of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



95 



APPENDIX N. 

 SALMON FISHERIES. 



MR. CALDERWOOD'S REPORT. 



Fishery Board for Scotland, 

 February 1916. 



I have the honour to report with regard to the Salmon Fisheries, and 

 my inspections during 1915. 



The salmon fisheries have been less affected by the war than I 

 understand sea fisheries in general have been. With the exception of 

 the Firth of Forth, where the Commander-in-Chief at Rosyth decided 

 that it was inexpedient to allow bag nets to be fished, the coast fisheries 

 have been but slightly interfered with. In the Firth of Forth, netting 

 was not entirely suspended, however, since fly nets, which can be worked 

 at low tide without the use of a boat, were allowed. The sandy parts 

 of the coast of Fifeshire could therefore be fished as formerly, except that 

 bag nets could not be outrigged from the ends of the fly nets. 



The total weight of salmon carried by rail, etc., in Scotland is less than 

 in 1914 by 268 tons, and is less than the last quinquennial average by 

 348 tons. 



As compared with 1914, however, there is a slight improvement in 

 the results from the whole of the West Coast, including the Solway. 

 The decrease in the catch is from the East Coast, and chiefly from that 

 section between Berwick and the entrance to the Moray Firth which 

 usually produces the largest results. 



The Moray Firth catch appears to have been singularly variable in 

 different localities. From our own netting for Research purposes we 

 ascertained, in 1914, that large catches of grilse were made in the Nairn 

 neighbourhood. In the same way, having shifted our nets in the meantime, 

 we participated, in 1915, in large catches of grilse on the east coast of 

 Sutherland, catches which were presently echoed, as it were, on the east 

 coast of Caithness. The Scrabster and Castlehill fisheries in the Pentland 

 Firth also did remarkably well. At the same time, some of the more southern 

 districts of the Moray Firth did rather badly, although the stock of salmon 

 in neighbouring rivers has improved. The definite movement of grilse from 

 our nets at Kintradwell, just north of Brora, to the nets on the east coast 

 of Caithness, coupled with the fact that the stock of fish in the Helmsdale 

 was extraordinarily good, and produced, I understand, almost a record in 

 the angling results of the river, is a matter of considerable interest. The 

 fisheries of both east and north Caithness, as well as all the fisheries 

 along the shores of the Pentland Firth and north Sutherland, are 

 primarily grilse fisheries. While our marking of kelts in rivers had shown 

 indications of a southward movement in these mature fish, the more recent 

 marking of fish in the sea now shows, especially amongst grilse, a distinct 

 northward movement along the shore. Many of the marked grilse, it is 

 true, turned up at points to the south of our nets, a few being far to 

 the south, one being as far as the river Coquet in Northumberland, but 



