LOCH TAY 89 



perature seemed to prevent fish ascending as quickly as usual. It 

 was quite a good year in the lower reaches of the river. 



It would appear that the stock of spring fish has improved within 

 recent years ; and, without actually expressing a definite opinion that 

 the reduction of netting has resulted in the rise shown in the last 

 quinquennial period, the reflection is allowable that the first class 

 of fish affected by over-netting is the spring run. 



In the figures it is also noticeable that almost in every year in 

 which the total is poor, the average weight is also poor. The lowest 

 total of 79 in 1900 has also the lowest average weight, and, with one 

 exception, every year yielding less than 200 fish has an average 

 weight of 18 Ib. or under, so that we have this result : 



79 fish 

 100 

 139 

 153 , 



15-9 Ib. 

 16'95 

 19-25 

 17-5 



178 fish 

 186 

 199 , 



17-5 Ib. 

 18 

 17'5 



Mr. Augustus Grimble, in his account of Loch Tay, 1 written in 

 1900 the worst year says that the total catch for the loch was 

 89. I am, of course, not in a position to say if the estate record is 

 incomplete, but even if 89 be the total instead of 79, the season is 

 still the worst on record. 



I expect that the figure 139, which breaks the sequence, was capable 

 of some explanation, for after 1882, the year when it occurred, no- 

 similar total appears for sixteen years. This appearance of few fish 

 and at the same time light fish, is quite in accordance with netsmen's 

 experience in catching grilse. If when grilse begin to appear the 

 weights are light, old fishermen generally prophesy a short year, and 

 this is one of the few fishermen's prophecies I have never seen fail. 

 Further, if the stock of grilse is deficient the next season's stock of 

 small spring fish is also deficient, and no doubt the following years 

 are affected in the same way from the same cause, although, thanks 

 to the divided migration of the salmon, results are often not quite 

 so obvious. Only slowly, however, do bad years become a little less 

 bad and good years a little better, if we review a number of years 

 at a time. The proportion of breeding salmon in any year is not 

 perhaps very great compared to the stock of fish in the sea, so a 

 reduction of actual breeders is a serious factor, recovery from which 

 is not rapidly secured. 



1 The Salmon Rivers of Scotland, vol. iv. p. 164. 



