of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



59 



The Northern rivers predominate in the short migration list, being- 

 rivers in which the great majority of salmon are of the small class. The 

 Tay heads the list, no doubt, but it must be understood that the 

 greatest number of recaptures of this class have come from the Tay, and 

 it may be remarked that in the long migration list the Tay heads the 

 list also with 24 fish as against 16, and that the Tay is prominent 

 amongst rivers in which large salmon are taken. Fish of 40 to 45 lb. 

 occur so frequently — as noted in Appendix VI. — that amongst netsmen 

 they are unremarked. 



The kelts referred to in the present report, including, now, four coastal 

 recaptures, are : — 



Long Period.— ^os. 6498, 9187, 9293, 9595, 240, 1491, 1564, 1582, 

 1453, 9198, 9427. 



Short Period.- Nos. 9200, 539, 547, 1452, 1771, 2235, 2418, 2425, 

 2428, 2466, 2645, 2652, 2958, 2997, 3011, 1141. 



The recaptures on the coast are of interest also. I remarked in a 

 previous report that no recapture of a Tay fish had ever occurred except 

 in the river Tay, and suggested that possibly the great volume of water 

 discharged from the river might afford in part an explanation. This 

 year we have two Tay recaptures from coast nets, both south of the Tay, 

 in accordance with what has been previously noted — that the majority of 

 coastal recaptures are to the south of the position of marking on the 

 East Coast. The kelt marked 2958b, 131b., on 1st February, 1907, at 

 Findynate, near Grantully, was recaptured in a bag-net off Fife Ness on 

 17th August, 1907, when it weighed 23 Jib., an increase of 101b. in six 

 months and a half. Of the second Tay example, it has to be said that 

 particulars at time of marking have, unfortunately, been lost. The 

 mark 9595a was one of a lot sent by me on 24th February, 1903, to 

 Easthaugh, near the foot of the river Tummel. Whether it was used in 

 1903, 1904, 1905, or 1906 I am quite unable to say. The fish was 

 recaptured in Largo Bay, in the Firth of Forth (south coast of Fife), on 

 18th July, 1907, and it then weighed 37 jib. It is striking that 

 these two fish should have been captured last summer within the 

 confines of the Forth district. 



As a good example of actual distance in southward migration, we have 

 the case of a Deveron fish — No. 2235b — which in four months travelled 

 from the Forglen water, some 8 or 9 miles up the river, to Elie Ness, in 

 the Firth of Forth. The distance is 150 miles, being a little farther 

 than our longest previous migration, Grimersta to Castletown. I have 

 added those coast recaptures to the chart previously published in a 

 slightly different form and showing similar movements. This now 

 includes all such recaptures, as well as one or two records of localities 

 where salmon have been caught at distances from the coast. 



I may now refer to a migration which is as yet unique in our records. 

 On 9th December, 1907, when netting was in progress on the Beauly for 

 hatching purposes, a clean fish of 221b. was marked as number 4054b. 

 It was taken in the Castle Pool, about a mile and a half up the river. It 

 measured 35 inches. On 19th March of this year Major M'Lean, 

 Laggan Lodge, Scaniport, was fishing Docli four water, six miles up the 

 river Ness, and landed this fish. In my recollection we have had four 

 cases of kelts which have migrated in the kelt state from one river or 

 stream to another, but this is the first record of a clean fish doing so. It 

 is in harmony with the belief freely expressed by the late Mr. Dunbar, 

 of Thurso fame, and others, that the early winter fish drop back again to 

 the sea. In Ireland Mr. Holt has referred to the habit, saying that in 

 some parts of the country the fish are, when taken in the nets, recog- 

 nised as having been in fresh water and styled " droppers." The rivers 



