NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK FISHERIES ACT.

Under this Act, which was passed in 1877, certain Bye-laws have been made, with which the reader should make himself acquainted.

APPROVED BYE-LAWS.

Close Time—All Waters.

1. No person shall fish for, catch, take, or kill, orattempt to catch, take, or kill, otherwise than by rod and line,within the limits of the above Act, any Trout, between the 10thday of September and the 25th day of January, both daysinclusive, or any other kind of fish, between the 1st day ofMarch and the 30th day of June, both days inclusive, exceptSmelts, Bait, and Eels, as hereinafter provided.

Nets Generally.

2.

No person shall, for the purpose of takingFish within the limits of the above Act, do any of the followingthings:—

1.

Use or attempt to use any Net between one hourafter sunset and one hour before sunrise, except in the RiverOuse below Denver Sluice, and in the River Nene below WisbeachBridge.

2.

Use or attempt to use, at any time before the30th day of June, 1890, for the purpose of taking Fish, otherthan Tench, Smelts, Bait, and Eels, any Net having a mesh ofless dimensions when wet than three inches from knot to knot,measured on each side of the square, or twelve inches allround.

3.

Use or attempt to use any Net having a wall orfacing, with a mesh of less dimensions when wet than seven inchesfrom knot to knot, measured on each side of the square, or 28inches all round.

4.

Use or attempt to use, in any navigable river,any Bow Net.

5.

Use or attempt to use, in any navigable river,any Drag Net having a poke or pocket.

6.

Use or attempt to use a drag net of any kindin the under-mentioned waters:—

1. The River Yare or Wensum—

2. The River Waveney—

3. The River Bure, below the lower entrance into WroxhamBroad—

4. The River Ant, below the lower entrance into BartonBroad—

5. The River Thurne, below the entrance into SomertonBroad—

except with the previous permission in writingof the Board of Conservators, under their Common Seal.

3. No person shall, within the limits ofthe above Act, use or attempt to use, any net for taking Fish,unless it is sufficiently weighted to sink vertically in thewater, or take, or attempt to take, Fish by placing two or moreNets behind or near to each other, or use any other device orartifice so as practically to diminish the size of the mesh ofany net allowed to be used by these Bye-Laws, or to evade thisprovision.

Prohibiting Use of Trimmers, &c., in NavigableRivers.

4. No person shall use, or attempt touse, any Trimmer, Ligger, Dead Line, or Snare, or any likeInstrument or Engine, for the purpose of taking Fish in anynavigable river within the limits of the above Act, except Linesfor taking Eels as hereinafter provided.

Taking Smelts.—Rivers Yare andWensum.

5. No person shall, within the limits ofthe above Act, use, or attempt to use, any Net in the River Yareor Wensum for the purpose of taking Smelts, except a Cast Net orDrop Net, between the 10th day of March and the 12th day of May,both days inclusive, and then only between the New Mills, in theparish of Saint Swithin, in the City of Norwich, or TrowseBridge, in Trowse, or Trowse Newton, and the junction of theRivers Yare and Wensum at a place known as Trowse Hythe, andbetween Hardley Cross and the junction of the Rivers Yare andWaveney.

6. No person shall use, or attempt touse, a Cast Net or Drop Net exceeding 16 feet in diameter, in theRiver Yare or Wensum, within the limits of the above Act.

Taking Smelts.—River Waveney.

7. No person shall, within the limits ofthe above Act, use, or attempt to use, in the River Waveney,above the Burgh Cement works, any Net for the purpose of takingSmelts, except between the 10th day of March and the 12th day ofMay, both days inclusive, and then only at the places and by themeans hereinafter mentioned, viz., between Rose Hall Fleet, andthe Boat-house Hill, near Beccles, and in the pen of ShipmeadowLock, by a Cast Net or Drop Net not exceeding 16 feet indiameter, and if any such Net be used between one hour aftersunset and one hour before sunrise, the same shall be used with alight or flare, and not otherwise.

