20 



AYR. Thomas Alexander, tacksman of sea fishings at Girvan. — Has noticed 



■" no disease in the Girvan ; it is quite clear of disease. Has no theory as to its 



cause elsewhere. Fish are often damaged by nets in the Girvan, but there is 

 no disease. The fish not getting down to the sea is probably the cause, but 

 they formerly had as much difficulty, and there ought to have been disease 

 then, but there was none. Fish in a weak state are more likely to get disease 

 than healthy fish. Ice is a great protection to fish. After hard frosts always 

 finds better fish, and more of them. The fish should have been more healthy 

 after two hard winters. Has found for three or four years, after a hard frost, 

 that the fish have been more numerous as well as better in quality. 



George McCreade (recalled). — The kelts he refers to had a white sort of 

 hoar frost on them. Has found two or three dead kelts on the river side. 



When a spate comes down the river, instead of being dark as formerly, the 

 water is now a white nasty colour. This he attributes to surface drainage. 



W. Macrorie {recalled). — Has heard that the disease has broken out in the 

 Stinchar about three weeks ago. 



William Shaw, miner, Waterside, Dalmellington. — Knows Loch Doon, and 

 has been fishing for 16 or 17 years. Has seen sea-trout and salmon six weeks 

 or two months ago affected with disease, in the river below the sluices. Saw 

 a salmon with tail and head and ventx*al fins affected with white splashes and 

 white sores ; saw a male and a female ; the female was marked on the head. 

 The fish were pretty well made up. This was at the opening of the Loch. This 

 is the only instance he has observed. It is something quite new. It was 

 a mystery to him. Has heard of Mr. Hill, of Waterside, sending away a 

 diseased fish taken three or four miles further down. 



Has seen no diseased fish in the tributaries. Saw kelts in the end of 

 February or in April quite clean and bright in Loch Doon. A kelt of 3^ lbs. 

 which, if mended, would have been 9 or 10 lbs., was taken without disease. 

 Found a dead kelt quite free from disease in a burn near Loch Iliecawr. 

 Thought the disease was from want of water. 



The people at Dalmellington thought it was owing to the fish being too 

 long in salt water, as he never saw a fish with it in fresh water, except when 

 the fish were coming from the sea. 



A " lane " is equivalent to a "burn." 



County Buildings, Keswick, Saturday, September 27th, 1879. 



Present : 



Frank Buckland, Spencer Walpole, and Archibald Young, 



Esquires. 



W. Fletcher, M.P. — Has no personal knowledge of the disease, but 

 lives near the river, and has heard of it from experienced fishermen. Two years 

 ago the number of salmon diseased was enormous. From half to three-quarters 

 of the stock of fish were diseased. Last year it was much less severe, being 

 confined to perhaps one tenth of the fish. This year the fishermen tell him 

 that not a single fish has been diseased. 



The water of the Derwent is pure, except as regards pollutions from col- 

 lieries (iron pyrites). Is himself concerned in collieries. Some years ago the 

 water was examined by analyists, who reported that the pyrites were not 

 soluble, and that they did no harm to the fish. 



The first diseased fish caught in the river in the year referred to were caught 

 close to the collieries. 



There are lead explorations in the neighbourhood of the Cocker, but it is 

 not affected thereby. The water has been tested and proved perfectly free 

 from lead. 



Has no theory as to the disease. The lessee of Salmon Hall fishery (Mr. 

 Dalzell) attributes it to overstocking. 



Has seen the diseased fish, which were quite similar to the specimens pro- 

 duced. 



