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A2:>pendices to Twenty -ninth Annual Report 



4. Particulars as to prosecutions instituted are briefly as follow : — Prosecutions 

 were instituted against 170 persons during season 1909-10. Of these, 

 61 paid fine or were allowed time to pay, 52 were imprisoned, 18 

 absconded, 1 was convicted and admonished, 2 were put on Probation of 

 Offenders Act, 3 were accjuitted, and proceedings were withdrawn in the 

 case of 33 persons. 



The principal offences were — Killing salmon by means of illegal nets, cleek 

 and light, and rake-hooks ; being in illegal possession of salmon and 

 engines for killing salmon ; and assaulting and obstructing bailiffs. 



Obstructions to the Passage of Pish— 



1. Dam dykes disused, built, or in prospect: — Kirklands cauld, on the 



River A\q, was partially washed away last winter. A new cauld was 

 built in the summer on similar lines to the old one, with a fish ladder of 

 three steps in the centre. 



2. Are the bye-laws observed in every case ? — No bye-laws ; statutes strictly 



enforced. 



3. Fish passes l)uilt or in prosj^ect : — A ladder in the new cauld at Kirklands, 



on the Ale. 



Pollutions— 



1. The existing jDollutions are : — Poisonous matters from mills and dyehouses 



in Selkirk, Peebles, Innerleithen, Walkerburn, Galashiels, Hawick, Jed- 

 burgh, and Chirnside. Household sewage from Biggar, West Linton, 

 Eddleston, Melrose, St. Bos wells, Kelso, Coldstream, Sprouston, An- 

 crum, Lilliesleaf, Earlston, Lauder, &c. 



2. Remedial measures : — There are settling tanks connected with all the mills 



in Peebles which intercept the grosser parts of the mill effluent, but 

 not much good. There are purification works connected with the mills 

 in Galashiels and Selkirk, but those in Galashiels do not appear to be of 

 any use, judging from the appearance of the water flowing from them ; 

 but a new system of drainage and purification is in course of construction. 

 In Hawick there are irrigating tanks in a field, but they are not worked 

 satisfactorily. A purifying plant has been recently erected at Chirnside 

 Paper Mills with good results. 



The Salmon Disease— 



1. Disease made its appearance, season 1909-10, in the month of November, 



and reached its height in February. 

 The river was free of diseased fish in May. 



2. The number of diseased fish taken from the river and destroyed was as 



follows : — 



Males. Females. 



Kelts, 573 371 



' Clean, 28 39 



The Spawning Season, 1909-10— 



1. Fish were first noticed spawning on 21st October (sea trout). 



2. The greatest number spawned in January. 



3. Spawning ceased at end of February. 



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



spawning season is regarded as good. 



S molts— 



1. Smolts were noticed to be migrating seawards in April and May. 



2. As a smolt year 1910 was good. 



REPORT FROM FORTH DISTRICT. 

 Take of Pish— 



1. State whether the take of fish has been above or below the average of 

 previous years — 



(a) By fixed engines in the sea— About the average. 



(6) By sweep net in tidal or fresh waters — About the average. 



(r) By rod and lin#^ Above the average. 



