39 



Meantime the disease is out of the river. Is afraid it will return. Sawfish MELROSB. 



recently partly diseased. Such fish may continue the disease. Severe weather 



will cause it to reappear. Other rivers are much earlier than the Tweed, 

 which is a late river, and a great many fish would be spawned in other rivers 

 before the severe weather set in. This would account for the absence of 

 disease in other rivers. 



Many fish died because they could not spawn. They were two months 

 behind time. 



Opened some females, one on 8th April, at Sprouston. Took hold of a 

 female and gently squeezed it, and the eggs were healthly and ripe. The 

 delay in spawning would render fish liable to disease. Formerly diseased 

 females were very rare. 



The first week of December was severe weather. The Tweed being a late 

 river, the fish consequently had more severe weather to contend with. The 

 pools were overstocked, and had three times as many fish as usual. Removed 

 fish from the shallow water in December into deep pools to prevent their being 

 frozen. 



The Tweed and Gala when polluted are all colours. The sewage of all the 

 towns, except Selkirk and Berwick, goes into the river. The pollution is the 

 same as in 1869. The town pollution must have increased, owing to the 

 increase of population. 



Agrees with the recommendation as to Tweed pollutions contained in the 

 Report of the Tweed Commissioners in 18/5. 



William McLean, Inspector Mertoun. — First saw the disease in 

 February 1879 on sea trout. There were white spots on the dead without 

 fungus. Did not take out the fish. Saw numbers afterwards and cut them 

 open. Saw nothing amiss internally. All the organs were healthy. The disease 

 was external. It did not appear sore at first. There were white spots the size 

 of a sixpence, one on the head and one or two on the tail; none on the fins. 

 Saw diseased salmon white all over the head, fins, and tail. Saw a white 

 mark without fungus before the fungus came on them. The disease comes 

 before the fungus. 



The first sea trout he saw was at Old Melrose. Has seen them below Kelso, 

 and up to Gala-mouth — 25 miles. Has seen a hundred sea trout and salmon. 

 There is no disease now. Has no idea of the cause. Overstocking is not the 

 cause. 



Most of the diseased salmon were females, and nearly all kelts. Very few 

 clean salmon were affected. Has seen a few well-mended kelts diseased. 



Angling goes on to 30th November. 



Approves of taking out dead and dying fish and burying them. 



The kelts might be killed by anglers after, say, 15th May. There are too 

 many kelts when the water is low. The river was low and ice-bound last 

 season, and this was the cause of the disease. Believes the disease is 

 contagious. 



The kelts could not get down over the weirs. In wet springs they are 

 generally out by March and April. This year they were here till May. 



Thinks it is a river disease. The salt water cures them. There is no means 

 of getting the fish down below the caulds without a slap. This might be 

 done. There is no high cauld between Melrose and Kelso. Does not think 

 the proprietors would object to slaps being opened to let the fish down. The 

 Duke of Roxburghe owns Kelso cauld. 



William Millar, fisherman, Old Melrose.— Has known the Tweed for 

 30 years. Has observed a disease for 40 years in the Teviot and Tweed, chiefly 

 among red kippers. It was a brown scab. There is not the same scab on the 

 fish now. Has seen disease on clean fish this year. It is not the least like the 

 old disease. The new disease is a white fungus. First saw it in March 18J9, 

 on both kelts and clean fish. Saw it on kelts first. Got no clean fish diseased 

 at first. It afterwards extended to the trout, minnows, and all kinds. The 

 flesh did not eat much the worse. 



Has no idea of the cause. 



Saw a fish last week diseased. 



There was nothing last winter to cause a ne.w disease. Agrees with burying 

 dead and diseased fish. 



The stock of fish in the river is 10 per cent, less than it was 40 years ago. 



