THE FISHERY INTERESTS OF AUSTRIA. 639 



fishery laws could be still farther amended. Improvements had been 

 introduced into Scotland some time before this. 



From the law of July 31, 1888, concerning the salmon-fisheries in 

 Scotland, and from some older laws, which have been incorporated with 

 it, we quote the following as of special interest for Austria: 



"All the waters, streams, and rivers in Scotland which are of im- 

 portance to the fisheries have been accurately described by special com- 

 missioners, and their limits toward the sea have been defined; as a 

 general rule, they have been divided into an upper and a lower portion 

 by a boundary-line. These commissioners have fixed the annual as 

 well as the weekly period of protection for each sheet of water or stream, 

 when salmon-fishing is either entirely prohibited or only permitted with 

 hook-and-line, and their decisions have been published in an axjpendix 

 to the law. The different contrivances to be used in nets, salmon-traps, 

 &c, in order to keep the seasons of protection, the size of the meshes, 

 and certain precautions in using the nets, are separately prescribed 

 for each body of water. 



" If two owners of salmon-fisheries in a continuous district — no matter 

 whether the waters at the time contain salmon or not — apply to the 

 county sheriff to have a district-board appointed, such application must 

 be granted. The clerk of the sheriff has to draw up a list of the upper 

 and lower fishery owners, and call separate meetings of both, for 

 electing a district-board. The district-board appoints an officer, whose 

 duty it is to keep the list of owners constantly revised. If names have 

 been left out of this list, or have been entered in a faulty manner, a 

 complaint may be made to the district-board; and if its decision is unfav- 

 orable, the matter can be referred to the sheriff, whose decision is final, 

 except in cases of hereditary rights. 



"The district-board, at its meetings, decides all questions pertaining to 

 fisheries by an absolute majority. The minutes of the meetings of the 

 board, signed b} r the chairman, are considered evidence in a court of 

 law. 



" The district-board may, by a resolution to that effect, petition the 

 ministry to make the following regulations: 



"1. Change of the annual season of protection in the district, 

 fixed by the commissioners ; which season, however, is never to be less 

 than one hundred and sixty-eight days. (It generally embraces the 

 period from the 27th August till the 10th February, and for line-fish- 

 ing from November 1 till February 10.) 



" 2. Change of the weekly season of protection in the district or in 

 portions of it ; such season to be no less than thirty-six hours per week. 

 (From G p. m. on Saturday till a. m. on Monday.) 



"3. Change of the rules applying to the j'early or weekly season of 

 protection. 



