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LANCASTER. Stagnant water lias much to do with the disease. Trout from a pool are 



often slimy. The disease, he thinks, settles on the slime. Thinks Halton 



water is the great breeding place of the disease. 



In January 1 880 saw a shoal of 200 fish, and about half a dozen were just 

 commencing to get diseased, when a flood came, and they went to Halton 

 spawning beds, and they were nearly all covered with fungus. Has no doubt 

 overcrowding breeds the disease. 



The fish should have a free passage up the river. 



The stock of fish is increasing. The disease has not decreased the supply. 



Before the passing of the Salmon Act the netting went on to the 29th 

 September. The shortening of the season has been a good thing for the river. 

 'Would object to an extension of the season. More breeding fish should get 

 up early in the year than is the case now. 



No fishing should be allowed below the weir at Skerton. 



The fish have greatly increased. 



Most fish run up in August, and a few in June and July. The large fish 

 come up after the nets are off, and up to Christmas. 



Thomas Edmondson. — Owns a fishery above Halton. Does not know 

 that more fish are in his water than there were three years after the Act of 1861 . 

 During the last few years he has had no fish. The catch depends on the water. 

 Has seen the disease lately. There is a theory that the bottom of the river 

 is tainted by the disease, and the fish get infected. 



Calls attention to the pollution of the river by sewage, &c. Believes the 

 fish come up fouled from the dirty water. Thinks the fish get the disease from 

 each other. The river is not contaminated above Halton, except by some 

 washings from a silk mill at Bentham. 



Thinks the disease originates in the lower end of the river. 



Hears that fish are oaught in tidal waters with the disease. 



Some control should be exercised over the pollutions and sewage. 



It would be better if more fish were passed up. 



In Skerton Weir there is only one pass. The two original diagonal passes 

 should be replaced. 



Thinks most fish are turned back at Skerton. 



Thomas G. Thompson. — Is a conservator of the Lune. Has known the 

 river all his life. Has fished with net and with rod. There have been far 

 more fish in the river since 1861 than before. The increase of the fish 

 has followed the erection of the passes and the shortening of the fishing 

 season, and the enactment of a weekly close season. Has seen a disease 

 among the salmon for 28 years. It is not new. It has got very much worse 

 during the last few years. It was formerly confined to kelts. The first clean 

 fish that he saw diseased was in August 18/9. Has only seen two clean fish 

 diseased. They were not very badly affected. They were taken in the tideway. 



Thinks the fish are overcrowded in the winter. This is not caused by the 

 weirs. The whole river is overcrowded in the winter. 



The best fishing month is August, and formerly it was September. The old 

 netting season should be partly restored. Would have fishing extended to the 

 15th September. The fish have increased since the month of September was taken 

 off the fishing season. There is no greater take now than there used to be, but 

 there are 10 fish in this river to one formerly, and as many are taken up to the 

 end of August as were formerly taken up to the end of September. 



There is no pollution in the Lune. 



It is a fresh-water disease. A fish diseased getting into the sea would get 

 partially cured. The fish he refers to might have been partially cured in 

 coming up the river again. The diseased fish should be destroyed somehow. 



Has seen hundreds of fish that the bailiffs have not seen. The numbers 

 returned by the bailiffs are not one fourth of the actual number diseased. 



Agrees that there are thousands of fish in the river in the winter. One day 

 counted 60 in an hour go over Skerton Weir, and 100 in less than an hour on 

 another day. 



His mill has been stopped three times by dead fish. More than 50 dead 

 fish had collected under the wheel each time. They were all covered with 

 fungus, and were mostly unspawned fish. They were thrown into the river 

 and allowed to float out to sea. 



