For the past two and a half years (1906–8) some salmon, which were reared at the Endsleigh Fishery, have been kept under observation in the aquarium of the Plymouth Laboratory.

In sending these fish as smolts to the Laboratory, the Duke of Bedford wished more particularly to obtain information on two questions: firstly, the character of the food of the salmon during its sojourn in the sea, and secondly, the period of that sojourn intervening between the smolt and grilse stages. These and other points of interest that have arisen will be considered in order in giving a general account of the experiment.