246 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



small spring fish are the same class of fish as the previous season's 

 grilse, being the members of that class which did not elect to enter 

 fresh water as grilse, a poor grilse year is commonly followed by a 

 deficiency of the small class of spring fish. 



Mr. J. G. Walker, one of the leading members of the syndicate 

 which leased the river in 1891, in giving evidence before Lord 

 Elgin's Commission stated that in a good angling year the average 

 weight of the fish is about 10 lb., but in a poor year, numerically, 

 the average weight is much greater, because then the bulk of the 

 fish are more exclusively of the large spring class, older fish. The 

 large records of fish in the past were made from fish averaging 

 about 9 lb., which clearly indicates that when the Thurso was at 

 its best the small spring fish were very numerous. In a river of 

 this class an increase in the average weight of fish is not as a rule 

 a blessing. 



It would appear, therefore, that to prevent the capture of an 

 undue number of grilse in the sea, is of great moment in maintaining 

 the proper stock of fish in our northern rivers, or in any river 

 dependent, for good spring angling, upon the small class of fish. 



From observations made after receiving full particulars of the 

 numbers of fish caught in certain netting stations elsewhere, I am 

 satisfied that the grilse which approach our coasts in shoals in 

 summer, which swim off and on, and along the coast, do not enter 

 the rivers in proportion to their numbers in the sea ; that in other 

 words, the great proportion of the grilse caught in bag nets near the 

 mouths of rivers are fish which would not enter the rivers as grilse, 

 but which if not captured would in considerable numbers enter fresh 

 water the following spring as the small class of fish referred to. 



With such a small estuary as that prescribed for the Thurso, I do 

 not believe that the proper conditions for maintenance of the stock 

 of grilse can be secured, if netting is carried on close up to the 

 estuary limits. This netting just at the river mouth was not 

 practised in the old prosperous days of the Thurso. It is, therefore, 

 with great satisfaction that one learns that Sir Tollemache Sinclair 

 has recently taken steps which inter alia will secure the preservation 

 of fish approaching within a quite wide area of the river mouth. 



He has arranged not only to keep the nets out of Thurso Bay 

 the Scrabster and Pennyland nets but has also leased the nets 

 further west at Holborn Head. He further now holds a lease of all 

 the Crown Fishings in the district and has just arranged (1908) to 

 have all those nets removed. The unnetted area is now, therefore, 



