6 



Appendices to Twenty-seventh Annual Report 



salmon average is only 2,138, or 3*96 grilse to every salmon. In 

 individual }-ears there are excess percentages of 6*05, 5*85, 591, 5*35, 

 and 5*64, the three last in three consecutive years. 



In the later period the fluctuations of grilse are much more 

 marked, and in respect of actual totals there is a decline, but the 

 decline is not shown in the proportion of grilse to salmon, nor is the 

 decline of grilse so great as that of salmon. It has to be noticed, 

 moreover ; that in recent years in the Beauty netting has been 

 reduced, while the proportion of grilse to salmon rises to a high 

 average level after the date (1893) of the reduction of netting. This 

 I believe to be important to notice. I have drawn a curve represent- 

 ing the excess of Beauly grilse, and have placed it along with similar 

 curves for the Brora and Helmsdale (Chart No. 2). It is again 

 interesting to notice the almost complete harmony of the curves. In 

 the case of the Helmsdale and the Brora from 1864 to 1884 there is 

 singularly complete harmony, in which the Beauly joins from 1875. 

 In 1885, however, a rise of the grilse excess is noticeable in the 

 Helmsdale and Beauly curves which is not shown in the Brora line, 

 and thereafter a few minor irregularities occur. From the time of 

 the reduction of the Beauly netting, however, when in 1893 Lord 

 Lovat decided to use nets on onty two days in the week, and that 

 after the grilse began to run, the Beauly grilse line takes its higher 

 level. It does not reach as high a percentage as the Helmsdale does 

 in 1876, 1881, or 1885, but it varies from between 4*5 and 7'0 when 

 the other lines are down almost to the salmon level. The fact that 

 the Helmsdale line should be so low since about 1889 requires some 

 explanation. It is known that no nets are now used in the Helms- 

 dale District, and that the river has the benefit of artificial floods 

 from Badanloch Dam. The decline evident in this chart might 

 therefore be misleading were it not stated that the year 1899, the 

 year in which the line ends, was the year on which all netting ended 

 also, and that for a period of four years previous to 1899 the coast on 

 either side of the river mouth had been hard fished by bag nets. 

 Any improvement in the ratio between grilse and salmon is therefore 

 not possible of demonstration unless we could procure rod catches for 

 the whole river in which grilse are noted separately from salmon. 

 For the present, at all events, this rather important factor in the study 

 of the question is not available, and in any case, as successful rod 

 fishing depends on many things which do not influence the results 

 of net fishing, a comparison of results would perhaps scarcely be 

 trustworthy. The continuation of the Brora net and coble fishing 

 enables the Brora line to be run on up to date and no rise in recent 

 years is noticeable ; but the Brora becomes very small in summer, and 

 has not the benefit of any artificial floods, and has not had its netting 

 materially altered. 



The .returns with which I have been dealing so far have been 

 largely river returns. I now have five returns which are purely 

 bag-net results, and which are from the shores of Caithness and 

 North and West Sutherland. Gills, Forss, and Freswick are 

 Caithness fisheries, and the returns respecting them were given in 

 evidence before Lord Elgin's Commission by Mr. C. R. Sellar, the 

 salmon fisheries lessee. These I have placed in black upon 

 Chart No. 3. The returns for North and West Sutherland are 



