MR CALDERWOOD'S REPORT. 



Fishery Board for Scotland, 

 February 1906. 



I have the honour to submit my report of inspections during 

 the year 1905. 



Bladenoch. 



The river Bladenoch and its tributary the Tarff drain the 

 extensive moorlands of Wigtownshire. No District Fishery Board 

 has at any time been in existence in the interests of the salmon 

 fisheries, and, perhaps as a consequence, considerable neglect of 

 those fisheries has resulted. At and above Wigtown, and near 

 Kirkcowan, on both Bladenoch and Tarff. the water of the river 

 is used to create power for various works, and the lack of super- 

 vision in the interests of the salmon fisheries is seen in the almost 

 total disregard of the bye-laws of the Salmon Acts. I am 

 informed that fish begin to ascend in March, but that the principal 

 fishing is in the autumn. Netting is regularly carried on in the 

 lowest reaches of the river, and an occasional shot of the net is 

 made in the upper waters. The natural features of this river are 

 such as to induce the conclusion that, given suitable attention and 

 regulation, a material increase in the value of the fisheries would 

 result. 



I inspected the district on 1st June. 



I first examined the dam-dyke and fish-pass at New Mills, about 

 a mile above Wigtown, being accompanied by Mr. James Drew, 

 Commissioner to Lord Galloway, and Mr. Andrew Thomson, Clerk of 

 Works, also by gamekeepers representing the interests of Captain 

 Hamilton, and Sir Wm. Dunbar, Bart., upper proprietors. 



The dam-dyke is 275 feet long and 3 feet 9 inches high, the down 

 stream face being about 12 feet. The structure has the appearance 

 of having been heightened, and is distinctly leaky in places. By 

 reference to a report made in April 1896 by my predecessor, it 

 appears that the dyke was carried away by floods in the winter of 

 1894-95, and when rebuilt was not restored to quite the former 

 height. The sill of the weir was, however, afterwards raised to the 

 former height by the placing of a beam along the crest: This 

 beam still remains, and, owing to the irregularity of the stone and 

 cement work of the down stream face, is in places rather obstructive 

 to the passage of salmon which may surmount the weir. No 

 objections had, however, been made, so far as I am aware, to the 

 abrupt nature of the sill of the weir. I had, however, been informed 



