of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



29 



General Remarks. 



The river and sea coast net salmon fishing opened over the Spey district 

 upon the 11th of February. The inspection of the weekly close time during 

 the season was attended to by myself, the Inspector, and Sergeant Alexander 

 Mackintosh. During the whole season, as far as the weather and sea 

 made it practicable to do so, the observance and carrying out of the weekly 

 close time or ' slop ' was strictly carried out over the whole district. The close 

 of the net salmon fishing was carried out over the district upon the 26th of 

 August. 



The salmon hatchery at Fochabers, belonging to His Grace the Duke of Rich- 

 mond and Gordon, has had another successful year's work carried out by the 

 system of propagating and hatching salmon ova, and returning them in the 

 stage of salmon fry into the river Spey. During the months of November and 

 December 1895, salmon ova to the enormous number of 570,000 were secured 

 and placed in the hatchery boxes. I visited and saw the ova during the pro- 

 pagating stage, and again when the hatched or life stage was reached, and, to 

 my belief, the last ' houseful ' of ova and the subsequent fry were, if possible, 

 the finest to all appearance that I have yet seen in this hatchery. During the 

 month of May 1896, the fry, after attaining the age of six or seven weeks, 

 were removed from the boxes and let at large into the River Spey. Mr 

 Thomas Rae, who had charge of the hatchery, was exceedingly well pleased 

 with the quality of last year's ova and also with the returns of fry derived 

 from the same, and he is quite sure that he under estimates his return when 

 he gives it at 95 per cent, of salmon fry returned to the river from the ova 

 placed in the hatchery boxes. Grilses, although apparently up to an average 

 upon the rod fishing stretches of the river during the season, were all along 

 the sea coast and River Spey net fishings considerably less numerous than of 

 last year. This falling off in grilse, which, however, was more than counter- 

 balanced by abundance of salmon all the year over, is not easily explained or 

 accounted for, more especially when the descending smolts during last spring 

 and early summer months were much more numerous than that of the preced- 

 ing season. From the large size of the River Spey, no certainty, it may be 

 supposed, can be given whether descending smolts do vary as much in apparent 

 numbers as to allow of comparisons, one year with another, being given. 

 Those employed at the river mouth net salmon fishings have the best means 

 of judging a season's appearance of descending smolts. When dragging their 

 nets through the river in the darkness of the nighc the shoals of descending 

 smolts can be seen rushing through the net meshes by the glitter and gleam of 

 their silvery scales. Some of the oldest men employed say that, during the 

 last smolt season, the appearance of descending smolts in regard to numbers 

 was the best that they had seen for forty years. 



The full force of bailiffs or Spey police is constituted as follows : — The 

 superintendent, residing at Aberlour ; the inspector, stationed at Grantown ; 

 eight sergeants, and thirty-seven constables. 



GEORGE K. MACGREGOR, Superintendent 



THE DISTRICT OF THE RIVER FINDHORN. 

 Take of Fish— 



1. (a) Salmon above average ; grilse below average ; (b) below average ; 



(c) salmon above average ; (d) about an average. 

 3. (a) 11th February ; (b) April and May ; (c) May, June and July. Trout 



may be got throughout season. 

 5. (a) Salmon 34 lbs. ; trout 4 lbs ; (b) Salmon 45 lbs. ; (c) Salmon 17 lbs. 



Protection — 



1. £3436. 



2. £345. 



3. Head constable, two permanent bailiffs and fifteen occasional bailiffs. 



4. No. 



