300 KNUT DAHL. 



Now in what degree may these regulations be altered or 

 repealed, so as to forward the fishing for sea-trout without in- 

 juring the interest of the salmon fisheries? 



If I now, with the results of my investigations in mind, con- 

 sider the practical value of the provisions generally sketched 

 under heads 2) 3) and 4), I find that as regards the salmon their 

 value must be said to be very small. 



My investigations clearly enough show that only a fraction 

 of a percent of the young salmon emigrating in spring from 

 our rivers, at any rate the northern ones, exceeds 13 cm. in 

 length (vide tab. IV in which only a minor part of the young 

 salmon caught are represented). Excepting herring seines, and 

 in some localities, eel traps, there does not in our country exist 

 any kind of net gear, which possesses the power of retain- 

 ing or entangling in its meshes these emigrating young salmon. 

 It is perfectly evident, that the latter easily pass through all 

 the different forms of ground nets employed in this country. 



The value of the regulations sketched under head 4) is 

 thus limited to refer only to the use of seines and traps. 



The seines which in our country are employed, or may be 

 thought to be employed at or in the neighbourhood of river 

 mouths, are however as regards the majority of them, very 

 little adapted to retain the emigrating young salmon. In the 

 mouths of southern rivers, f. eks. the Glommen, a seine fishing is 

 carried out for gwyniad, roach, and other freshwaterfishes ; but the 

 seines used are of a mesh much too large to retain young salmon 

 (smolts). As regards the mouths of most northern rivers, fishing 

 (excepting for salmon and trout) with net gear can only have 

 the object of catching cod, haddock and saithe, which during 

 summer are occasionally plentiful in the river mouths. Fishing 

 for herrings is carried on during autumn in river mouths, 

 f. ex. the Gulosen. This kind of fishing how^ever requires 

 only net gear, which as I have explained above, is perfectly 

 innocent of the destruction of young salmon. Ground seines of the 



