32 



Appendices to Eighteenth Annual Report 



the fish taken in the bagnets are not Ugie fish at all, but are fish 

 striking the coast on their way to other rivers. I am, indeed, of 

 opinion that on the East Coast generally, on account of its open, 

 uniform character, stake or bag net fishing is probably far-reaching in 

 its influence upon the fisheries ; that, in other words, as I have already 

 indicated, the coast fishings of, say, the North and South Esks Districts 

 are likely to capture more than North and South Esk fish. Salmon are 

 captured on both sides of Fife Ness where no salmon rivers exist. 

 They have as far to go to the Forth or the Tay — the two nearest rivers 

 — as is the distance from the North or South Esk to the Tay. In 

 support of this opinion the returns of salmon marking carried on during 

 recent years give instances of fish being recaptured considerable distances 

 from the points where they were marked, and in not a few cases in 

 rivers other than might be described as their own rivers. 



In view, therefore, of the different conditions which exist on the East 

 and on the "West Coast, it would appear that to the bag-netted districts 

 of the North -West Highlands we must look for our clearest evidence as 

 to the influence of coast fishing by fixed engine. 



During my annual tour of inspection I visited 23 districts between 

 the Awe in Argyllshire and the Laxford in Sutherland. I shall divide 

 them into two groups — 



Those Fished by Bag Nets. Those not so Fished. 



Awe. Creran. 

 Lussa. Pennygown. 

 Baa. Sunart, 

 Shiel. Moidart. 

 Sligachan. Ay lor t. 



f Balgay. Morar. 

 \ Torridon. Kilchoan. 

 Badachro. Glenelg. 

 Ewe. Snizort. 

 Broom Ullapool. 

 Kirkaig. 

 Inver. 

 Laxford. 



From Moidart northwards a consecutive series of 12 districts — to Loch 

 Torridon — are not fished by bag nets, although the Sound of Sleat on 

 the Skye side is so fished. At several points along this line of coast 

 attempts have been made with bag nets, but hitherto with no success. 

 Great complaints are made in the neighbourhood on account of extensive 

 " scringing " by boats' crews hailing from the villages of Plocton and 

 Avernish — nine crews appear to be particularly bold in this illegal 

 pursuit — but in none of the districts which I visited in this series did 

 there appear to be complaint as to decline in the stock of fish. These 

 are the angling districts to which I referred at the commencement as 

 constituting one of the two sources from which no general statement of 

 decline was received. 



The east coast of Skye, on the other hand, is heavily netted, as are 

 the districts of Torridon and Badachro on the mainland. Here, com- 

 plaints are rife. Referring to last year's report from the Clerk to the 

 District Fishery Board of Torridon, we find, " No fish at all taken in 

 1898. Salmon fishing quite ruined by the outside nets"; and no recent 

 reports existent in this office show record of a greater number of salmon 

 than 14 having been taken in fresh water in one year. Mr. Darroch 

 of Torridon supplied to Mr. Archibald Young, then Inspector of Salmon 



