240 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



54,000, the Government lent 62,000, and an additional sum of 

 40,000 was raised locally. Then a terrific gale in 1872 prac- 

 tically swept the whole structure away. In 1879 the Fisheries 

 Society obtained an Act empowering them to hand over the whole 

 concern to a body of trustees elected in Wick. These trustees have 

 succeeded in persuading the Treasury to deal leniently with their 

 heavy debts, have constructed the present works, and are going to 

 construct the new works. A long pier is to be built on the north 

 side, and the basin of the river mouth is to be dredged, enlarged, and 

 remodelled. 



What will become of the salmon and sea-trout is not, as yet, very 

 clear, but I hope it may become less easy for local netsmen to use 

 small mesh nets at the river mouth. An attempt has recently been 

 made to form a District Fishery Board, and this, I hope, may yet be 

 accomplished. Sir Robert Usher is superior of the tishings in the 

 burgh, and the estate of Hempriggs holds salmon rights in the river. 

 In suitable weather a fair number of salmon are taken by shooting 

 tenants in autumn ; and if more sea-trout were allowed up, I believe 

 the stream would yield excellent sport at times, just as the Ugie and 

 Ythan do. The conditions are very similar indeed, except for the 

 polluted mouth of the Wick and the great amount of traffic ; yet 

 this latter consideration does not seem to affect the runs of fish at 

 Aberdeen. The fact that in the past the interests of the river have 

 been largely neglected, seems to have encouraged a good deal of 

 laxity as to the taking of fish in the upper reaches at the " back 

 end " of the year. There is some good spawning ground, however, 

 and the careful supervision of the district would enable a con- 

 siderably increased stock of fish to develop in a few years. 



A good many fixed nets are fished on the coast, but not in any 

 way to interfere with the proper adjustment of the fisheries. They 

 cannot approach the river mouth. The Wick is the only stream of 

 any size between Thurso and Berriedale, and should naturally offer 

 most serviceable spawning ground to migratory fish on this wide 

 extent of coast. It is not likely that many salmon would enter till 

 summer, but sea-trout should be got rather earlier, and in good 

 numbers. 



