of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



411 



I am not prepared to say what is the cause of this disease, but I am of 

 opinion that in small rivers, such as the South Esk, that sniggering* is to 

 blame to a certain extent, because, when the river becomes low, fish are 

 confined into small space below dam dykes, &c, then sniggers, plying among 

 the fish, cut and destroy their skin, and I consider that fish so cut become 

 more easily the victims of disease than fish which are entirely whole and free 

 from cuts. This season I have noticed several of the fungoid fish, which I 

 have found with cuts upon them similar to what I have mentioned with the 

 fungus inserted into those cuts. 



Between the 20th November 1886 and the 16th February 1887, 407 fungoid 

 fish were taken out of the river South Esk ; 148 were males, 259 were females ; 

 of the males 105 were spawned and 43 were unspawned, and of the females 

 92 were spawned and 167 unspawned ; with the exception of 6, all those were 

 found below Brechin. 



I may mention that in November 1886 part of the river below Brechin was 

 fished with net and coble with the view of killing all the diseased fish ; only a 

 few of those severely marked were killed, and those that were slightly marked 

 were scraped and returned to the river. I cannot say that the scraping 

 process is of much benefit, as most of the fish died afterwards. I found some 

 of them dead next day. — I am, &c, 



(Signed) Joseph Eraser, Superintendent. 



* This mode of fishing practised on the North and South Esks is described as 

 follows on page 17 of my first Report to the Fishery Board : — The North Esk has 

 attained an unenviable notoriety from the prevalence of a practice among many 

 anglers on the river locally known as 'sniggling,' 'raking,' or 'dragging.' When 

 fish are collected in a pool when the water is low and will not rise to the fly, the 

 hook is allowed to sink and is then dragged about the pool. All the fish taken by 

 this method are foul-hooked. Sometimes the fly is leaded so as to make it sink 

 more readily. But the more skilful practitioners can do without this. The District 

 Board of the North Esk are unanimously of opinion that in any new Act steps 

 should be taken to put down this unsportsmanlike practice. It is the same mode of 

 fishing that is known in England as ' strokehalling ' or 'snatching,' and which is 

 prohibited by the English Act of 1873. That Act provides that ' " strokehall or 

 ' snatch " shall mean and include any instrument or device, whether used with a rod 

 ' and line or otherwise for the purpose of foul-hooking any fish,' and it prohibits any 

 person to ' use or have in his possession any strokehall, snatch, or other like instru- 

 '.ment or device, whether used with a rod or line, or otherwise, for the purpose of 

 ' foul-hooking any salmon.' The penalty for using or having in possession any of 

 these instruments is for the first offence any sum not exceeding £5 ; for the second, 

 any sum not less than £2, 10s. nor more than £5 ; and for a third, not less than £5, 

 or at the discretion of the Court imprisonment for any term not less than one nor 

 more than six months. Substitute the words ' rake-hook ' or ' drag-hook ' for 

 ' strokehall ' or ' snatch,' and the clause might have the effect of putting clown this 

 objectionable practice in the North Esk and other rivers in Scotland. 



