BEFORE THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. 131 



as many as men ; attributes the decrease to the 

 non-protection of the breeding Jish and the fry. 



John Johnson again examined. Salmon get bad 

 after being out of the sea; get worse and worse ; 

 lose their bright colour and firm state ; get longer 

 and lighter, when in the fresh water ; the nearer 

 the sea the better the fish ; do not continue good 

 many days after being out of the salt water ; as- 

 cribes the decrease in the Tay to the non-protection 

 of the breeding Jish ; to beginning too early to 

 Jish ; to poaching fishing in close time ; to the de- 

 struction of the breeding Jlsk, and of the spawn or 

 fry ; and to the want of efficient modes ofjishing ; 

 sea-louse does not remain many days after the fish 

 come into fresh water; they go off by degrees. 

 The breeding season is the same in all places, but 

 the fence days are not so ; THINKS THE FENCE DAYS 



SHOULD BE THE SAME ALL THE KINGDOM OVER ; 



all fish find a market, bad as well as good ; but 

 the foul fish are very unwholesome; people will 

 buy any thing that is cheap ; has seen the sea-louse 

 twelve miles up the rivers ; recommends the begin- 

 ning to jish ON THE 10th MARCH, and to leave off 

 the MIDDLE OF SEPTEMBER, as a GENERAL RULE ; 

 yet a few sound fish may be caught earlier in the 

 year ; the law is seldom enforced for the protection 

 of the breeding fish ; 'vast numbers of Jish killed in 

 close time, in fact the fisheries are ruined for want 

 of protection ; spearing by torch-light is often prac- 

 tised ; laws not carried into execution / the fluctu- 



K % 



