of the Fisliery Board for Scotlctnd. 



11 



2. Loch Carloway, at the north entrance to Loch Roag, a single bag 



net station. 



3. South of Stornoway Harbour, a sweep net station. 



4. Loch Resort, on the north side, a sweep net station. 



I ascertained that the netting just south of Stornow^ay Harbour has 

 been discontinued, and on visiting Loch Carloway I found that the bag 

 net was set, and had for many years been set, about a mile inside of the 

 estuary line which, drawn across the mouth of Loch Roag, is common to 

 the Carloway, the G-rimersta, and the Blackwater. I have to report that 

 on making this discovery I drew the attention of the Chamberlain of the 

 Lews to the matter. 



The other nets are hshed as formerly. 



The rivers and streams of The Long Island were fully described in the 

 Fourth Annual Report. It is therefore unnecessary for me to do more than 

 mention any points of interest or changed conditions which attracted my 

 special attention. 



The Grimersta. — This famous little river, with its chain of four 

 lochs below the large Loch Langavat, seems to maintain its high standard. 

 Since 1900 it has been in the hands of a new tenant — Mr. Pople — who 

 fishes it very much on the lines which have proved so successful in the 

 past. The system of partially holding up the waters of the upper lochs, 

 and of, at suitable times, creating artificial floods, is still practised both 

 here and on the Blackwater, where the plan was first adopted by the 

 author of Twenty Years' Reminiscences of the Lews — the genuine sports- 

 man and charming writer " Sixty-one." 



The Chamberlain of the Lews, Mr. Orrock, has been kind enough to 

 supply me with a statement showing in quinquennial averages the product 

 of the Grimersta rod fishing from 1871 to 1900 inclusive It is as 

 follows : — 





Salmon. 



Sea Trout. 



1871-75 



695 



1,239 



1876-80 



547 



755 



1881-85 



661 



873 



1886-90 



- 1,074 



1,433 



1891-95 



695 



1,174 



1896-1900 - 



659 



1,342 



The largest number of salmon caught in one day by one rod is 54. 

 This occurred in 1888. All the fish were taken in the first loch after an 

 artificial flood had allowed a very large number of fish to rush up the 

 river from " The Bay" where, owing to dry weather, they had accumulated 

 in extraordinary numbers. The largest single day's catch in 1901 (four 

 rods on 13th July) was 44 fish. 



As mentioned in the case of Obe in South Harris a spring run of sea 

 trout occurs also in the Grimersta. 



Laxay. — This stream which flows into Loch Erisort, on the east side 

 of the island, has also an early run. The earliest date on which a salmon 

 (12 lbs.) has been captured is, I am informed, 5th March. Like the 

 Grimersta it is supplied from several lochs, and is therefore less liable to 

 rapid fluctuations of waterflow, and runs longer at a high level than 

 many of the other streams. The old sluice at the final outflow from 

 Loch Trealaval is now, however, disused. 



The familiar Salmon Disease accompanied by the fungoid growth of 

 Saprolegnia ferax is unknown in the Outer Hebrides, but considerable 

 destruction occurs at times from another cause which, so far as I am 

 aware, is confined almost exclusively to this neighbourhood. I refer to 



