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Appendices to Fmrth Annual Report 



that, in many of them, oyster and mussel scalps had formerly existed, but 

 have either been dredged out or suffered to decay from want of proper 

 precautions to preserve and improve them. At the head of Portree Loch 

 and of Loch Sligachan, in Loch Snizort Beg, in Loch Harport, in Loch 

 Grishernish, in the Sound of Scalpa, and in various other places, there 

 are suitable localities for mussel and oyster culture. At Romsdal, in Loch 

 Snizort Beg, there is still a mussel scalp, and at the head of Loch 

 Grishernish, where the sea-bottom is better suited than almost any other 

 loch in Skye, there used to be a fine oyster bed. But all the oysters 

 were dredged out in a single night ; the story of many a Highland and 

 Orcadian oyster scalp, proving the fact that without police protection 

 there will be no successful and remunerative mussel or oyster cultivation. 

 Yet, in the beginning of last century when oysters were probably not 

 worth a tenth of their present value, and consequently not so attractive 

 to the spoiler, they seem to have existed in Skye in great abundance, as a 

 well known author of that period writes as follows, concerning them : — 

 All the bays and places of anchorage here abound with most kind of shell- 

 fish. The Kyle of Scalpa affords oysters in such plenty, that commonly a 

 spring-tide of ebb leaves 15 sometimes 20 horse load of them on the sands. 



And the writer of the description of the parish of Strath in Skye 

 in the Statistical Account of Scotland, published about 60 years ago, 

 states that 'there is a bank of excellent oysters betwixt the coast 

 ' and Scalpa.' 



The following letter to me, dated Portree, 10th June, 1885, from Mr 

 Alex. Macdonald, who is factor for Lord Macdonald, Mr M'Leod of 

 Dunvegan, and Major Fraser of Kilmuir, the three chief proprietors in 

 Skye, and who has, therefore, almost unequalled opportunities of ascertain- 

 ing the state of the island, will shew of how great importance he considers 

 the improvement and development of the mussel and oyster fisheries. 

 He writes as follows : — 



With reference to our conversation to-day, and what I mentioned about the 

 much neglected mussel scalps and oyster-beds in Skye, I trust that these will 

 receive the early attention of Parliament, and that powers will be afforded 

 your Board for regulating these very valuable fisheries. To any one who 

 knows the west coast, it is perfectly clear that the sheltered bays and estu- 

 aries of Skye would, if due attention were paid to them, form invaluable 

 fisheries, giving much larger revenues, I believe, than the salmon fisheries at 

 present. In many of them there are now oysters, although they are not pro- 

 tected. With care and cultivation there is not the slightest doubt that these 

 fisheries might be greatly extended, and would aflbrd employment to large 

 numbers of our poor population here. 



THE SALMON RIVERS OF THE LEWS AND 

 HARRIS. 



Coming to the extensive island of the Lews and Harris, by far the 

 largest of the Hebrides, we find the rivers there, though with two 

 exceptions not larger than some of those in Skye, immensely more pro- 

 ductive, in fact, for their size by far the most productive rivers in the 

 United Kingdom ; which may possibly to some extent, be explained by 

 the fact that there is scarcely any netting, the rental of the whole net 

 fishings around the 250 miles of the sea-coast of the Lews, in 1883, being 

 only £157, whereas, in Skye, almost the whole coast is surrounded by 

 bag-nets and the rental paid to the three chief proprietors for the sea 

 salmon fishings is X670. In fact, there are only 4 netting stations, 



