Volume 3 - Electric Scotland

346 FOOD OF TMK HIGHLANDS.
that of the land. In many parts of the Highlands, there
would be a foreign, or rather a distant market; in all,
the produce might be rendered available, as that of the
sea is, to the feeding of the people ;
and a rent might be
levied on the same system as it is on the sea shores, no-
minally on the land, but virtually on the fish ; while
such restrictions might be adopted, as the nature of such
a fishery renders necessary. In Germany and France,
and in other parts of the continent, the fishing of waters
is as regular a branch of rural economy as the raising
of corn; and, in many places, it is the occupation of a
distinct set of farmers. In general, in France, there is
an average of equality between the rent of land and that
of water, acre for acre; and the fishing in all these
countries is so conducted as to pay this rent, and to
produce a profit to the tenant, in perpetuity. It is an
utter mistake, and it is almost purely a British one, to
be afraid of destroying fresh-water fish by ordinary fish-
ing. When the net happens to be tried, and i'ew fish are
taken, it is supposed that a continuation of attempts of
the same nature would exterminate the race. It is, how-
ever, quite the reverse ;
and, under a well-regulated sys-
tem, not only a constant supply may be procured, but
the quantity in the waters will increase instead of di-
minish. A lake or a pond well and properly fished,
is like the purse of Fortunatus ; it may appear to be
empty, but the more it is used the more it yields. Nor
is it very difiicult to account for what may appear para-
doxical. A single grown fish will, in a day, destroy hun-
dreds, or even thousands, in the form of spawn or fry;
and, to destroy that tyrant, is to save these for future
growth; for consumption and propagation alike. But it
is unnecessary to dwell on what ought to be very ob-
vious, from reasoning, if it were not even known to be
the fact from practice. If proprietors of warrens acted