of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



31 



4. The weight of the heaviest salmon taken during the season was 28| lbs. 

 The particulars of time and place of capture are : — Captured about five 

 miles from the sea with Devon minnow. 



Protection— 



1. The assessable rental for 1908 was £511. 



2. The assessment levied was at the rate of 9s. per £. 



3. The water bailiffs employed are two in number. 



Pollutions— 



1. The existing pollutions are : — The mill at Skeldon is now practically closed, 

 so that there is little or no effluent discharged into the river from the 

 settling pond there. There are extensive works on the river bank at 

 Waterside, and a good deal of polluting matter finds its way into the 

 river from these works. Some of the burns are also polluted with the 

 washings from the coal taken from adjoining coal pits. The Board 

 endeavour to prevent pollution from these sources as far as possible. 



The Spawning Season— 



1. Fish were first noticed spawning in October. 



2. The greatest number spawned in December. 



3. Spawning ceased in the beginning of January. 



4. As regards numbers of breeding fish, and state of the water, the past 



spawning season is regarded as a good one. There was a very large 

 number of spawning fish in the river. 



Smolts— 



1. Smolts were noticed to be migrating seawards in January. 



2. As a smolt year 1908 was a good year. 



REPORT FROM GIRVAN DISTRICT. 



Take of Fish— 



2. The actual number of fish caught has been as follows : — 



(a) By fixed engine, 720 salmon, 880 grilse, and between 1500 and 

 1600 trout. 



(c) By rod and line, only a very few salmon were taken, though an 

 average number of sea trout were caught. 

 The first salmon was caught in the sea on 7th April 1907. 

 4. The weight of the heaviest salmon taken during the season was 20 lbs. 



Protection — 



1. The assessable rental for 1908 was £533 10s. 



2. The assessment levied was £26 13s. 6d. 



3. One water bailiff. 



The Spawning Season - 



1. Fish were first noticed spawning in November. 



2. The greatest number spawned in November. 



3. Spawning ceased about the end of November. 



Artificial Propagation of Salmon— 



General.— By the Troon (Loch Bradan) Water Order recently approved of 

 by Parliament the lochs at the principal source of the river have been 

 impounded so as to give an average daily supply of 5,000,000 gallons for 

 the purposes of the Order. The Fishery Board at first opposed the 

 Order, but afterwards consented in respect that a clause was inserted 

 therein binding the promoters to run a daily supply of not less than 

 2,000,000 gallons of the impounded waters into the river. 



