165 



and whether any alteration in their constitution is de- 

 sirable." The Commissioners at once proceeded with 

 the inquiry, and made a report stating that, to procure 

 the necessary information, they had visited the principal 

 salmon rivers in Scotland (forty-six in number), and had 

 personal meetings with twenty-two District Boards, and 

 also with many landed proprietors interested in the 

 fisheries. They further reported, that whilst the total 

 number of fishery districts which had been designated by 

 the Act of Parliament to be managed, each by a separate 

 board, was 105, yet "at this moment (viz., in 1871) there 

 are not above 30 District Boards constituted and working? 



The Commissioners also reported that the constitution 

 of the boards was unsatisfactory, and they suggested some 

 modifications, though apparently without much confidence 

 in their likelihood of success. 



Shortly afterwards, there was a change of Government, 

 which may, perhaps, have been one reason why no steps 

 were then taken to remedy a state of things so injurious 

 to a great national industry which supplies a large amount 

 of much prized food, and gives employment to about from 

 14,000 to 15,000 of the population in Scotland. 



What has been the consequence of matters having been 

 allowed to remain in the nearly total absence of any proper 

 authorities for enforcing the law ? Over two-thirds of the 

 country, both in our rivers and along our sea-coasts, poach- 

 ing in annual and weekly close times, capturing of salmo^ 

 fry, river pollution, obstructions in rivers, and illegal 

 netting, have been prevailing, without check or hindrance. 



If asked for evidence of this, I refer to the testimony of 

 Mr. Young, who knows more about our salmon fishings 

 than any one else, and who in the year 1877 published 

 a pamphlet, in which he states as follows : " Poaching 



