198 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



With the conditions which we hope are to be brought about in the 

 future, a more substantial rise should soon show itself, for while the 

 arrangement referred to above obtained, the sweep netting below the 

 cruives was still in full swing. It was, I believe, the steady con- 

 tinuance of this netting which determined the late Mr. Stirling to 

 discontinue his agreement. The netting was let to an energetic 

 tacksman who very naturally did not wish to let more fish past him 

 than he could help. The removal of the nets and the opening of 

 the cruives, if these come about, may, therefore, be hailed as the 

 very best step which could have been taken in the general interests 

 of the Conon fisheries. 



A rough estimate of the product of the Cromarty and Culloden 

 fishings, which are both situated at the mouth of the river, below 

 the Seaforth fishings, shows that the average annual take amounts 

 to between three and four thousand fish. A further estimate, which 

 was published in the Reports of the Fishery Board for Scotland, 

 showing the total product of the netting and cruives of the whole 

 district as compared with the estimated total product of rods in 

 Conon and the Alness (which enters the same estuary) for four con- 

 secutive years is : 



Nets. Rods. 



1892 - - 8,000 730 



1893 - * 14,000 400 



Nets. Rods. 



1894 - - 16,000 650 



1895 - - 27,200 800 



If only one or two shots near the mouth of the river were netted, 

 I should think it probable that several thousand fish would be 

 annually added to the breeding stock. While this great benefit would 

 also follow, that the weekly close time would in future be really 

 operative ; that fish passing through the lower netted area, and being 

 checked by the cruive dyke when the river is moderately low, would 

 no longer fall a prey to the nets on the Monday morning, but would 

 be allowed to remain till able to continue their ascent. 



The increase to the future stock through the additional number 

 of breeders will follow in time, but not for some time. Such increase 

 is in all cases slow ; for when the hatched fry have grown in two 

 years to be smolts, and when they go down to the sea, the mortality 

 in the sea is great ; the grilse of the following year are only a pro- 

 portion of the fish which so far have escaped the perils of the deep ; 

 the spring fish of the year succeeding represent an additional pro- 

 portion of those smolts, but others visit fresh water, and become 

 breeders only at still later periods. 



