A HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND 



that it should be administered by a Joint 

 Board ; but the difficulties in the way are so 

 great that it is doubtful whether it will ever 

 be accomplished. The Commission which is 

 at present sitting will probably have some- 

 thing to say in the matter, as well as on the 

 causes which have led to the existing scarcity 

 of salmon ; but it is quite possible that before 

 that report is issued an improvement in the 

 fisheries may have taken place, when the 

 matter will probably be shelved until we 

 have another period of depression, seeing that 

 an Act of Parliament, which will be neces- 

 sary before any alteration is made, will scarcely 

 meet with the approval of all parties con- 

 cerned, and is sure to be strenuously opposed. 



A word upon the different migrations of 

 fish may not be out of place in these observa- 

 tions. At the beginning of the year if the 

 weather is open, considerable numbers of 

 what are called spring salmon usually make 

 their way from the estuary to the river. 

 These are young fish that have never 

 spawned, and are of the finest quality, having 

 a very good reputation in all the markets and 

 commanding the highest price. The average 

 weight of these fish is 8 or 9 Ib. Later the 

 average weight increases, until in the months 

 of July and August it is quite common to 

 catch fish of 20 or even 30 Ib. weight. 

 These later fish are probably making their 

 way up to the spawning beds, and on them 

 the future stocking of the river depends. The 

 nets in the river are discontinued at the end 

 of August, and after that time the only ene- 

 mies the fish have to contend against are the 

 anglers and of course poachers. The migra- 

 tion of grilse, which are undoubtedly the 

 young of salmon, commences about the end 

 of May or the beginning of June, and goes 

 on until the autumn. When these fish first 

 arrive their weight does not exceed 4 or 5 Ib., 

 but later 6 or 7 Ib. may be taken as the 

 average. The salmon trout commence to 

 run in April and continue till probably 

 August. The weight of salmon trout does 

 not vary as does that of grilse, and i Ib. 

 may be taken as the average weight. The 

 minimum size of mesh which is allowed, viz. 

 7 inches, will not take a trout of less than 

 i Ib. or 1 1 Ib., so that the smaller fish escape 

 the net, and are either caught by the angler 

 or are left to reproduce their species. 



Much has been written about the relation 

 which the different species of salmon, grilse, 

 sea trout and herling bear to each other, and 

 many experiments have been made with a 

 view of determining the question ; but author- 

 ities are by no means yet agreed on the sub- 

 ject, and the writer, after thirty years intimate 



connection with the fisheries, has only learned 

 that the more he sees the more he is con- 

 vinced of his ignorance of fishing matters. 



It may be of some interest to refer in con- 

 clusion to the destination of the fish that are 

 caught. Before the advent of railways and 

 of rapid transit we are told that, after a good 

 run of fish, the price was so low that a good 

 salmon might be bought for one shilling, and 

 that servants who were making engagements 

 used to stipulate that they were not to be fed 

 on salmon more than once or at most twice 

 a week. At that time the fish had to be 

 consumed at or within a comparatively short 

 distance from the place where it was caught ; 

 consequently when the supply was in excess 

 of the demand prices fell very low. At the 

 present day, owing to the use of ice and the 

 splendid service of trains, fish can be sent to 

 all parts of England and even to the con- 

 tinent. It is not at all unusual for Eden and 

 Solway fish to be sent to Paris, and it fre- 

 quently happens that salmon can be bought 

 cheaper in London than in Carlisle. 



It may be noticed in connection with the 

 migration of salmon that the Eden is very much 

 earlier than its sister river the Esk, which in 

 turn is earlier than the Derwent. This is 

 somewhat difficult to account for. It is usual 

 to attribute it to the fact that the Eden waters 

 are warmer than those of other rivers, but why 

 this should be so one can scarcely understand, 

 as the Eden is fed from some of the highest 

 watersheds in the country, such as the west 

 side of Crossfell, the north side of Skiddaw, 

 Lake Ulleswater, and the highest reaches of 

 the Irthing. Whatever may be the explana- 

 tion, the fact remains that salmon ascend the 

 Eden two months earlier than they ascend 

 the Esk, and that in the Derwent it is not 

 usual to see any considerable number of sal- 

 mon before May or June. 



Although the Esk may be called the sister 

 river to the Eden, falling into the same 

 estuary and having many of the same charac- 

 teristics, it occupies a very different position 

 from a commercial point of view. In Eden 

 the greatest interest is netting, which, as we 

 have seen, is rather an important one, and in 

 which a good deal of capital is employed ; in 

 Esk the greatest interest is angling, netting 

 occupying but a subordinate position. Indeed 

 for the last fifteen years there have been no 

 nets in Esk. 



Previous to the year 1886 nets were used 

 in the lower waters, which principally belong 

 to the Earl of Lonsdale. These waters ex- 

 tend from the sea upwards to the junction 

 with the river Lyne. Above that point the 

 Duke of Buccleuch and Sir Richard Graham 



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