THE TWEED 29 



year 1880, the figures for the whole produce of the river have to be 

 discarded after that date. The latter have the advantage of being 

 actual results instead of estimates. The former commence in 1808, 

 while the latter in any readily available form commence only in 

 1842. The one is therefore not quite comparable with the other. 



I therefore propose to abide exclusively by the actual returns of 

 the Berwick Company, although by so doing I sacrifice giving a 

 statement of the great years of plenty in the early part of last 

 century. I will, however, mention the record year as a matter of 

 general interest, 



Year. Salmon. Grilse. Trout. Total. 



1816 < - 54,041 120,596 62,074 236,711 



and add that the salmon column consistently shows five figures till 

 the year 1829, when from 13,511 fish the previous year there is a 

 sudden drop to 5350. The grilse column does not suffer in this way 

 for other forty years, when from 23,448 fish in 1867 there is a sudden 

 drop to 4078. 



Taking now the returns of the Berwick Salmon Fisheries Company 

 the descendant of the old Berwick Shipping Company I will 

 condense matters by giving quinquennial averages from 1845 to 1899, 

 i.e. fifty-four years. The figures from 1860 onwards were given to 

 Lord Elgin's Commission by the late Sir William Grossman. 



Years. Salmon. Grilse. Trout. 



1845 to 1849 - - 8,909 39,409 35,641 



1850 to 1854 - - 7,590 18,898 27,931 



1855 to 1859 - - 7,489 18,756 23,861 



1860 to 1864 - - 6,131 15,118 20,145 



1865 to 1869 - - 6,214 5,681 24,485 



1870 to 1874 - 8,266 10,603 1,728 



1875 to 1879 - 5,733 7,341 17,105 



1880 to 1884 - 7,262 8,427 18,356 



1885 to 1889 - 7,267 9,359 22,261 



1890 to 1894 - 6,440 11,432 21,776 



1895 to 1899 - - 7,366 8,458 23,746 



The salmon column is wonderfully steady, but the grilse column 

 shows a marked decline. In the early days of plenty, the netting, 

 although no doubt less perfect in its working, was more extensive 

 in amount than it is now. Stell nets and cairn nets, the fixed 

 engines which used to be employed in the fresh waters of Tweed, 

 were only abolished (without compensation) at the passing of the 

 1857 Tweed Act. On the other hand, polutions were not so serious 

 as now : the Land Drainage Acts came into operation only in 1846, 

 and before that date the floods lasted long, so that fish could secure 



