A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



sponges. I believe that this is the first recorded 

 instance of a salmon smolt being found in the 

 open sea. 



The Lune is the chief Lancashire salmon 

 river, and indeed this is one of the best salmon 

 streams in England. During late years a deteriora- 

 tion in the value of the Lune salmon fisheries 

 has been noted, and one cause assigned is the 

 excessive amount of netting at the mouth of the 

 estuary. But I think the other alleged cause, 

 the growing pollution of the stream, is a more 

 important factor. All the sewage from Lan- 

 caster, from an infectious disease hospital, and the 

 effluents from several factories, enter the portion 

 of the estuary where salmon are found. The 

 effect of this pollution is perhaps not so much to 

 kill the fish it is not bad enough yet as to 

 prevent them going up the river. Attempts 

 have been made in recent years to compel the 

 local authorities concerned to adopt sewage 

 purification measures, but these have so far been 

 fruitless. 



**87. Sea Trout. Salmo trutta, Linn. 



Sea trout are very often taken along the sea 

 coast. Fishermen in Lancashire distinguish 

 between several kinds of salmonidas, giving them 

 local names, such as ' mort," ' fork-tails,' etc., 

 but most probably all these are to be referred 

 either to the salmon or the sea trout. 



*88. Trout. Salmo fario, Linn. 



The Ribble is the best Lancashire trout 

 stream. 



89. Sparling. Osmerus eperlanus (Linn.) 



Sparling are common enough in Lancashire 

 waters to form the material for a fishery. They 

 are taken by seine nets in Morecambe Bay when 

 the fishery lasts, (legally) from I November to 

 31 March. They are also got occasionally in 

 Barrow Channel, and in the shrimp trawl nets 

 off Blackpool. They are very small (3 ins. or 

 thereabout) in the latter habitat. 



**go. Grayling. Corregous thymallus (Linn.) 



In Bryerly's time the grayling was taken 

 abundantly in the Mersey near Garston Dock. 



91. Anchovy. Engraulis encrasicholus (Linn.) 

 The anchovy is a rare visitant to Lancashire 



waters. I have seen specimens taken by Capt. 

 Eccles in the shrimp trawl in the Mersey estuary 

 and off Blackpool. It is so uncommon that 

 fishermen usually fail to recognize it. 



92. Herring. Clupea harenga, Linn. 



There is no real fishery now for herring in 

 Lancashire waters, though they are caught off the 

 Isle of Man and in Welsh waters. They used 

 to be abundant in Morecambe Bay, but have 

 deserted this district for many years on account 

 of the increased steam traffic in the bay, some 

 fishermen say. They were, however, rather 

 abundant in the Mersey between Rock Ferry 

 and Eastham a few years ago, and some boats 

 from Morecambe followed the fishing there with 

 much success. They occur very frequently, 

 however, though not in sufficient numbers to 

 make a remunerative fishery, and are constantly 

 met with in the trawl nets. 



93. Sprat. Clupea spratta, Linn. 



' Sprats ' are always mixtures of the true sprat 

 and the herring. They are very abundant at times. 

 In 1902 great quantities were taken by the 

 shrimp boats off Southport. In this case the 

 fish were caught by being ' meshed ' during the 

 ' shooting ' and hauling of the shank nets. The 

 fish live in the intermediate and upper layers of 

 the water and were caught by the net in 

 descending and ascending. 



94. Twaite Shad. Clupea Jinta, Cuv. 



All silvery fishes in and about Morecambe 

 Bay are known as ' shads.' The twaite shad is, 

 however, very uncommon. It has been taken in 

 the Mersey (20 October, 1876, Moore, Liver- 

 pool Public Museum), at Formby, and off 

 Blackpool. 



APODES 



95- Eel. Anguilla vulgaris, Turton. 



Common along the shores in many places. 



96. Conger. Conger vulgaris, Cuv. 



The conger is common in Lancashire waters. 

 It is caught in the trawl and by lines. I have 

 caught it on the Scars in Barrow Channel in low 

 water by the 'gaff.' The immature stage is the 



well-known Leptocephalus. Mr. A. Scott 

 captured a number of these in 1898 in the 

 Barrow Channel by placing a fine net in the 

 sand gutters through which the last of the tide 

 was ebbing. These, however, were rather the 

 transitional stage between Leptocephalus and the 

 young congers than the true leptocephaline larval 

 stage. 



GANOIDS 



96. Sturgeon. Acipenser sturio, Linn. 



The sturgeon is not a true member of our 

 local piscine fauna, but is to be regarded as a 

 rather rare visitant. Still, it occurs now and 

 then. Frequently got at Morecambe in Burrow's 

 Balks ; a specimen caught at the end of 1 904 



was between 9-10 feet long. One was caught 

 by some salmon fishermen using a draft net in 

 the Leven. This example was sent to Mr. 

 Broadbent, fishmonger, Barrow, who sent the 

 head to Mr. A. Scott at Piel. The fish was 

 8 feet long and weighed 4 cwt. 



1 86 



