30 
Appendices to Eighth Anmoal Report 
Four of the American Brook Trout, placed in the river as fry in June 1887, 
were taken during the season — very fine fish, averaging 1 lb. in weight. 
Loch Awe The report of the Loch Awe Fishery Improvement Association is not so satisfaet 
Fishery Im- * tory as those just quoted. For several years that Association has done woodwork in 
Association. killing down the pike in Loch Awe, and stocking the loch with trout, in order, 
to some extent, to supply the loss caused by the vast number killed annually, 
cluring the fishing season, by the anglers frequenting the half dozen hotels on 
its shores. Mr Hartley, the able and energetic Hon. Secretary, is about to 
resign, owing to the want of interest in the work of the Association, and the conse- 
quent deficiency of subscriptions, which make the continuance of protection, 
stocking, &c. impossible. * Not much interest,' says Mr Hartley, ' is taken in the 
' work of the Association, and the subscriptions fall oil' year by year. It is curious 
* to note the different views which men — practical fishermen — take of the state of 
f allairs. Some say that Loch Awe cannot be overfished — it is too large. Others 
4 say that with the great fleet of boats out on it daily it is useless to try and mend 
f matters. A third class assert that while there are so many pike in the loch it is 
' absurd to turn fry into the burns, and a fourth class almost threaten to stop their 
4 subscriptions on the ground that by killing oil' all the pike the trout have been 
* made smaller, though more numerous. And yet another class grumble at the 
4 money spent in watching, and say that it is only of benefit to the salmon fishers 
' on the Awe. Some of these critics have helped me generously with their money 
4 as well as their advice, though perhaps as a rule the latter has predominated. It 
' was impossible to satisfy everyone, and I have not tried to do so. We believed 
f that there were too many pike in the loch, and a great many have been killed — 
4 about 1C00 in the last five years. The size of those got now is very much less 
4 that during the first two years. We have had a good staff of watchers out each 
' year during the spawning season. Some people say that there is no necessity for 
4 this, as there is never any poaching, but it is within my knowledge that for the 
4 last two years just outside our district the water has been 44 burnt." We have 
4 turned into the burns during the last three years nearly 150,000 Loch Leven fry 
4 and ova.' 
Hotels in Scot- There are a large number of hotels in Scotland to which trout or 
land with salmon, and sometimes both kinds of fishing, is attached, and I have 
s;vl 1 1 1 on inn I . . . 
trout risliiiiLfs 
endeavoured to get some statistics of the number of fish killed last year 
attached. by the visitors to these hotels. There is no close time for trout in 
Scotland, and no gauge to prevent the killing of undersized fish; and a 
pretty long experience of Scotch waters enables me to state, with a good 
deal of confidence, that, both in size and number, trout are decreasing, 
especially in those localities where there is a great annual catch, and no 
attempt made, by artificial breeding or otherwise, to maintain the supply. 
It seems a pity that the proprietors of the fishings attached to these 
hotels do not insist on a gauge for yellow trout — say 8 inches — under 
which no trout should be allowed to be basketed. I have much pleasure 
in expressing my obligations to those hotel-keepers who have been good 
enough to send me information in answer to the queries forwarded to them. 
Overscai, From Mr Mackay, Overscaig Hotel, Loch Shin, I learn that 7086 trout 
weighing 276 If lbs., were killed by parties fishing from his hotel. Seven 
salmon also were captured. Among the trout were 27 Salmo ferox, the 
heaviest of which weighed 12 lbs. The heaviest yellow trout was 3 lbs. 
There is another large hotel at Lairg, at the foot of Loch Shin, where 
a great many trout are killed, but I have not received returns from it. 
In 1888, the anglers fishing from that hotel captured 5 salmon and grilse, 
weighing 46 lbs. ; 105 Salmo ferox, weighing 141 lbs.; and 1994 yellow 
trout, weighing 1061 lbs. 
About the Falls on the River Shin, between the loch and the sea, Mr 
Mackay writes : — 
There are good and excellent spawning grounds for upwards of 25 miles 
above these Falls ; the best mode would be to blast them, which would render 
