Fish and Whiskey.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XII, Issue 2419, 30 July 1891, Page 2

Fish and Whiskey.

Tn a letter to the " Field," Mr R. J. Lloyd Price says :- "Since last spring the Welsh Whisky Company, Limited, have erected their distillery upon the River TreAveryn, about a mile and a half above my house, and having heard varied rumors as to the probaole effect of the refuse from the same factory upon the finny denizens of the rocky stream. I took advantage recently of a spare afternoon and a light trout rod to satisfy myself upon the point; The weather could hardly be called propitious for the purpose, a cold north-east wind and- showers alternating pretty frequently with gimpses of bright sun. However, the trout were m a better humour than I had expected, ani an hour's stroll, assisted by a couple of duns and a March brown, soon showed me that ttie '•wash,' or mixture of barley-meal and hot water, which the distillery disgorges at pretty regular intervals into the stream, has decidedly improved the quality and size of the fish, and continuous and punctual serving up of hot dinners seems to have imbued them jvith new life and vigour, for the very character of the rise of the trout appeared to me to be altered since last season. Every fish came up with a short, very sharp, and decided rush, more like a sea trout's flash at the fly than the ordinary effort of the brook trout, and very qubk striking seemed to be necessary to success. The character of the trout has decidedly altered, and-very much for the betted; whereas formerly. thi inhabitants o f t ne Ireweryri w^re father Jong, black, and, compared with othdr streams In the neighbourhood, of decidedly tafer&ii quality, both as regards- appearance ftiid merit for the table, now the fish are bright, clean, firm, fat and square, and, njorcoyer, iijost 'excellent dating, and vastly improved m average s«e, '{1^ been-told that on the Dee and Don, and other rivers m Scotland, where distilierios <Jo abound, the same improvement is noticeable m the salmon." Another Correspondent says :—" It is certainly a fact that at the time when salmon disease w« playing havoc m ihe Tweod, the fish of the !>pey, the Dee, the Don. and the Deveron were free from the evil. These four rivers are all within the whisky country." J