viii 
Report on Salmon Fisheries. 
Alterations in 
annual close- 
time applicable 
to Tay and in 
Tay angling 
season. 
Opening 
Falls of 
Tummel 
up of 
box, the amount is £104,120 ; and if as much is added — a very 
modest estimate — for the value of the sahnon consumed at home 
and sent to other markets than London, the total value of the 
Scotch salmon during the year 1890, is £208,240. This, hov/ever, 
is probably considerably under the real value. But it is almost 
impossible to procure accurate statistics. 
In the last Report of the Board it was pointed out that the 
return to what was the old annual close-time of the Tay previously 
to the passing of Home-Drummond's Act of 1828, which was ad- 
vocated in the Report of 1883 by the Inspector of Salmon Fisheries 
and approved by this Board, had been given effect to by Order 
under the Secretary for Scotland's hand, published in the Edin- 
burgh Gazette, and dated 15th February 1888. And it is now 
satisfactory to be able further to report that the opening up of 
the Tay, for angling only, for some time previously to the com- 
mencement of the netting season — which was also recommended 
in the Inspector's Report of 1883 and approved by this Board — 
has likewise been given effect to by Order under the Secretary 
for Scotland's hands, published in the Edinburgh Gazette of 
Friday, 19th December 1890. The angling season in the Tay and 
its tributaries, with the excejDtion of the Earn, now commences 
on 15th January and continues until 15th October in each year, 
both days inclusive. But the angling season on the Earn and its 
tributaries remains unchanged, extending from the 11th day of 
February to the 31st day of October, both days inclusive. 
So far the measures recommended by this Board for the improve- 
ment of the Tay Salmon Fisheries have been given effect to. There 
is, however, another improvement of even greater importance than 
those recently authorised, and which w^ould, if properly carried out, 
immensely increase the value of the right to rod-fishing for three 
weeks previously to the commencement of the netting season on 
the Tay, namely, the opening up of the Falls of Tummel, which 
would make 50 miles of river and 20,000 acres of lochs accessible 
to salmon, which at present are not able to reach them. 
It would not cost a large sum to make these Falls passable 
for salmon ; and if this were 
annual value of the waters 
successfully accomplished the 
so opened up would probably 
expense of making them acces- 
very greatly exceed the gross 
sible. 
The River Tummel between the Falls and Loch Tummel ; Loch 
Tummel itself; the long and beautiful stretch of water between Loch 
Tummel and Loch Rannoch ; the wide expanse of Loch Rannoch ; 
the seven miles of the Gaur — a perfect model of a moderate-sized 
salmon river — which connects the wild and remote Loch Lydoch 
with Loch Rannoch ; the whole of Loch Lydoch ; and, above Loch 
Lydoch, Loch-na-Baa and Loch-na-Gannich, with their tributary 
streams, whose sources are in the heart of the Black Mount, would 
be opened up to salmon. But even this is not all. In another 
direction the Erich t, an important tributary of the Tummel, with 
only one obstruction in its course not difficult nor expensive to over- 
come, would open up the sixteen miles of Loch Ericht, from which 
it flows, to salmon. In fact, it would be difficult to calculate the 
value of the spawning and angling waters which would be salmonised 
by opening up the Falls of Tummel. 
