In the early decades of the 19th century, traditional fishing methods were turned on its head with the introduction of the Scotch Weir to Ireland. The origins are confirmed by the name, and the method of fishing is typified by what remains of the Woodstown weir near the mouth of the Waterford harbour.
Woodstown Weir, Co Waterford. Brendan Grogan Image
Weirs; a definition
We’ve looked at the use of head weirs in the harbour before. But weirs were not a distinct and uniform fishing engine. Weirs have been in use in various forms in Ireland since the 5th century. The foremost expert was Arthur Went who catalogued not just the methods but the dispersal of them. Many names are associated with weirs including head weirs, fly weirs, bag weirs and scotch/stake weirs. And there is undoubtedly many local variations and common names. Waterford harbour was the foremost location, and the head weirs, for which we should be very proud, were considered to date from at least the arrival of the Normans. The remaining weirs form a unique, but unappreciated, fishery heritage treasure.[i]
Scotch Weirs
But weirs such as those at Woodstown were anything but “traditional” in an overall sense. Although the technology was centuries old, the traditional methods were a more sustainable and controlled fishing practice, with some rules such as the
Queens (or Kings) pass (a gap allowing passage of fish up or down river) dating in origins to the Magna Carta. The Scotch Weirs originated in a different time, and responded to an improved method of using Ice to keep fish fresh. The process was introduced from China by a man called Dalrymple. [ii]
Queens (or Kings) pass (a gap allowing passage of fish up or down river) dating in origins to the Magna Carta. The Scotch Weirs originated in a different time, and responded to an improved method of using Ice to keep fish fresh. The process was introduced from China by a man called Dalrymple. [ii]
New technological developments
The new ice-preserving method resulted in the ability to transport fish over longer distances. The coming of steam vessels exacerbated the situation. As a result, the time-honoured control over the numbers of salmon caught were no longer necessary. The Scotch weir allowed for hundreds of fish to be taken at a time, and the nets could fish all tides and all weathers (the weekend closure was still enforced, however). The basic design was as depicted at Woodstown.
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| A sketch of a scotch weir. note that local varations in design were common |
The method of construction/operation
A line of poles ran perpendicular to the shoreline, as far and just beyond the “spring” low water mark. To these poles was attached netting, which guided or led fish out to deep water. At the end, they entered a netting box, or kill boqx!, with nooks into which the fish butted their heads. Once trapped like this, the fish rarely tried to extricate themselves but remained to be captured either via a dip net or by hand once the tide had dropped away at low water.
Ownership
The scotch weirs were generally instigated by the landed gentry, who realised the vast financial killing to be made. Although traditional netsmen may have complained, initially the weirs were erected unopposed. However, the plight of the traditional netsmen, anglers and some shipping and boating interests led to parliamentary committee hearings and court cases.
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| Some fishermen at work at Woodstown with the weir in the backgrond with netting attached ot the leader. Photo via Bill Irish collection in A Century of Trade & Enterprise in Ireland |
Mitigation attempts
Generally to no avail, however. For then (as now) the powers that be were either ambivalent or wholly ignorant of the realities of the practice. A royal commission was appointed in 1860 to thoroughly investigate the laws pertaining to the fishing of Salmon. At hearings the landlords could call witness after witness to say that weirs had been in use for millennia. Laws, when they came, were considered by many to be too little too late. But many of the weirs were removed and new laws did have an impact. Although some of the weirs were removed others were permitted to continue to fish, the Woodstown weir operated into the 1960’s I’m told. Two other weirs, but much smaller in scale, operated in the King’s Channel on the River Suir into the 1990s.
Today only a few poles remain of the Woodstown Weir and beyond low water, some paraphernalia remains of the netting box. The site is now two centuries old and worthy of interpretation at least.
If you want some sense of the weir fishing method practiced at Woodstown, heres a link of how it operates from present day Nova Scotia
My Facebook and Twitter pages are more contemporary and reflect not just heritage
and history but the daily happenings in our beautiful harbour:
F https://www.facebook.com/whtidesntales T https://twitter.com/tidesntales
fishing
This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing blog that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free.
Thanks for commenting Mark, yes I give it away for free but in the hope that it will be accessible to all, and perhaps create an understanding, appreciation and commitment to preserving our local heritage. Take care, Andrew
I really enjoyed chatting to Billy Coughlan of Saratoga Bar about the weir, he often recalled great catches of different species, even congers that guys were half afraid of they were so large, there were great photos also in the pub of huge salmon loaded on trailers, but don't know if they are still there, I must go in for a pint and check it out.
Thanks for the comment Michael, interesting to hear, would love to see some photos of the trucks carrying the fish away. Presumably Flanagan's