Life-history and habits of the salmon, sea-trout, trout, and other freshwater fish by Malloch Peter D

Author:Malloch, Peter D
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fishing -- Great Britain, Fishes, Salmon fishing -- Great Britain, Trout fishing -- Great Britain
Publisher: London, A. & C. Black
Published: 1912-03-25T05:00:00+00:00

of the early Ephemerae and caddis-flies in process of digestion. I have examined thousands of salmon in our fish-house, but have never found any trace of food in any of them ; neither have our men, who have had hundreds of thousands through their hands. As I have already said, it is not so with sea-trout and brown trout. They are often found gorged with parr and smolts. In the stomachs of sea-trout caught in tidal waters are often found sand-eels, sparling, and young herring.

" WHY DO FISH COME UP FROM THE SEA?'

The majority of anglers and those interested in the life-history of the salmon would undoubtedly answer " To spawn."

This may be one reason, but I am not convinced that it is the true solution. If we but consider, a spring fish coming up in October, with no signs of spawn developing, and remaining in fresh water for more than a year before spawning, it is difficult to believe " the spawning instinct " has caused it to leave the sea. My own idea is (and I am pleased to note Sir Herbert Maxwell holds the same views) the fish feed in the sea so long as they are able, and then when the migratory instinct comes on they make for their own particular river. They may remain for a longer or a shorter period in the river, but the desire to feed does not again return until they have spawned and become kelts. Even in the kelt stage no undue haste is apparent of their desire to return to the sea to feed. I do not for one'moment believe that fish coming up a river return again to the sea to feed before finally entering the fresh water to spawn. We occasionally meet with fish in the Tay estuary, mostly red fish which have come up in the spring, but these are so few in number we could scarcely •call it a migration. Another point requiring to be cleared up is— Why do some fish re-enter a river alter one year's sojourn in the sea, whilst others are two, three, and four years before returning?

It is also difficult to find a satisfactory reason why some kelts, .after a four months' sojourn in the sea, return to the river, whilst others remain from one to three years. Parr, as we know, go from

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