THE TWEED 31 



in the case of grouse disease, the state of nutrition and health of 

 the fish has probably much to do with it. That fish enter from the 

 sea in some seasons in a poorly nourished condition seems sufficiently 

 clear. In the present season, 1908, the grilse were in many cases 

 remarkably thin and poor. The influence of polluted water on such 

 fish is likely to be much more deleterious than on strong well- 

 nourished fish. 



In addition to this there is the statement made by those who 

 have much more Tweed experience than I, that the ova of spring 

 fish frequently dies before spawning time ; that in spring fish caught 

 dropping back in summer the ovaries are white and dead, and the 

 silvery hue of the fish has turned to a greenish tinge. I have not 

 seen this myself, but if it is proved to be the case, I should certainly 

 be further disposed to blame the health-destroying pollutions. 



Eussel, of The Scotsman, wrote at considerable length on the 

 Decay of Salmon. 1 He necessarily dealt with returns of an early 

 date, 1811 to 1855, and he wrote chiefly concerning the Tweed. 

 He found strong evidence of decline amongst salmon, and also 

 adduces arguments, in which I can scarcely follow him, of decline 

 amongst grilse. The most marked decline of grilse occurred later 

 than the dates mentioned by Kussel. The various combining factors 

 of the time are rather lost sight of, it seems to me, in Kussel's 

 antipathy to the coast net, Every argument is turned directly 

 against the expansion of coast netting. With regard to this I 

 would only say here that we have ample proof to show that the 

 coast net, if kept at a suitable distance from the river mouth and 

 otherwise regulated, is quite compatible with the upkeep of an ample 

 stock of fish, and that the coast net is not so deadly as the river net, 

 which catches fish already congregated in narrow waters and on their 

 way to their natural spawning grounds. 



A director of the Berwick Salmon Fisheries Co. gave evidence, in 

 1895, before the Tweed and Solway Commission, and dealing with 

 the take of fish in the whole district, which was accepted as suffi- 

 ciently reliable, produced figures showing a decline in results equal 

 to 20 per cent. 



The removal of the cairn nets and stell nets was no doubt a step 

 in the right direction, but in all probability with the conditions of 

 sweep netting which remained, very little was done for the benefit 

 of the stock of fish. When floods used to last long a greater pro- 

 portion of fish probably got past all nets, and although a vast 

 1 The Salmon, 1864, p. 88. 



