TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT. 



TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE 



LORD BALFOUR of BURLEIGH 



His Majesty^s Secretary for Scotland. 



Office of the Fishery Board 



FOR Scotland, 

 Edinburgh, Zlst March, 1903. 



My Lord, 



In continuation of our Twenty-first Annual Keport we have 

 the honour to submit — 



PART IL— REPORT ON SALMON FISHERIES. 



The total weight of Salmon carried by Scottish Railways and Returns of 

 Steamships during the fishing season of 1902 shows an increase of ^^°jf^^y .^^^ 

 twenty-four tons on the weight carried in 1901. This is a small in- steamship 

 crease, but it may be remembered that the total for 1901 showed an ^^ompames 

 increase of 250 tons over 1900. The figure now attained is, how- 

 ever, still below the last calculated average (1894-1898) by 659 tons. 



The section of the coast from Berwick to Cairnbulg Point, at the 

 entrance to the Moray Firth, is only very slightly under its total 

 for 1901, while the section north of this — Cairnbulg Point to Cape 

 Wrath — has continued to increase in productiveness. A marked 

 rise is still more noticeable in the figure representing the West 

 Highland fishing — Cape Wrath to Glasgow. It is, however, in the 

 remaining section which extends from the Firth of Clyde to the 

 Border, including the Solway Firth, that the drop takes place 

 which seriously reduces the total. With the exception of this 

 section, it may be said that the stock of salmon, so far as these 

 returns show, is maintained. A Table showing the total weights 

 carried from each section, and a chart of curves, express the con- 

 dition referred to. It is necessary, however, to state that while in 

 many localities the stock of salmon seemed markedly deficient, the 

 run of grilse was most pronounced and helped materially with their 

 numbers to produce the weights given. Some idea of the relative 

 abundance of salmon and of grilse will be obtained by reference to 

 the charts included in Appendix II. 



