116 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



reaches of natural spawning grounds in the Dee was the better plan. 

 The District Board could not undertake the removal of nets, so the 

 proprietors above Banchory formed themselves into an Association 

 for the purpose, the initiative being taken by the Marquis of Huntly. 

 The process was in each case to lease the net fishing and to keep the 

 net off. In the middle of season 1873 the commencement was 

 made with the Banchory Lodge nets. By 1875 Tillquhillie, Crathes, 

 Durris, Park, Al tries, Drum, and Tilbouries had been added. Funds 

 did not permit any extension after this till 1881, when the clearing 

 operations reached to Kingcausie, but Blairs, Murtle, and Heathcote 

 soon followed. In 1892 Inchgarth came in, and in 1896 the Water- 

 side nets were reached. This allowed only about three miles of 

 netting to remain, most of which was in tidal water. The sum paid 

 annually in rentals now amounted to 692, and with rates and 

 expenses 757. The money was raised by voluntary effort. 



Now let us see what was happening to the rental. The river 

 fishings (angling), apart from sweep netting, started at 1254 as we 

 have seen. In ten years it stood at 3751 ; in twenty years at 

 6312 ; and in twenty-eight years it had reached the substantial 

 total of 10,939. The total rental started at 7031 ; in twenty- 

 eight years it stood at 18,990. In 1902 it reached the perhaps 

 rather inflated figure of 19,445. There has been a slight shrinkage 

 since, but the figure has always been about 19,000. At the present 

 time it is 18,893. 



At the commencement of the present season (1909) a still further 

 addition to the scope of the Association's influence has been amicably 

 secured, after failure of negotiations on two consecutive years, by the 

 taking over of two netting stations above the Old Bridge of Dee. 

 The river is therefore completely free of nets from this point 

 upwards, and practically only the tidal area of the river remains. 

 The actual distance in which nets appear now to be used is about 

 2f miles. 



Since the commencement of the Association's operations the rod- 

 fishing has much improved. In the first ten or fifteen years the 

 advance was steady and evident to all. The zenith appears to have 

 been reached in " the eighties," when very great runs of grilse 

 occurred, and prospects therefore seemed at their very brightest. In 

 1883 and 1884 about 5000 rod-caught fish are reported to have been 

 taken; in 1885 about 6000 was believed to be the total. 1 After this 

 great advent of grilse the number of salmon increased for some years 



^Fourth Annual Report Fishery Board for Scotland, Ixxiv. 



