— 202 — 



of special importance for the poor people, the elvers being sold for l"^ — 2"* the pound. 

 On p. 3 it is said: "the elver fishers do not desire to continue the capture 

 of elvers after the 30th April. After that day the fish become black, 

 bony and unfit for food;" on p. 4: "the elver fishing is a matter of the greatest 

 importance to the poor of Gloucester. Hundreds of men — one witness told us a thousand 

 men — are annually engaged in it. The elvers come at a time, just after the conclusion 

 of winter, when there is little work for the poor, and the elver fishing is regarded as the 

 poor man's privilege." 



In another report ' on the elver fishery in the rivers Usk and Wye (S. W. England 

 on the border of Wales both opening into the Bristol Channel), it is stated: "it has from 

 time immemorial been the habit of the owners and occupiers of fisheries on this River 

 (Usk) to allow the farmers, cottagers and others in the neigbourhood to take the elvers 

 which ascend in large numbers from the sea in the months of April and May. They 

 are captured by men, women and children with scoops, buckets, canvas nets, and other 

 such devices worked by hand, and are either eaten fresh, or salted in cakes, and laid by 

 for future use, and some persons make a livelihood during the season by their sale. The 

 memorial was only in circulation for three days, and although I observe that in some 

 cases several members of one family have signed, still the total number of signatures 

 appended to it (552) will show that the interest is a considerable one. Had further time 

 been available, I am informed that the number would have been much increased." 



With regard to the condition on the coast of Wales and Lancashire, i. e. west coast 

 of England, I have received through the Danish fisheries agent in London, Capt. A. S0lling, 

 the following information from the superintendent for the "Lancashire and Western Sea 

 Fisheries", Dr. J. Travis Jenkins in Preston, Lancashire. The informations holds good 

 for the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol, Dovey and Mawddach, Dwyfach, Conway all in 

 Wales as also the Ribble, Kent, Bela, Leven and Duddon in Lancashire. Regarding the 

 most of these Dr. Travis Jenkins says that there is no regular elver fishery. Of 

 the Ribble it is said that there is no regular fishery but elvers are fished for by labourers. 

 In the Dovey and Mawddach there is no fishery nor in Ystwjd;h and Rheidol. 



The condition on the west coast of England seems therefore to be, that the 

 elver fisheries are only carried on in the southern part at the Bristol Channel on a large 

 scale and only there have any importance. Further north there seems to be no regular 

 fishery though elvers are occasionally taken by workmen and others. 



No fishery takes place on the west coast of Scotland nor on the Hebrides, as I have 

 been informed by the Danish vice-consul in Stornoway, Mr. John Norrie Anderson, who 

 procured me some transparent elvers from Stornoway in the beginning of February 1906. 



As there is an elver fishery on the French coasts of the Channel it might be thought 



1 "Copy of all Correspondence between the Usk and Ebbw Board of Conservators, the Fishery In- 

 spectors, and the Home Office, on the subject of Elver Fishing in the River Usk," Ordered by the House of 

 Commons to be printed, 16 June, 1876. 



2 This report also arose out of the discontent caused by the prohibition of the elver fishery in the law 

 on salmon fishing of 1873, and the address referred to was sent in by the Usk fishermen to the Secretary of 

 State for the Home Department in order to have the prohibition repealed. Nothing is said in the report as 

 to when the fishery first begins. The report is dated Pant-y-Goitre, Abergavenny, iilh June, 1876 and is signed 

 A. D. Berrington. 



