50 



Appendices to Seventeenth Annual Report 



Under these circumstances it is evident that one of the primary con- 

 ditions towards developing the capacity of a river for the production of 

 fish is not given effect to — a condition advocated both in the Fishery 

 Board for Scotland's Reports (11th Annual Report, Part II., page x. ; 

 12th Annual Report, Part II., page xiii.) and in the recent Report of 

 the Royal Commission on Tweed and Solway, page 1 8 — since no pro- 

 vision is made for the protection of a certain proportion of every run of 

 salmon during the open season. On the contrary, the case of the Earn 

 would seem to be an example of those cases referred to in the Board's 

 11th Annual Report, in which the opposition to proposals to make such 

 a provision is due to the divided interests in the district, and to the care 

 with which each proprietor naturally guards his own rights. With 

 regard to such cases the Board state that the evidence given in their 

 Reports shows that "the improvement in the fisheries which has followed 

 " in those cases where the general interests have been studied, instead 

 " of the individual, appears to indicate that the salmon fisheries are 

 " capable of development, not only to the benefit of each proprietor, but 

 " also to the increase of the food supply, if united action were more 

 " generally adopted." Since it would seem that the scheme outlined by 

 Sir Robert MoncreifFe is in effect a scheme to amalgamate the conflict- 

 ing interests with a view of taking united action for the improvement of 

 the fisheries, I have no hesitation in approving of it. 



I would, however, venture to point out that it is desirable, if possible, 

 that such an experiment should not be limited to a period of ten years, 

 as the full results can hardly become apparent in so short a time. The 

 evidence with regard to this point is referred to on page 11 of the 16th 

 Annual Report, Part II., in the following terms, viz.: — "Nothing seems 

 "to be surer with regard to the effect of regulations for Hie improve- 

 " ment of the fisheries than that the result only shows itself by good 

 "years becoming better and bad years not so bad; and, further, that 

 " the full benefit of such regulations is not felt until eight or ten years 

 " after their introduction. Thus, if the statement of number and weight 

 " of the fish caught at the salmon fishings belonging to the Aberdeen 

 " Harbour Commissioners be studied, it will be seen that in only two 

 " out of the first nine years after the new regulations were adopted did 

 " the yield of fish exceed 100,000 lbs., whereas in the subsequent seven- 

 " teen years it only fell short of the quantity in four years (p. x., ante). 

 " On the Ballisodare River in Ireland, where an entirely new salmon 

 " fishery was created by opening up the obstructions at the mouth 

 "and allowing the fish to have free access to the spawning grounds 

 " above, it seems to have been eleven years before the fisheries were 

 "fully established (1 0th Annual Report, page 11). On the Galway 

 " River, where Mr. Thomas Ashworth enormously increased the value 

 " of an existing fishery by opening up a large extent of spawning ground 

 " by means of ladders, it was nine years before the marked increase 

 " became apparent (10th Annual Report, pg,ge 13). On Sand's River in 

 " Norway, the average annual take of fish in the years following the 

 " adoption of the new regulations was not half what it has been in sub- 

 " sequent years (11th Annual Report, page 59)." 



The evidence afforded by these examples would seem to show that, 

 although regulations may be introduced at once for the more equal dis- 

 tribution of the present stock of fish, nine or ten years may elapse before 

 any material increase in such stock may become apparent, and that to 

 limit, therefore, the experiment to a period of ten years would probably 

 be to bring it to a close just before the greatest benefit might be 

 expected to accrue. — I am, &c, 



(Signed) Walter E. Archer. 



The Fishery Board for Scotland. 

 Edinburgh, 29th June 1898, 



