89 



Has no instructions to take out dead and diseased fish. NEWTON 



Thomas Craig, tacksman for 41 years of sea fisheries in the Cree, 14 miles iSTEWART. 

 south of Newton Steward — Uses stake nets. Takes Cree and Bladenoch fish. 

 The fishing, especially the summer fishing, is falling off. Thinks the grilse are 

 considerahly decreasing, but summer fishing last year was very good. Has 

 no experience of any autumn runs of fish. 



Has seen the disease. It is a skin disease. The fish were chiefly diseased 

 on the head. In most cases the skin was nearly all off the forehead. Never 

 saw a grilse diseased. 



When he has seen fish affected on the body, the disease was more like a 

 scab ; but with fish diseased on the head the skin is all off. Generally the fish 

 that he has seen have been improving. They were all in salt water. Thinks 

 they were curing in the salt water. Thinks that they cure fast. Kelts are 

 always worse than mending fish. The fish with the skin off forehead were 

 seen in the spring. They might have been sent to market but for the disease. 



The disease this year was worse than ever before. One fish had the eye out 

 of its head. 



Has seen the disease for three years. Two years ago saw three fish ; last 

 vear saw 20 or 30. This year has heard of a score. Would have seen it if it 

 had existed before. 



Has always seen fish diseased towards the end of September, but they 

 were not so badly advanced as the fishnow attacked by disease. Has seen fish 

 all his life marked with little red spots. The fish seemed to get further 

 advanced towards spawning time. Is speaking of 20 years ago. Used to see 

 some fish, red and spotted, then, in September, but not so aggravated as 

 the fish seen now. Thinks the disease is much aggravated. Has seen nearly 

 20 cases this year. Never saw a clean fish affected. Thinks the disease attacks 

 the fish in the rivers, because they were all kelts or mending kelts that were 

 attacked. Never saw fresh fish so affected, but has seen them wounded by 

 bites. 



The fish he has seen have had sea lice on them. 



Has no experience of river fishings, and has no qualification to speak of 

 the cause of the disease. Has no recommendation to make. 



Has heard that overstocking is the cause, but the fish are falling off in 

 numbers. 



Some of the fish had "mended " or "mending" sores. Young skin was 

 coming over the wounds. Some of the worst fish had the fins and tail eaten 

 clean off, and blood oozing from them this year. Thinks such a fish would 

 recover. 



One of the fish, being put into a pool, died. He examined it, and opened it. 

 The fish was quite good inside and marketable, and it had a very small indi- 

 cation of milt. The liver was a little yellower than usual — a brighter colour 

 than usual. It was not much enlarged ; it was not rotten. 



Thinks the kelts are early kelts, and supply the early spring salmon. 



Never saw any fungus on the fish. It is wholly a skin disease. 



Netting ceases on 27th August and begins on 10th February. The fish in 

 September are not good. The fish formerly caught in September were spotted. 

 Thinks the present date for closing is too early. From 10th September to 

 20th February would be a good close season. The first clean fish come up in 

 February. Has caught seven fish in February. 



The two fish he got on [20th February were much worse than those in the 

 photograph, but were recovering. 



George Hopkixson, salmon fisher and tacksman of fishings from here to 

 Creetown. — Fishes with net and coble. Has known the river since 1865. The 

 fish have greatly fallen off in numbers. Has seen fish with marks to a certain 

 extent on their body. Saw one with a mark on the dorsal fin in July last 

 year. Its head was also diseased, and was very white and soft. The tail fin 

 was almost eaten away to the bone. The fish seemed to be fresh run out of 

 the sea, and was in splendid order except for the disease. Thinks the fish had 

 got the disease in the sea. It had many sea lice on it, and yet was very 

 badly diseased. Its flesh was quite good. 



Got a well-made fish in the beginning of August similarly marked. Took 

 it to Mr. Drew. The head was all white, and the tail eaten away. It was a 

 splendid fish, coming up from the sea. 



