THE ECOLOGY OF THE TRENT AND ITS TRIBUTARIES 97 



A short history of the River Trent and its tributaries is worthy of 

 consideration. The close of the nineteenth century saw the slow demise 

 of the valuable salmon, eel and lamprey fishing industries. Evidence of 

 what the Trent used to be as a fishing river can be deduced from the 

 following records: — 



■ Nottingham apprentices had a clause inserted in their indentures to 

 the effect that they should not have Trent sahnon in their dietary 

 more often than twice a week.' 



• He paid £100 a year rental for the fishing rights at the weir and 

 could take six large salmon in one cast of his net just below Gun- 

 thorpe Bridge.' 



' In one night alone — on 9th September, 1899—1 caught over 70 stone 

 of eels in my nets at Old Colwick (Nottm.).' 



■ At one time I had a contract to supply 40 stone of eels per week to 

 one fishmonger but I could not guarantee to catch 40 lbs. per week 

 now.' 



' In one night at the weir he caught over 10,000 lampreys and at that 

 time got £10 a thousand for them.' 

 To-day, professional eel and lamprey fishing has practically entirely 

 disappeared, and the records of salmon takes, which at the end of the 

 first quarter of this century had also entirely disappeared, now show an 

 annual take of only 100 to 160 fish per season. There is little doubt that 

 the Trent was justly named in 1925, ' a common sewer '. 



How the race of Trent salmon has managed to survive, and now shows 

 indications of rehabilitation, is a mystery to most people. As regards 

 coarse fish, the annual reports of the Trent Fishery Board are a continuous 

 record of fish mortality and disease attributable to preventable pollution. 

 In 1935 some 20,000 roach and perch were killed at one blow by a dis- 

 charge of municipal sewage, and in two other instances the mortality was 

 Umited to a few thousands only as a result of rescue work on suffocating 

 fish trapped in locks, they having fled before sewage discharges. During 

 1936, the Trent Fishery Board suppUed, from various stock ponds, about 

 275,000 coarse fish to replace wanton wastage. 



It is satisfactory to note however, that during the past ten years the 

 Trent has shown definite, if slow, recovery in its capacity for maintaining 

 coarse fish life. The following selections from Press reports on angling 

 for 1936 are of interest: — 



' I am glad to say that the main river (Trent) is coming back into its 

 own again, thank goodness, after years of pollution.' 

 ' We have had the best fishing season during 1936 for the past twenty- 

 five years.' (Middle Trent). 



' A very good fishing season — barbel now returning and roach more 

 healthy and lively.' (Lower Trent). 



' Dace appear to be steadily returning to their old haunts.' (Middle 



Trent). 



Growing congestion in industrial communities sent the workers looking 



for health-giving recreation for themselves and their families, and a 



tremendous coarse-fish angling fraternity has made a place for itself in 



the national life of the country. One in ten of the insured workers in the 



