SALMON— SCOTCH FISHERIES. 129 



seen as many as eighty taken at a single haul in a pool below the falls of Kilmorac, 

 and one of the number weighed more than 60 lb. 



It will be necessary now to pass on more rapidly through the salmon rivers of 

 Scotland as those on the east coast and the Solway with their stationary engines 

 have been rather fully dilated upon. Some are situated in the county of Suther- 

 land, and belong exclusively to the Duke of Sutherland, who is consequently able to 

 work them, in any manner which he considers most conducive to maintain them in 

 good order, as the tidal fishings one mile seawards from low-water mark, are also 

 his property. Among some of the following rivers where artificial propagation 

 of Salmonidfe has been tried, it has been discontinued as not being a success, but 

 it is said not to have had a fair trial. 



Sir W. Jardine in a Report to the British Association, 1834, p. 613, observed 

 that the Duke of Sutherland* finding his salmon rivers deteriorating, took 

 them under his own direction in 1832, regulating the close time in accordance 

 with the seasons of running. The fish were strictly preserved, and in several 

 rivers grilse were all permitted to run : within two years the produce in many 

 streams had doubled. It will now be interesting to see whether this improved 

 condition of the fisheries still continues. The Brora is an early river. In 1658 

 Captain Franck stated that £300 worth of salmon were annually exported from 

 it to France. Between 1863 and 1882 the best year was 1874 when 26,025 lb. 

 weight of fish were reported to have been captured, and the worst in 1865 when 

 3971 lb. were taken. For the nine years from 1863 to 1873 the average take was 

 8897 lb., and for nine years to 1882 it had risen to 16,404 lb. The Helmsdale is 

 another very early river: in 1876, 5116 lb. of salmon and 22,1671b. of grilse 

 were taken by nets in the district, the nets do not commence being worked until 



Tlie average annual rents during the first of these periods was £1300, during the second 

 £392, and during the third £768. Severely injured by fixed nets, they have improved since the 

 passing of the Act of 1862, when these engines were removed from Chanonry Point. 



* Some interesting experiments iu marking salmon in Sutherlandshire rivers were made by the 

 sixth Duke of Athol, and the results of which were published by the late Frank Buokland in LaTid 

 and Water. He commenced, when Lord Glenlyou, in March, 1844, and the lists were continued 

 until the end of 1868 ; during this period over 1500 kelts were marked. From March 11th, 1844, 

 zinc tickets with numbers on them were used, fastened with copper wire through the dead fin ; 

 April 7th, 1845, silver was substituted for the copper wire, and these were employed to March 

 10th, 1847 ; but this mode of fastening wire through the dead fin was now given up as insecure. 

 During this period at first the results were not satisfactory, but on March 31st, 1845, a 10 lb. 

 kelt was taken, and on May 7th, 1845, it was re-captured in the finest possible condition and 

 weighing 21J lb. 



March 20th, 1847, circular copper tickets were commenced, being employed fastened round 

 the free portion of the tail with copper wire, but on this being found to out the fish, gutta-percha 

 cord was substituted. On March 10th, 1849, another alteration was tried, the copper labels being 

 sewn on to the tail fin with gutta-percha thread. March 27th, 1847, a 15 lb. kelt was 

 marked and re-captured as a clean fish 20 lb. weight on February 20th, 1848. March 28th, 

 1847, an 11 lb. kelt was marked, re-captured July 24th clean and 18 lb. March 3rd, 1847, a 14 lb. 

 kelt was marked, re-caught September 7th clean and 21 lb. weight. 



On February 20th, 1851, the duke adopted flat gutta-percha bands, the ends fastened together 

 with wire. On February 26th, the duke commenced with No. 21 to fasten the ends of the band 

 with naphtha instead of wire, half an inch of the outside of one end and of the inside of the other 

 end being wetted with naphtha, and then set on fire, and when partially melted the ends were laid 

 one upon the other, overlapping each other half an inch or more. When cool, the band formed 

 a firm, complete circle round the fish. „ , t, , 



On February 26th, 1851, a 10 lb. kelt was marked, and re-oaught as a clean fish February 17th, 

 1852, weighing 12 lb. March 21st,. 1854, an 11 lb. kelt was marked, and re-oaught near 

 Montrose on August 24th, 1854, as a clean 17 lb. fish. 



March 29th, 1859, a 12^ lb. kelt was marked, re-caught August 12th, 1859, a clean fish weighmg 

 19 lb. ; this and other fish were marked by gutta-percha tickets fastened round the free portion of 

 the tail by wire, but they were mostly out to the bone by ulceration. ,,,„„„ 



On February 25th, 1861, a 13 lb. kelt was marked, re-taken August 11th, 1862, as a clean 



26 lb. salmon. . , . . , , , . , . , 



Mr A Jopp, of Aberdeen, in 1860 published numerous statistics of Aberdeenshire wherein he 

 conclusively showed that salmon had decreased in number and weight since the introduction 

 of stake nets, his results referring more particularly to rivers and not to_ the sea. Several 

 proprietors of fixed nets on the coast very largely increased the rentals of their whole fisheries by 

 giving up the fixed nets. The Duke of Richmond removed fourteen from the mouth of the Spey, 

 and in eight years his rental rose from £6000 to £13,000. 



y 



