of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



93 



This is an example of a fish which has paused in its ascent for 28 

 days. The water in which it remained is a short distance below the 

 Linn of Campsie, an obstruction sufficient, as is stated in my previous 

 report to check spring fish when the temperature of the water is low. 

 Similar cases are seen in Nos. 9074, 9083, and 9289, the pauses being 

 respectively 41, 9, and 9 days. In January 1903, it may further be 

 explained, the Tay rose to a high level between 21st and 29th inst., and 

 during 30th and 31st inst. the river was in great flood. 



RC]9C j 20 : 36" : M. : 2nd Dec. 1901 : Almond Mouth, Lower Tay. 

 0U "° j 18 i = 26th A P ril 1902 : Findynate, Upper Tay. 



This is an example of a very early spring fish — an ante-spring fish — 

 which, instead of proceeding to Loch Tay where such fish are commonly 

 fished for at the opening of the rod fishing season (15th January), was 

 still in the upper river near Grandtully at the end of April. The 

 reduction of 1| lb. in weight is in accord with the conditions noticed in 

 the Spey clean fish reported upon previously. 



J 20: 36| : M. : 9th Jan. 1902 : West Shot, Stanley, Tay. 

 WUOt> [ 18 : 1st April 1902 : Muirton Bank, Tay. 



The position of recapture in this case is considerably below the place 

 of marking, but the fish was in poor condition and diseased on the head 

 when found at Muirton Bank. This, together with the influence of 

 the floods noted when referring to 7799, is no doubt sufficient to account 

 for the descent. 



9007, marked at West Shot, below The Linn, was recovered in a month, 

 8 miles lower down at Almond Mouth, and was then 1 lb. lighter. 

 9302, is a similar case. 



9093, a 20 lb. fish marked at The Linn, was found a month later in the 

 tidal water about 4 miles below Perth, or fully 13 miles below 

 place of marking. It had contracted salmon disease. Two 

 other recaptures suffice to show the effect of the heavy floods 

 which occurred at the end of January. 



f 27 : 41" : M. : 9th Jan. 1903 : Linn of Campsie. 

 9100 4 22 : 19th March 1903: Venture Fishing Station, 



below Perth. 



9269 



J17J: 

 { 19? 



37" : M. : 9th Jan. 1903 : Linn of Campsie. 



19th Jan. 1903 : 1 mile above The Linn. 



The latter fish had ascended The Linn during the low water conditions 

 in the first half of January. The later capture of 9100 shows the 

 retreat of the fish before the flood which came at the end of the month, 

 and the high conditions which lasted almost continuously through 

 February and March. It was not diseased, but was reported as 

 distinctly coloured by its sojourn in the fresh water. 



Other clean spring fish which had descended by the action of the 

 floods as well as, apparently, through the weakness caused by disease, 

 are 9270, 9273, 9287, and 9301. 



The recaptures in this series bring out again the conditions under 

 which these fish ascend, pause in their ascent, or fall back down stream. 

 After the flood of 30th and 31st January, all recaptured clean fish 

 were below the place of marking. 



