of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



moval or modification of the lower dyke at the footbridge it will 

 be necessary to modify the crest of the upper weir also. Fish 

 would have no difficulty in swimming up the down-stream face 

 when there is sufficient water in the river, but the perpendicular 

 iron copeing on the sill would act as a most serious obstruction to 

 further progress. By those two obstructions at Catrine, 15 miles 

 of the upper river are rendered inaccessible to spawning fish, 

 besides about 5 miles in the Greenock water. 



Loch Lomond District. 



My inspections in this district were confined to the river 

 Endrick, the chief spawning stream for salmon which enters the 

 loch, and to the river Leven which flows out of Loch Lomond and 

 enters the estuary of the Clyde at Dumbarton. 



The Endrick. 



This river rises in the high undulating country to the south-east 

 of Loch Lomond, and after a hill course of a few miles descends 

 the Loup of Fintry by three falls, calculated as 94 feet in height. 

 From this total obstruction to the ascent of salmon to the mouth of 

 the river the distance is about 21 miles. For a distance of 10 miles 

 or so below the Loup, the river presents a fine succession of pools 

 and streams with much beautiful spawning ground, then for a few 

 miles the bed is rather deeply cut in steep pastoral and at times 

 highty wooded land where, in the neighbourhood of Gartness, two 

 rocky barriers are passed which require special mention, then lower 

 down where the railway viaduct crosses west of Drymen station, 

 the river passes through flat meadows and the beautiful woods 

 round Buchanan Castle ; here the course of the river becomes 

 highly tortuous and the current gentle. 



Ths two obstructions at Gartness are, in descending order, first 

 the double obstacle of a dam-dyke and fall at the village of Gart- 

 ness, and second, beyond an extensive loop of the river course, The 

 Pot of Gartness. That salmon manage to surmount both obstruc- 

 tions was sufficiently evident to me by the sight of a number of 

 fish in the pool above the dam-dyke, but certainly the ascent must 

 be accomplished with difficulty, especially at The Pot of Gartness. 

 Both might with great advantage be modified or provided with 

 efficient fish-passes so that the splendid spawning grounds above 

 might be rendered of greater utility. This is the more desirable in 

 the interests of the whole district's fisheries since in proportion to 

 the size of Loch Lomond the other available spawning streams are 

 comparatively small and rocky. At the time of my visit (28th and 

 29th June) the river was very low, and I was, therefore, able to 

 inspect very fully the formation of the obstructions referred to. 

 The dam-dyke at the village of Gartness is for the purpose of 

 supplying water-power to a small wool mill. The dam is above the 

 fall, and the mill is below the fall, hence the tall is deprived of 

 the water carried down the lade. At the time of my visit the 

 mill was not working, owing apparently to the progress of some 

 repairs, but the lade was running full, and the water-fall as a 

 result was practically dry. The lade was unprovided with hecks. 



