of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



263 



described this fish, and shown that it is not to be confused with the so- 

 called bull trout of the Tay, Forth, Ness, and other rivers, which fish is 

 merely a large salmon which bears the signs of having spawned. It is 

 a robust variety which has ousted the typical sea trout, and has now 

 become well established. In the Coquet at one time an effort seems to 

 have been made to exterminate it in favour of the salmon, but the 

 attempt failed. It is generally rather easy to seriously reduce the 

 stock of such fish if the animal close time is not observed. 



This brings me to the reason for my specially mentioning the sea trout 

 in this Report. A serious decline of the stock of sea trout in most parts 

 of Scotland has beeii noticed in the last two or three seasons. There are 

 ]iot a few districts where a considerable proportion of sea trout is relied 

 upon to bring the sabnon fishery catch up to paying proportions. This 

 has recently failed, and the reason for the failure is not very easy to deter- 

 mine. It is true that sea trout spawji as a rule at a rather earlier date 

 than salmon, and that, therefore, the annual close time for salmon is not 

 really fair for the trout. For many reasons coniiected with thr |m dicing 

 of our fresh- water fisheries, this arrangement must be supported, aiid, at 

 the same time, there are many localities where, though rods catch sea 

 trout relatively near their spawning season, this fact can scarcely be 

 regarded as in any way likely to have influenced the result. 



There are other localities where no sea trout netting of any legal kind 

 is carried on, and where, if it were, the salmon nets of legal mesh would not 

 readily capture the small sea trout which are most common. Nor is it 

 the case that the " splasii netting " or " scringing," so common at one 

 time in the West Highlands, is now very much practised. For this benefit 

 we are largely indebted to the action of Mr. Morris of the Fishmongers' 

 Company in stopping the markets for such ill-gotten gains. 



There are no doubt local circumstances in certain districts, such as the 

 gross pollutions of the Forth below Stirling, which have killed off large 

 numbers of fish, but an equal loss in other districts is noticeable although 

 no pollution is present. 



We require rather fuller knowledge of the habits of this minor salmon. 

 There is much evidence to show that it is more estuarial in habit than 

 S. solar. The sea trout smolts or yellow fins do not go straight out to 

 salt water when they meet the tide on their descent, as the salmon smolts 

 do. They hang about and feed in the estuaries. The adult fish feed not 

 only in estuaries but also in fresh-water as the salmon do not. The 

 finnock, phinoc, herling, or whitling, i.e. the grilse of the sea trout, 

 ascend our rivers in shoals for some distance but drop back again to the sea 

 before they ascend for the purpose of spawning. This cannot be regarded 

 as a regular habit amongst young salmon, although many adult salmon 

 appear to drop back individually in this way. It is generally accepted 

 that sea trout do not go far from the coast, and the estuarial habit first 

 referred to lends strength to this view no doubt. None the less I have 

 photographs in my possession of sea trout taken by herring fishers 45 

 miles east of Montrose, and I have specimens of beautiful clean sea trout 

 taken in the month of October about 30 miles off Lowestoft, and I received 

 a single specimen at another time taken 30 miles off Berwick. I think we 

 have as much reason to say that grilse and salmon do not go far from the 

 coast as to say this of sea trout. It has always been difficult to obtahi 

 information as to the movements of the salmonidte when out of tJie range 

 of nets suitable for their capture. Also in the recaptures of marked lisli 

 made in the sea during the past season, which form the subject of ;i sc])ai ate 

 paper,* we have obtained, although very few sea trout were niarkccL some 

 records which show that these fish travel to considcj able distances ; for 

 * FMierics, Scotland, Salmon Fi«li., 19U, III. 



