0/ the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



57 



and the first week of July, however, the grilse and sea-trout curves are 

 seen to approximate, the grilse curve being at its highest on the 27th 

 June. In the salmon curve for the river we miss any notice of the large 

 stock of fish found on the coast at the opening of the season. 



Kyle of Sutherland Net and Coble Fishing. 



The chart which I present showing the results of this fishery is on 

 precisely the same scale as the two charts already referred to. It has a 

 character of its own, and yet exhibits certain conditions common to the 

 two Dee charts. Grilse predominate, as in the Raik and Stell chart, 

 and there is a good series of sea-trout runs during June and July, as in 

 the Midchingle Chart. Grilse, however, do not appear till the middle of 

 May, and the maximum is reached in July rather than in June. The 

 occurrence of sea-trout is insignificant till the middle of June. It will be 

 seen, therefore, that the main runs of both grilse and sea-trout are rather 

 later than is shown in the case of the Dee, and that the sea-trout season 

 is more concentrated. 



The most characteristic feature is, however, seen when we turn to the 

 curve for salmon. There i^^ no well-defined run of fish at the opening of the 

 season. February and March are almost blank, and April shows a less result 

 than in the case of the Dee. In May, however, a run of salmon commences 

 which is not only much steadier but which rises to a higher level than does 

 any run at this season in the Dee, whether river or coast, so far as these 

 records show. It is not so great as the bag-net record for the opening of 

 the Dee coast season, but is just beyond the level of the August Dee coast 

 return. As Dr. Almond ceases netting at the end of July, or did so in 

 1902, we have nothing to show what relative head of fish may have been 

 present in the Kyle in August. The Midchingle record shows nothing 

 to approach this early summer run of salmon in the Kyle of Sutherland. 

 That the catch of salmon should have reached its maximum on the last 

 day of May seems, however, to be a somewhat exceptional condition in 

 the Kyle. In Appendix II. of the Report of the Eoyal Commission on 

 Salmon Fisheries, p. 7, monthly results of Dr. Almond's fishing are given 

 in weights for the years 1897-1900 inclusive. In this Table, although 

 the month of May shows a steadily increasing figure, June is always 

 better, and July is invariably best. From this return we also learn that 

 the Kyle was fished in August during 1897 and 1898, and that during 

 these seasons no recovery of the earlier summer run occurred, the return 

 showing figures less than those given for the month of April in each year. 



River Nith Net and Coble Fishing. 



Turning now to this southern river, it is necessary first to state with 

 reference to the chart of curves that in this case, the numbers of fish 

 being very much less than in the Dee and Kyle Districts, the scale upon 

 which the chart has been prepared has been increased two-fold. In other 

 words, the number of fish included in the square is half that of the other 

 charts. 



Fish do not appear till the last week of March, and all through the 

 season salmon are neither numerous nor constant in supply. Grilse also 

 do not make their appearance till the middle of June, nor do they occur 

 m a constant run. They appear in six small separate runs, the maximum 

 being reached on 15th July. The Dee grilse, on the other hand, are 

 running constantly in June, and the main run ends with the first week of 

 July. The Kyle grilse run constantly through both June and July, which 

 is the condition also shown in the Dee coast fishery chart. 



