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BERWICK-ON- The Tweed Acts are a good deal wrong. "When the close season lasted only 



T WEED . t j iree mon ths, before 1831, there were plenty offish. The close time was 



from 10th October to 10th January. There was not so much rod fishing then. 



Would have an extension of the net fishing to improve the river. It would 



help to cure the disease. 



Thinks it is " poverty " that brings it on. The clean fish catch it from the 

 unhealthy kelts. Cannot say why the clean fish did not catch the disease 

 before 1878. There was pollution then. The clean fish were never affected 

 on the skull till last year. The disease is like a cancer. The cancer on the 

 head was never seen on the old kelts. Has seen river trout with the old 

 disease. The fungus on the clean fish is the same as the fungus on the kelts 

 formerly seen. 



Lives near the Whitadder. A few salmon may go up it. The bull-trout go 



up. They are diseased. There are foul fish in the Whitadder. Does not fish 



. the Whitadder, and cannot speak much about it. The - Whitadder is usually 



as clean as the Tweed. The Blackadder and Whitadder both come from peat. 



James Paxton, Superintendent of the Berwick Shipping Company, Horn- 

 cliffe. — Has been so for 25 years. Never saw the disease on clean fish till 

 this year. Has seen kelts in former years with fungus on them after they 

 had been in the river a long time. Has not seen many clean fish attacked. 

 Some of them were eaten quite into the brain by a deep cancerous sore. It 

 has been very bad, especially on the head, in many clean fish. Has seen the 

 sore without the fungus : it is like a raw sore. Has seen much flesh eaten off its 

 head. Cannot say if he has seen fungus on clean fish formerly, but has seen 

 old fish in former years all covered with fungus. 



Has known the Tweed for GO years. Formerly there were many bull-trout. 

 The greater proportion of trout was caught in the middle of September. They 

 were dark coloured fish, but good. 



Thinks salmon and trout run up all the winter. Formerly used to fish 

 till the 10th October. Thinks they stop too soon now. All the valuable, fish 

 coming in after 15th September are lost now. They are in first-class order. 

 The best salmon are lost. An extension of the netting would help to stop 

 disease. The fish run up long before spawning, and if they were caught they 

 would not get crowded up in the river and lead to disease. The fish about 

 December are in good spawning condition. 



Large fish go up as far as Peebles. Too many spawning fish are brought up, 

 one batch after another, through the long close season. They destroy each 

 other's spawn. 



Kelts might be killed, but the preservation of kelts has led to an increase in 

 the size of fish. Bull-trout kelts might be killed. Overcrowding and the 

 long stay of the fish in the river have helped to cause disease. The net 

 fishing should be extended to 10th October. The fish injure each other. 



It is many years since there was such a long cold season as that of 18/8-9. 

 Cannot recollect another such. 



As a rule too many fish get up in the autumn. The fishing should be 

 extended to 10th October. 



Was a water bailiff for 20 years from Carham to Berwick — 16 or 17 miles. 

 Sometimes went up as far as Peebles. Knows the river from Peebles to the 

 mouth. 



Was never close to Walkerburn. The salmon try to get up over Peebles 

 cauld. There is a slap in it. It is a great obstruction. Many fish spawn 

 below it. A good slap should be made in it. There is good spawning ground 

 above in the tributaries. 



Much poaching takes place about Peebles. Many fish go up. 



Peeblesshire is the best spawning ground. Few clean fish, but many kelts, 

 are caught there. Anglers are displeased at not being able to kill kelts. Clean 

 salmon seldom go up. 



The floods do not last long now. Formerly, before there was so much 

 drainage, they continued twice as long. Gauges of the river should be kept 

 always. There is one at Kelso. 



Pollutions may have something to do with the disease. The river gets fouler 

 than formerly. The bed of the river is covered with a green deposit. Does not 

 think the river is shallower as a general rule. 



If fishing were allowed to 10th October, the fish would be in the best con- 

 dition. A salmon was caught a short time ago on 10th October for the 



