THE CREE 409 



by the current. With the action of river and tides it is freely 

 mingled with the water, so that for 6 or 7 miles the current is 

 much discoloured. Gross sewage from the town also mingles. 

 Here the land is quite flat, and the shores of Wigtown Bay, 

 more especially on the western side, dry at low water for a great 

 distance. The limit of the Cree district is reached at the mouth 

 of a little burn called the Bishop Burn, some 2| miles north of 

 Wigtown. On the eastern side, however, the Cree district 

 extends along the coast to the entrance of Fleet Bay. In the 

 matter of estuary the Cree may be said to be treated generously, 

 since the Cree, Bladenoch, and Fleet are all included in a 

 common estuary, which compasses the whole of Wigtown Bay. 

 In another sense, this large estuary is of small service, since 

 privileged fixed engines are fished far inside its limits at Cree- 

 town, Kirkdale, Kirkbride, and also on the western side. In 

 all there are nine nets with twenty pockets. 



With regard to the net and coble fishing, the Cree is unhappily 

 in a retrograde position. Some years ago the nets were entirely 

 removed. At the present time the whole of the winding tidal 

 water is netted, as well as the Palnure Burn. Owing to the 

 muddy nature of the banks and their liability to change, no 

 very precise fishing stations are adopted in many of the reaches 

 in this 7 miles of water ; but it may be said that 18 shots are 

 regularly fished. This is certainly more than a river the size 

 of the Cree can stand if an adequate stock of fish is to be kept 

 up. 



In 1900 an Association of six anglers interested in the fishings 

 of the river obtained a lease of the angling rights for 21 years 

 (to 31st July each year), a lease of all the river nets, and in 1901 

 a lease of the Cassencary Stake net. The last was sublet at a 

 reduced rent with the proviso that a 60 hours weekly close time 

 was to be allowed in place of the statutory weekly period of 36 

 hours. The members further bound themselves to maintain 

 three watchers throughout the year and to use no lure other 

 than fly in their fishing. 



Previous to the formation of this Association the stock of 

 fish had become reduced to such an extent that the angling was 

 practically worthless, while the netting tenant had averred 

 that his fishing had resulted in a loss. 



Unhappily, unforeseen difficulties arose regarding the tenure 



