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Has skated up tlie river and found many fish lying at the bottom covered LANCASTER. 



with fungus. 



Has seen dead fish lying in a pool three weeks without coming to the 

 surface. The river is overstocked. If the river was in a natural state the 

 fungus would kill them. 



The fish have no difficulty in getting over the weirs. They have no trouble 

 at Halton when there is water. There are no fish when there is no water. 



The disease formerly was not so bad in proportion to the stock of fish as 

 it is now. 



The disease has killed more fish than the nets. 



Has a fishery in the Kibble. The disease is appearing there. The stock of 

 fish there has been small. The disease has appeared in the upper mill above 

 the Hodder, between Watermeetings and Higham. The Kibble is now largely 

 stocked, more than it has been for many years. 



There are a few morfcs and sprods here ; they have the disease. Cannot say 

 if there is any disease among the morts and sprods in the Ribble. 



T. Edmondson (recalled). — The fish never get up the weirs till the nets 

 are off. They are kept down by the miles of netting in the estuary, and by 

 the netting above and below Skerton Weir. The netting season might be 

 extended if fish were allowed to get up during the season. Some years ago 

 Halton Weir was blown down, and there were plenty of fish above the weir 

 then. The she-fish go up in the summer and the males later. The weekly 

 close time should be lengthened if the autumnal close season is shortened. 



J. Lamb, clerk to the Conservators of the Lune, Lancaster. — In November, 

 December, January, and February has seen 40 or 50 fish trying to get up 

 Halfon at a time. They eventually spawned below the bridge. 



Has known the river 50 years. Has noticed minnows with their tails and 

 fins eaten off. In 18/3 first saw salmon affected. Many fish were caught that 

 year above Forge Weir. The bailiffs buried them. They were not so badly 

 diseased then as now, and had no white ' ; night caps " then. 



Thinks the disease is due to overcrowding behind the weirs. In 18/3 the fish 

 were greatly overcrowded. Hundreds were packed in a space of 100 yards 

 by 20 yards wide. They were packed quite close, and the river was quite 

 blue with them. The water bailiffs buried four or five every day. 



Thinks the disease has always existed. Last year the fish did not get down 

 till 25th May. It has been suggested that the fish should be let down earlier, 

 but they will not go down. They try to get through the gratings when the 

 mill is started, but afterwards will not go down over the weir. The whole 

 river was let off to repair the weir once, and yet the fish would not go. The 

 smolts have gone down, but not the kelts, when the sluices were lifted. 



Will not agree to killing the kelts. The great detention of the fish occurred 

 in 1873. 



T. G. Thompson (recalled). — No fish have been caught between the 

 aqueduct and the railway bridge this year. Six salmon have been taken at 

 Halton and two at Lancaster Quay this year. 



Last year the weirs were down, and yet the fish would not go down. 

 Saw a diseased smolt dead on 23rd March. On 16th April two diseased 

 salmon smolts were caught at Halton. Observed river trout also dead. 



Frank Raby, Cockersand. — Rents the baulk at Cockerham. It is a large 

 fishing weir. Last season was a very poor season. The season before that was 

 the worst the fishermen ever had. 



Has seen diseased kelts coming down the river. Has seen more this spring 

 in February and March than ever. They were very dirty, as if covered all over 

 with mortar. They are getting better. 



The water where he fishes is salt. The fish seemed to be getting better 

 there. The last fish lie had covered him with fungus as he carried it. 



When the fungus comes off, it leaves a mark on the fish as if a scale was 

 scraped off. There is no sore under it. The sore may be healed perhaps. 

 The fins are sometimes eaten away, but this is quite common at all times with 

 kelts. Never saw any dead kelts. Saw many full-bellied fish driven down by 

 the ice. They were chiefly males. They had no marks of disease. Did not 

 open them. Some of them were good fish, not long from the sea. 



Thinks the disease is not new. It gets worse from overcrowding. If the fish 

 were caught in September it would be a good thing. 



P 712. G 



