economical results obtained by 

 taking char only of such a size as cannot go through 

 a mesh of i J inches ? 



3. Then as to the mode of capture. In the 

 general interest, seeing that occasionally char can 



