— 203 — 



that something similar occurred on the English side. The following information has on 

 my request been sent me. 



Fowey: The Danish vice-consul, Mr. Chas. L. Toyne states, "there are no fisheries 

 for elvers or eel-fry in this district." 



Exeter: Mr. Ford of the Exe Board of Conservators informs me that "no fishing 

 for elvers as such takes place on the river." That this at any rate occasionally was 

 carried on formerly is indicated by the quotation from Couch p. 200, unless the young 

 eels he then saw on the market came from the Bristol Channel. 



Weymouth: Mr. Sam. H. Wallis of Weymouth writes, "the eel fry known as elvers' 

 ascend our harbour in immense shoals but have never been caught here for any purpose." 



Poole (Dorset). Mr. R. H. Baker of Poole writes, "I have never heard of the elvers 

 being used as food." 



To judge from this information an elver fishery does not seem to be carried 

 on on the English coasts of the Channel. At any rate it cannot be of great im- 

 portance, as for example in the Bristol Channel. 



According to information from Belgium (Ostend, Antwerp, see p. 208), the ascent of 

 the elvers is well known there, but there is no fishery for them to use as food. The 

 eastern boundary of this fishery is therefore on the Atlantic on the 

 French coast of the Channel (see Chart, Plate XII). 



As the "Thor" had found the eel larvae in such considerable quantities off S. W. Ire- 

 land, it was of specially great interest to ascertain something of the conditions in that 

 country. As I could find nothing in the literature, I adressed some questions to various 

 people along the Irish coast and have by these means received important information, 

 some extracts of which I may give here. 



Coleraine and Portrush (N. coast). The Danish vice-consul, Mr. James Cald- 

 well states that there is no elver fishery there in the River Bann (the ascent of the elvers 

 is well known and the main ascent begins with mild weather in the beginning of April). 



Sligo (W. coast). Mr. Joseph Grahom, Secretary and Inspector of Inland Fisheries, 

 Sligo District, writes, "a great number of elvers go up from the sea to the fresh water 

 in the months of March, April and May. They are not captured in bulk, neither are 

 they used for food as far as I can find out." 



G al way (W. coast). Mr. Hallett, The Fishery, Galway, says, "I have never heard 

 of the young eels or elvers (which are to be seen in myriads, like little threads in the 

 river during the early months of the year) being caught for food whilst going up." 



Limerick (S. W. coast). The Director of the Irish fisheries investigations in Dublin, 

 Mr. E. W. L. Holt, to whom I am in many ways much indebted, states that the elvers 

 are taken and used as food by the people of Limerick. 



Tralee, River Feale and Castlemaine on Dingle Bay (all in Kerry, S. W. coast). 

 It was of special interest to learn something concerning the conditions in county Kerry 

 in the south west corner of Ireland, that part of the land ofï which we had found the 

 larvae in such large quantities. I wrote therefore to the Danish vice-consul in Tralee, 

 Mr. John Foley, and asked the questions: whether elvers are caught and eaten by the 

 population and whether their ascent from the sea is generally known by the population? 



After making some enquiries Mr. Foley answered : "the ascent of eel-fry from the 

 sea is generally known in Kerry, and in the month of January they are caught and 



26* 