Taking Smelts.—Rivers Ouse, Nar, andNene.

8. No person shall, within the limits ofthe above Act, take or kill, or attempt to take or kill, Smeltsin the Rivers Ouse, Nar, or Nene, between the 1st day of Apriland the 31st day of August, both days inclusive.

9. No person shall, within the limits ofthe above Act, use or attempt to use, in the Rivers Ouse, Nar, orNene, for the purpose of taking Smelts, any Net having a mesh ofless dimensions, when wet, than five-eighths of an inch from knotto knot, measured on each side of the square.

Taking Smelts.—Breydon Water.

10. No person shall, within the limitsof the above Act, use, or attempt to use, in the water known asBreydon Water, for the purpose of taking Smelts, any Net in themonths of May, June, July, and August, or any Net between the 1stday of September and the 30th day of April, both days inclusive,having a mesh of less dimensions, when wet, than five-eighths ofan inch from knot to knot, measured on each side of thesquare.

Taking Bait.—Navigable Rivers.

11. No person shall, for the purpose oftaking Bait in any navigable river within the limits of the aboveAct (except in the River Ouse below Denver Sluice, and in theRiver Nene below Wisbeach Bridge), use any Net other than a CastNet, or any Cast Net having a mesh of less dimensions, when wet,than five-eighths of an inch from knot to knot, measured on eachside of the square.

Taking Bait.—All Waters.

12. No person shall, within the limitsof the above Act, use, or attempt to use, any Cast Net exceedingtwelve yards in circumference, between the 11th day of Octoberand the 1st day of April in each year, or any Cast Net exceedingeight yards in circumference at any other time of the year, orany such net, having a sack, or purse exceeding fourteen inches indepth, when extended, for the purpose of taking Fish for Bait;and the word “Bait” shall mean Roach, Rudd or Roud,Bream, Dace, Ruff or Pope, Gudgeons, and Minnows, measuring lessthan eight inches from the nose to the fork of the tail.

13. No person shall, within the limitsof the above Act, Net for Bait at any time on a Sunday; and noperson shall, within such limits, Net for Bait at any time on aweek-day except between one hour before sunrise and one hourafter sunset, nor unless such Bait is for use in angling, ortrolling, or taking Eels within the limits of the above Act.

Taking Eels.—Rivers Yare and Wensum, aboveHardley Cross.

14. No person shall, for the purpose oftaking Eels in the Rivers Yare and Wensum, above Hardley Cross,do any of the following things:—

1.

Use or attempt to use in the months of April, May, andJune, a line with a hook or hooks, except in connection with arod used for the purpose of Angling.

2.

Use or attempt to use any Net in the months of April, May,and June.

3.

Use or attempt to use at any other time of the year, aLine, whether fixed or not, with more than one hook, except inconnection with a rod used for the purpose of Angling.

4.

Use or attempt to use any Net other than a Skim or SkeinNet.

Taking Eels.—All Other Waters.

15. In all other waters within thelimits of the above Act, lines with one hook only, whether fixedor not, and fixed Nets, but no others, may be used at any timefor taking Eels only.

16. No person shall use or attempt touse, in any water within the limits of the above Act, a Dag orSpear, for the purpose of taking Fish other than Eels.

All Waters.

17. Any person, within the limits of theabove Act, taking any Fish except Smelts, Eels, or Bait in anyNet allowed by the Bye Laws to be used for taking Smelts, Eels,or Bait respectively, shall immediately return suchfirst-mentioned Fish to the water without avoidable injury.

18. The foregoing Bye-laws shall notapply to any other than fresh-water Fish, or to the water knownas Breydon Water, except as to Smelts, as hereinbeforeprovided.

I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true Copy of the Bye-laws made by the Board of Conservators under the above Act, and that such Bye-laws have been approved by one of Her Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State, and have been duly advertised as approved Bye-laws in newspapers circulated in the Counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, and have been otherwise published as the Board directed.

Sealed by order of the Board.