SALMON LEGISLA TION .IN SCOTLAND. 531 



Home Secretary. Any obstruction of fish passes, whether 

 for the purpose of preventing fish passing or not, should be 

 added to the offences in section 15 of 1868, as it is not 

 uncommon for rod-fishers to stand on the steps of ladders 

 in order to get a convenient spot for a cast, and so prevent 

 fish getting up. 



NATURAL OBSTRUCTIONS. 



There are a good many natural obstructions in the 

 Scotch rivers, which shut up large tracts of spawning 

 ground, but, situated as these are in most cases on private 

 property, legislation cannot interfere with them. The 

 Scotch Commissioners have, however, ascertained that in 

 the most important cases passes can be managed, and most 

 of the proprietors are likely to give their consents. While 

 it might be too extreme a step to give power of compulsory 

 removal of these obstructions unless there was clearly no 

 destruction of amenity, compulsory power might certainly 

 be granted to attach fish passes to all those where it was 

 practicable. If any questions should arise such as are 

 indicated in the Commissioners' Report of 1871, they 

 might be settled by the Crown giving a right of salmon 

 fishing to the upper proprietor. 



What may be accomplished even as a speculation by the 

 judicious construction of ladders over otherwise insurmount- 

 able falls, is most instructively shown in the case of the 

 famous Ballisodare fisheries in Ireland. Before 1856 the 

 Ballisodare river was salmonless. Mr. Cooper, the pro- 

 prietor, did not see why it should remain so, and, after 

 clearing his way by purchasing all rights which might 

 interfere with him, and obtaining an Act of Parliament 

 creating a several fishery, he constructed the celebrated 



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