of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



15 



(salmon and grilse). Immediately after the commencement of bag 

 net fishing the results fall to 820, 348, and 342. 



The quinquennial period of bag net fishing shows an average of 

 7434 fish. At the end of this period the nets were bought off by 

 the angling tenants, who found that the supply of fish in the river 

 had most materially decreased. 



There are three quinquennial periods of rod returns, the first 

 being only approximate, the second commencing two years after 

 the commencement of the bag netting, and the third ending with 

 last year (1907). The first gives an average of 971, the second, 

 being that following and apparently affected by the bag netting, 

 giving an average of only 620, and the last rising to the substantial 

 average of 1217. 



The reduction in the stock of fish in the river in 1899 should be 

 specially noticed. The combined results of both net and coble and 

 rods is only 649 fish, while the bag nets have 8658. The combi- 

 nation of the two forms of netting is too great for the Helmsdale. 

 No doubt the bag netting result shows more than Helmsdale fish, 

 since the nets were set along the coast to the Brora estuary, and 

 I have been informed that the Kintradwell net — which is nearer 

 the Brora than the Helmsdale — took the greatest number of fish. 

 I have the Brora net and coble record from 1864 to the present 

 time, and the falling away at and just after this bag-netting period 

 is also most marked. 



The noteworthy point in the case of the Helmsdale is the rapid 

 recovery noticeable on the cessation of all netting and the com- 

 mencement of the system of artificial floods after 1901. Two 

 hatcheries operating on the river were also erected in order to 

 improve results. Without doubt, however, the spring angling has 

 in recent years been better than the angling of whole seasons 

 between 1897 and 1902, while the totals show that the Helmsdale 

 angling now is twice the value it was between the dates named. 

 From the experiences in other river districts it would appear that 

 this recovery could not have been so rapid, the angling results 

 could not have been so much increased, had the creation of artificial 

 floods not been undertaken. 



With regard to the effect of removing the bag nets in the sea, I 

 should like to add that while it has been conclusively shown that 

 bag net fishing in the sea can be safety carried on without injury 

 to the stock of salmon which enter fresh water, this is necessarily 

 accompanied by the proviso that the fixed nets are not fished too 

 near the mouths of rivers where fish congregate. The distance 

 which'must intervene between the river and the fixed nets depends 

 on several local circumstances, and, in the case of rivers largely 

 dependent upon the small class of spring fish, must be such that 

 the shoals of grilse which approach the shore in early summer, 

 and swim off and on and along the shore in the neighbourhood of 

 river mouths, be not captured in undue numbers. A large pro- 

 portion of those grilse are not directly on their way to fresh waters, 

 will not naturally enter a river as grilse, but will remain in the 

 sea and, if uncaptured, will enter fresh water at the commence- 

 ment of the following season as the valuable class of small spring 

 fish. 



