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Appendices to Fortieth Annual Report 



As showing the relative runs of salmon and grilse at the Aberdeen 

 Harbour Commissioners' Fishings — where, in the past, very great numbers 

 of grilse have been taken — I may state that 2588 salmon were taken in 

 February, and that the total grilse take for the year amounted to only 

 2721. The monthly totals, which have been kindly supplied, show a 

 gradual diminution from February to the end of July, and only a small 

 rise of 30 fish in August. 



As showing the relation between s.almon and grilse for the last ten 

 years in the Moray Firth area, I have been favoured with a table of 

 percentages of grilse to salmon ' prepared by the Moray Firth Salmon 

 Fisheries Co., Ltd. 



1912 . 



. 94-8 



1917 . 



. 94-1 



1913 . 



. 98-7 



1918 . 



. 69-8 



1914 . 



. 957 



1919 . 



. 1211 



1915 . 



. 1723 



1920 . 



. 60-7 



1916 . 



. 36 3 



1921 . 



. 56-7 



With regard to the total weight of salmon and grilse sent to market, 

 which weight has been commonly charted in four lines representing four 

 sections of the coast, I this year give a curve indicating the totals for 

 the last 28 years in tons. The marked rise for 1921 is very evident, as 

 also are the high totals of 1895 and 1896. 



While it is the case that in the wet and cold part of the country 

 the coast netting was poor, it by no means follows that in those parts 

 of the country where dry weather prevailed all through the summer 

 the good fishing season was due to the dry weather. I have already 

 stated that the increase was chiefly in spring fish, and one has only 

 to reflect that the dry weather did not really begin till after the success 

 of the spring fishing had already been attained, to see that the direct 

 cause, at least, was not the dry summer. Grilse showed up poorly 

 all through the dry season, and were later than usual in some districts. 

 All fish taken in 1921 were, however, of excellent quality, and the 

 average weight of spring fish is reported to have been rather above 

 the normal. 



If we go a little further back in our consideration of the weather 

 conditions, it may be that the factors which brought about the dry 

 season of 1921 exercised their influence upon the life of the salmon in 

 the sea, and induced a greater proportion of fish to come into the 

 coast earlier than usual. Alternatively, there is the possibility that the 

 early running fish are a separate race, and that this race is increasing 

 at the expense of an autumn race. It seems extremely unlikely that 

 the general stock of the country's salmon is becoming augmented. If 

 it were so, we should surely have a better show of grilse and summer 

 fish. The class of small spring fish, and the great majority of the large 

 spring fish also, are those which have not come to the coast as grilse, 

 but have continued to feed in the sea to a later stage in their life. 



In this connection one may observe that, in the study of the fluctua- 

 tions of the herring, upon which the scientific staff of the Board have 

 been engaged for some years, it was noticed that in 1920 an unusual 

 influx of Atlantic water was carried round the north of Scotland, and 

 between the Orkneys and Shetlands, into the North Sea, and that the 

 normal currents in the northern part of the North Sea were so upset 

 as to be reversed in certain particulars. Coupled with the abnormality 

 of the hydrographical conditions, there occurred a great abundance 

 of the jelly-fish-like creature Salpa, a form belonging to the warmer 

 Atlantic. The salps appear to have been in such abundance as to clog 

 the fishermen's nets, and as they were carried into the Moray Firth, 



