A STUDY ON TROUT AND YOUNG SALMON. 313 



have happened to be caught in the seines of the fishermen, 

 are considered as remarkable incidents in their hves. 



Thus without doubt the question of a reduction of the 

 mesh in favour of these seines, which are employed in fishing 

 for trout, does not, as regards the sea, imply any collision 

 with the interests of the salmon-fisheries. We have only to 

 consider the benefit to the trout-fisheries. The question in regard 

 to these implements then, is: Ought a certain minimum size of 

 mesh to be established by law, or is it advisable to leave it 

 to the fishermen themselves in perfect freedom and according 

 to the varying conditions of the fishing industry, to arrange their 

 fishing gear in the way, which experience in every case teaches 

 them to be profitable? 



I am of the opinion that the latter solution is to be pre- 

 ferred, and will undoubtedly prove to be rational and economical 

 as regards the whole fishery in the sea with this kind of gear. 

 It those seines were only employed for the purpose of catching 

 seatrout, no inconvenience consequently would be occasioned, 

 if it should be decided to fix a regulation mesh possessing the 

 power of retaining only fishes down to the size limit for sea- 

 trout permitted to be sold. 



A large number of the present seines used for seatrout, 

 thus have a mesh which totally excludes the capture of trout as 

 small as any of the minimum regulation sizes suggested by me 

 above. The mesh of these nets varies as a. rule from 8 to 11 

 knots pr. foot (Norw.). Many fishermen see an advantage in 

 using these relatively large meshed seines, as they are consider- 

 ably easier to handle than finer meshed seines. 



Other fishermen, however, are inclined to renounce this 

 latter quality in preference to a smaller mesh, by means of 

 which herrings and other small seafish may be captured with 

 the trout, in cases or at times when no trout are to be had. 



Others take the middle course and employ in the middle 

 part of their large meshed seine (8—11 knots pr. Norw. foot) a 



