434, IKISH INLAND FISHERIES COMMISSION.
June 8,1900.
Mr.
Arthur T.
Oram.
years, attributable, I believe, to various causes—in¬ sufficient protection of inland waters during the close season by Boards of Conservators, whose funds are only able to meet about half the present expenditure, the other half being added by the owners or occupiers of the estuary fisheries.
In the open season each pro¬ prietor acts independently, some spending considerable sums, others less, while others, perhaps, little or nothing on the several properties along the same river.
That is, each proprietor acts independently as far as his own portion of the river goes in the open season ; in the close season the Conservators devote all the funds they have, or rather put those funds in the hands of the owners, and the owners add to it and put on the water bailiffs.
I belie\e that the cormorants and otters and other such things do a lot of harm on the rivers, lakes and estuaries, as well as seals and coarse fish in the sea, and the numbers of salmon bearing marks and scars are very much on the increase.
10415.
Then you believe these animals and birds have very largely increased?—I
should think so, from observing that a greater number of the fibh bear marks of scars, some of them very much injured, de¬ preciating their value from Id.
to id.
a pound.
To meet the want of funds by the Board of Conservators to enable them to pay higher salaries to water bailiffs, and to put a price on heads of seals, otters, cormorants, and other destructive animals, the licence duty might be raised on all nets by at least 50 per cent.,
anil all rods, without exception, used in waters frequented by salmon and white trout should pay the licence, no exemption for alleged brown trout fishing in such waters, which, I believe is a farce, I have known people go brown trout fishing in rivers frequented by salmon and trout using a small brown trout fly, and, as a water bailiff remarked the other day, when he went to stop a person fishing, who said he was fishing for brown trout, " Would you make strange, sir, with a salmon or a white trout if you caught one ?"
10416.
At what price would you fix that licence ?
—The same as for rods, £1.
I don't refer to water frequented by brown trout only, but as brown trout frequent the waters in which salmon ancl white trout are, I should say every person fishing those rivers should pay a licence.
My own opinion is brown trout are a nuisance in rivers frequented by salmon and white trout, and it would be a benefit if there was no such thing as brown trout in these rivers.
I once caught a brown trout about six inches long and took oyer twenty salmon ova out of him.
He was full to his mouth.
I would say it is most desirable that more assistance be given in the protection of rivers at all seasons by the Constabulary.
10417.
Have you got any assistance up to this ?—
Yes, sir.
I believe two police on a river are worth half a dozen or a dozen ordinary watchers, and con¬ sidering the large amount of taxes paid out of rivers and fisheries, I should think the rivers are entitled to some assistance from official sources, whether protec¬ tion by the Constabulary or otherwise.
We pay very heavy taxation and get no return.
10418.
Do you think it would make the Constabu¬ lary unpopular to have this duty thrown on them ?—
Not at all; and I think, sir, if the law could be applied in the open season as regards the possession of salmon and trout as it is in the close season, it would stop poaching to a great extent in the open season.
That is, that the possession of salmon should be accounted for satisfactorily to the police or other authorities.
Any person having in their possession salmon in the open season must account for it, other¬ wise I would consider the salmon stolen property unless properly accounted for in the.
open season.
Some people say it would interfere with the liberty of the subject, but people breaking the law should be interfered with.
I have observed also the numbers of spring salmon in recent years have decreased, and their condition has not been asr good as twenty years ago.
10419.
Is that universal ?—I
think so; but parti cularly in the rivers I have under my own control" the property of Mr.
Jones; and that the large fish run later in the season, the latter part of June, July and August.
More large fish run with the grilse and I observed last year a very large run of fish in Septem ber.
That was owing to the dry time before September A very large number of fish ran from the sea hi September, accompanied by what, I believe should have been our spring fish, and that would lead me to believe that a great number of the sprino-fihhare captured by bag nets and other sea engines.
The fisheries in Clew Bay and Blacksod Bay aie very much handicapped by the presence of so many baa-nets on the Island of Achill.
There are nineteen or twenty bag nets round the Island of Achill, which of course, are huge sea traps, catching salmon as ihey hug the coast coming to the rivers.
10420.
Have you any experience of a hatchery1?—
Yes; twenty-three years ago I established a small hatchery for the late Mr.
"Victor Kennedy, on the Burnishoole fishery for thiee years.
It was only ona-small scale, and wo gave it up because of the expense and the ponds were not large enough.
I could only keep the fish until just when they could be called fish, and then had to let them go for want of sufficient room.
I think no proprietor in our district would go to the expense of establishing hatcheries with this.
large number of bag nets at his door to catch the fish
10421.
Was the expense very great?—I
had about ten boxes, three feet by eighteen inches, and it cost about £50 a year to iook after it.
Then we came to the conclusion that tho money spent, if used in improving the natural bed of the river, would give a.
better result, by cleaning the weeds and improving the spawning beds—that is removing the grass and sods left on the beds after the floods of September and October.
Every year I have the spawning beds of tho fishery cleaned by putting men into the water, and hoeing or loosening with a spade all the gravel and removing the turf, and I believe it to be a very good thing.
10422.
You think that would give you a better return than )Our hatchery?—Yes,
with a small hatchery.
But I believe a large hatchery, at an ex¬ pense of £200 or £300 a year, would do a great deal of good.
But no proprietor would try ib single-handed, because of the number of sea engines at his very door.
10423.
Is there anything else ?—There
is nothing else, I think.
I would press upon you the want of funds, which I think could be removed by increasing the licenco without great injury to any person, and that brown trout fishing should pay a licence.
10424.
Do you think the increase of licence duty would give you sufficient funds?—It
would increase tho funds of our Board from £300 to nearly £500, and it would be a great addition to our means ot preservation.
10425.
Trofessor Cunningham.—Do
you say there are a great number of contending interests in your district?—Yos,
that is in the open season.
1042G.
Thoy work well together in the close season 1—Yea, for it is the same interest that pays all tho bailifls then.
The proprietor or occupier ot the estuary fishing takes in hand the preservation during the close season ; but iu the open season each owner puts on'men of his own.
10427.
Do they not try to combine for the common good?—-Some
gentlemen combine, assisted by tne Constabulary.
10428.
Do you think that combination could be attained in your district 1—It was tried without any result two years ago.
We talked about it, ana x offered to put down before the Conservators the num¬ bers and salaries of the men I employed it every other person did the same, but no one eke would oo a 10429.
The interests were so difeJent1~"^ some gentlemen did not preserve at all; because w j
