ON THE CHANNEL-FISHERIES. 89 



been into and returned from the sea, be it en- 

 acted, that all such old salmon shall be immediately 

 liberated as soon as taken from such nets, and put 

 back into the open river without being killed or 

 injured. And any person or persons having such 

 old fish in his, her, or their possession, or exposing 

 the same for sale, shall forfeit and pay the sum of 

 twenty pounds, and the same may be seized and 

 publicly burnt. And carts, waggons, and ware- 

 houses may be searched, and if any such unseason- 

 able fish or salmon are found packed up with good 

 seasonable fish, the whole shall be seized and sold 

 for the benefit of the poor where seized. And be 

 it further enacted, that if any person or persons in 

 drawing for salmon, shall inadvertently and un- 

 avoidably by nets or seins, take and catch any 

 salmon spawn or shed,* without throwing back the 

 same immediately into the water, he or they shall 

 forfeit and pay the sum of one pound for every such 

 salmon spawn so caught and kept. 



And whereas the mesh of nets now used in the 

 salmon fisheries is not only contrary to an existing 

 law, but so small as to be destructive of the breed 

 of salmon, and the salmon fisheries, by catching and 

 destroying unsizeable fish, be it therefore fur- 

 ther enacted, that no nets shall be used for the 

 taking of salmon unless the mesh of such nets in 

 and throughout shall be two inches and half broad 



* This should never happen, because the lawful mesh for 

 taking sizeable salmon will always enable the spawn to escape. 

 However it is as well to provide against it. 



