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BEMABKABLE CHANGE in HABITS of the HEBBINGS 

 VISITING KILLALA BAY, CO. MAYO. 



By Eobert Warren. 



The Herrings visiting Killala Bay in the harvest and autumn 

 seasons have, since 1899, changed their habits very considerably. 

 Up to that date the principal fishing took place in the open bay, 

 and if a few schools entered the estuary they remained only for 

 a few nights, while any boats that followed them took but a few 

 hundreds, and in consequence all the boats fished in the bay, the 

 estuary fishing being profitless. However, in 1899, there was a 

 large run of Herrings into the estuary, and great numbers were 

 taken (even high up the tidal parts of river) for about three 

 weeks. The following season they again came in, and remained 

 longer, and fine catches were made, while the bay fishing de- 

 clined; and thus each season the estuary fishing improved, 

 while that of the bay became worse and worse, until the last two 

 seasons, when the fishing was nearly altogether confined to the 

 estuary, the fish coming in about the last week of August, or 

 first week of September. In 1904 the fish appeared in the bay 

 the last week of August, but did not enter the estuary until 

 Sept. 15th, when some small schools showed, though the great 

 rush of fish did not begin until the 26th, and continued up to 

 Nov. 21st, when the Herrings cleared out of both river and 

 estuary with the heavy gale of that date. Yet some schools 

 lingered on in the bay, especially at the Kilcummin side, and 

 some Herrings were taken on Dec. 12th and 13th, and even as 

 late as Jan. 8th some were taken between Kilcummin and 

 Eathfran Bay on the western side. The Herrings were caught 

 night after night, even on the upper reaches of the river, and as 

 the estuary is so well sheltered by the Island of Bartragh from 

 the seas of the bay, and the weather being calm and fine, every 

 sort of boat was out, from the large yawl, with its crew of six or 

 eight men and its train of six nets, to the little punt, or dinghy, 



