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15th Section of the Salmon Fishery Act, 1S73, relating to Elver Fishing on the Severn 

 to the Right Hon. the Secretary of State for the Home Department". Dated Home Office, 

 Whitehall, 20th June 1876. Signed Frank Buckland and S. Walpole, p. 1 : 



"The eel is a migratory fish, and abounds in the majority of our rivers, lakes, and 

 ponds. Its history and habits are only imperfectly known, but the salient points of them 

 may be stated as follows: — In the autumn months the adult eels, especially after rain, 

 migrate to the estuaries of the rivers which they inhabit. While so migrating they are 

 taken in bucks, traps, nets and other engines, both in the river and at the mouths of 

 tributaries and ditches connected with it. In the spring months, from February to 

 June and especially in iVIarch, April and May, the elvers, or eel fry, migrate from 

 the estuaries to the fresh waters. While so migrating they are captured in the 

 lower portions of the Severn and other rivers by the neighbouring population, formed into 

 cakes, and sold for food. 



An adult eel weighs from Vs of a lb. to 7 lb., according to its age, and is known 

 successively as a "stick eel", a "shuntling" and an "eel". 1400 to 1500 elvers make 

 1 lb. As a cwt. of elvers are frequently taken in one night by one man, 

 and hundreds of men are at the same time taking elvers in the Severn, 

 some idea may be obtained of the prodigious number of elvers that an- 

 nually enter that river." 



It is further explained that a law of 200 years old forbade the fishery for elvers in 

 the Severn, but that this law, which underwent various modifications in the course of years, 

 was never carried out in practice. In the "Salmon Fishery Act, 1873" the following 

 provision, which was binding not only for the Severn but everywhere in England, was 

 introduced: "No person between the first day of January and the twenty-fourth day of 

 June, inclusive, shall hang, fix or use in any salmon river any baskets, nets, traps or 

 devices for catching eels or the fry of eels, or place in any inland water any device 

 whatsoever, to catch or obstruct any fish descending the stream." 



The intention of this provision was partly to prevent the destruction of undersized 

 fish of various species, chiefly salmon and trout, partly also to protect the young of 

 the eel in certain districts where an eel fishery was carried on. But it naturally gave 

 rise to great discontent amongst the fishermen at the places where a large fishery for 

 elvers was carried on, and the result was that after further investigation and reports from 

 various localities in south-west England the law ^ was altered so as to apply only to the 

 Severn and only for the period 1st Jan. — ist March and from 26th April— 25th June, thus 

 opening the period when the greatest ascent of elvers takes place, namely, March and 

 April. The notices given above regarding the elver fishing in the Severn are as men- 

 tioned taken from the reports and papers drawn up preparatory to this change in the law, 

 and several other points of interest may be quoted here. It is stated, that the fishery is 



I (Vict. 39 & 40, Chapter 34, an Act to amend the law relating to Elver fishing, 24th July, 1876)- Ac- 

 cording to this amended law of July 24th 1876 it is forbidden to fish and sell elvers in the Severn fisheries 

 district during the period from ist January to ist March and from 26th April ro 25th June. Any breach of 

 this law could be punished with a fine not exceeding 20 shillings. 



The greatest elver fishery is carried on between March ist and May ist and is thus not affected by this 

 law, which chiefly endeavours to protect the young of other species of fish. 



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