A STUDY ON TROUT AND YOUNG SALMON. 317 



A reduction of the mesh would thus in some salmon-rivers 

 clearly result in less grilse reaching the upper reaches and falling 

 a prey to sportsmen, or increasing the number of spawning fish. 

 However the provision of our law concerning a minimum mesh 

 was never intended to regulate this side of the industry. 



The object of mesh regulation has been the protection of 

 young salmon, nonmarketable and unripe fish. 



Equalising of the catch and protection of the spawning, 

 heads to which the above mentioned features must be referred, 

 has always indeed been aimed at, by regulations enforcing 

 weekly and annual close-times. Thus the drawbacks, eventually 

 caused by a reduction of the mesh in the rivers, would have to 

 be amended by regulations concerning weekly and annual close- 

 times and would also have to be discussed and considered under 

 this head. Consequently the motives fundamental to mesh regu- 

 lations in general should not now prevent a reduction of the 

 mesh in the rivers. But perfect hberty as to the choice of 

 mesh would not as I have said before be advisable on account 

 of the young trout. 



If therefore the interests, which would profit by a mesh 

 reduction in the rivers, were found worthv of consideration, there 

 are no objections in the case of young-fish protections, as long 

 as the reduction is kept within limits protecting the non-saleable 

 trout. Presumably the reduced size of the mesh ought not to 

 be fixed by law in any general form. According to my opinion 

 a lowering of the mesh ought only to be effected by the ad- 

 ministration, upon petition, and it ought only to be lowered to 

 a degree which special investigation in each locality, proved 

 justified. 



Also it should be left to administration to define the term 

 river or river-mouth. This is on account of special or singular 

 fisheries which occur in a few places in the neighbourhood of 

 river-mouths. In a juridical sense they would be sea-fisheries, 

 while really having the character of river-fisheries. 



