Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

4 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

SALMON CULTURE, AND THE DIVERSION…

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

SALMON CULTURE, AND THE DIVERSION OF THE USK. OF all the fishy tribe commend us to the salmon for beauty of colour, symmetry of proportion, and rich and delicious flavour. The know- ledge of its value as an article of food is not confined to the present day. In ancient times its worth was recognised; and the old luxurious Romans were well acquainted with its excel- lence. As its preservation, however, in a fresh state, by means of ice, is an invention of recent date, it could not have appeared on their tables except dried and salted; and it was not therefore included in their good fortune to see it on the table under its most favourable con- ditions-when recently taken from the water, and when the fatty curd" still remained between the flakes of its flesh. The com- mercial importance of the salmon is far superior to that of any other fish, as well for the abundance in which it can be produced in various parts of the world, as for its tempting and savoury character, being esteemed a delicacy even by the rich. To determine the value of the salmon fisheries in Great Britain and Ireland alone is scarcely possible; but it is estimated to be some hundreds of thousands of pounds. We gather from some statistics that in 1862, which was believed to be an ordinary year, four hundred tons of salmon, equal in weight and treble in value to fifteen thousand sheep, were carried by three Irish railways. In Scotland one river alone—the Tay-furnishes about eight hundred thousand pounds, being three times the value of eighteen thousand sheep. It must, however, not be forgotten, in making any calculation of this character between fish and flesh, that salmon, though higher in value, cost nothing for their keep, bare no pasture, hollow out no turnips, consume no corn, but are, as Franklin expressed it, "bits of silver pulled out of the water." Since the commencement of the present century the productiveness of the salmon fisheries of the British rivers has greatly decreased. Various explanations have been given to account for this fact, and all of them have no doubt had their influence. Much of the decrease has been ascribed to the introduc- tion of fixed or standing nets along the coast, by which large numbers of salmon are caught before reaching the mouths of rivers. The destruction of spawning fish by poachers is another cause assigned; while the pollution of rivers, and the more thorough drainage of land have, in no small measure, contributed to this result. Owing to the importance of the salmon fisheries, the subject has always been a matter of consideration with the legislature, and, within the last five years, Acts have been passed, and inspectors appointed whose duty it is to inquire into the causes of the decrease of the yield from salmon fisheries, and if possible to remove them. Of late years, too, a good deal of attention has been paid to pisciculture generally, and to salmon culture especially. It is well known that all kinds of fish, salmon included, are enormously fecund; but the salmon spawn, as well as the young fry, in its various gradations of pink, smolt, peal, and grilse, have numerous enemies to contend against, and only a comparatively small num- ber of the spawn come to life; and but an equally small number of the young fish attain the dignity of salmon, and appear on our tables as food. It is gratifying to know, there- fore, that the numerous piscicultural experi- ments have been so highly successful, and have induced the belief that it is as easy and as profitable to cultivate salmon as sheep, and that there is no practical difficulty in rendering an acre of water as productive as an acre of land. In regard to our own river, the Usk, with its tributaries, the Honddu, Crai, Senny, Bran, Yscir, and others, we must confess that it was with feelings of the liveliest satisfaction that we learnt the high opinion entertained of it as a salmon producing river by Mr. Walpole, Her Majesty's Inspector of Fisheries. That gentle- man has taken some trouble to make himself acquainted therewith, and his judgment is therefore valuable. A deserved compliment was also paid to the Board of Conservators for the admirable manner in which its members have exercised the powers with which they have been entrusted. Nature has done much for us; but, in some instances, man's interference, and the fact of rights being possessed by individuals, has had an effect the reverse of beneficial. In such cases as these the Conservators have done their best to remedy the evils; and the objects they have in view must commend themselves to everyone who will give a candid and unbiassed consideration to the subject. They seek by every means in their power to improve the Usk as a salmon producing river. And in taking measures to remove obstructions, and increasing the facilities for the passage of salmon in one part, we have it on the authority of Mr. Walpole that the whole river, and necessarily therefore, the whole of the riparian owners, are thereby benefited. And what does the improvement of the Usk as a salmon river mean ? It means, in the first instance, a large increase in the quantity of an article of food which is not to be despised even by the epicure; and it means further, greater prosperity to Brecon and its neighbourhood. This town has no manufacture which will tend to improve its commerce, and make it more prosperous; but if it does not possess this advantage it can boast of that which might be made an equiva- lent. Brecon is located in one of the healthiest and one of the most charming and picturesque spots to be found almost anywhere; and, in addition to this we have a river in which, and its tributaries, capital salmon and trout fishing is to be obtained. If there is to be any increase upon the ordinary traffic of the town it can only arise through individuals and families being attracted to the neighbourhood by the opportunities afforded for fishing, or in the hope that the pure mountain breezes may infuse renewed health and vigour into their frames. It is therefore clearly to the interest of the inhabitants of the town to do all that lies in their power to make the inducements to visit the town much more numerous, and not to suffer any state of things to exist which will detract, in the slightest measure, from its attractiveness or its beauty. We are informed that the catchment basin of the Usk, with its tributaries, above Newton weir, is about 130 square miles, or 83,200 acres in extent. The whole of this large district is more or less mountainous; and it is probable that the rainfall is not less than forty inches in the year throughout it. This district, therefore, comprises all the head waters of the Usk, and while affording in the various tributaries-the best and most favourite spawning grounds for salmon and trout, ought also to supply to the river a strong body of water throughout even the driest of weather. Unfortunately, how- ever, at Newton weir this body of water is in such seasons almost entirely intercepted by the canal feeder, and thus diverted from the river channel before it reaches our town. The size of this weir, we are informed, is 3 feet 3 inches by 3 feet 4 inches, or rather more than 3 feet square. From calculations carefully made it has been found that in winter 18,000,000, and in summer 13,000,000 gallons of water pass through it into the canal in twenty-four hours. A volume of water three feet square, flowing rapidly, is very large indeed, and its abstrac- tion from the river has been deservedly con- sidered an important question by our local authorities, as well as by the riparian owners, and the Board of Conservators. In reference to the sanitary question involved in this matter, an attempt has been made to prove by statis- tics-" the inexorable logic of facts"—that a dry river bed is not prejudicial to the health of the town. We say attempted" to be proved, because, with all due respect to the worthy and highly-respected writer of the letter we inserted last week, dealing with this question,

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