Iviii 



Thirty-third Annual Report 



well known. It would be out of place here to enter into any detail con- 

 cerning the needs of the Solway, and in any case some further con- 

 ference with the English authority is anticipated, but the salmon 

 fisheries of this region are intimately brought into contact with the 

 whammelliug and paidle net fishing of the upper waters, and with the 

 sparling fishing and the white-fish fishing by means of stake nets 

 practised in the lower Solway. 



There appears to be little doubt that the stock of salmon entering 

 the rivers which flow from the Scottish side of the Solway has become 

 seriously reduced. The Cree, Nith, and Annan, all afford good 

 spawning grounds, which are now left in great measure unused. 

 From the Cree, it is reported that the fishing by means of fixed 

 nets was " greatly below the average " ; the fishing by means of 

 sweep nets in tidal or fresh water " very poor " ; and that there 

 was a marked absence of grilse. The assessable rental of this river 

 is now £882. The report from the Kirkcudbrightshire Dee does not 

 give results of net fishings, but the rod fishing is reported as being 

 much below the average. From the Nith it is stated that the season 

 has been the worst on record, and that rod fishing produced only 

 eight salmon. The assessable rental is £629. From the Annan, the 

 actual catch cannot be given, but the season is reported as having 

 been " greatly below the average." In this case, the assessable rental 

 is £2273, the high figure being accounted for by the valuable fixed 

 net fishings in the district. 



Through the absence of any definite statements as to actual 

 catch, which absence we have repeatedly deplored, and which is again 

 referred to in Mr. Calderwood's Report, published as an Appendix, 

 it is impossible to arrive at a definite conclusion as to the amount 

 of the decline, but it appears to us that this region of the Solway is 

 the one in which salmon fisheries have sunk to the lowest ebb, and 

 concerning which, therefore, any possible legislation for the simplifica- 

 tion and reduction of the difficulties is most needed. 



There are 107 Salmon Fishery Districts in Scotland, including 

 the Orkneys and Shetlands and the districts of the Outer Hebrides. 

 A large number of the smaller districts on the West Coast are unpro- 

 vided with District Boards. The more important districts may be 

 said to be about thirty in number, and the assessable rentals of 

 twenty-nine of these (minus the Spey, from which no return has been 

 received) amount to £104,377, at the present time. 



This list includes all the large districts of the East Coast. Re- 

 ports have been received from 35 districts. The rental of the Tay 

 District in 1914 reached the highest figure it has ever attained, being 

 at the same time the highest rental of any one district in Scotland. 

 The figure is £24,399. The assessment levied was at the rate of 6 per 

 cent, on this rental, or £1463*9 ; there are 18 water baihfts in the dis- 

 trict. Although we have no powers of supervision in the Tweed 

 District, we have again been favoured with a report from the Clerk 

 to the Tweed Commissioners. The rental in the Tweed is £15,936, 

 and the assessment levied was £3187. The Tweed requires twice as 

 many baififls as the Tay. 



The following table gives the rentals, since the year 1900, of the 

 five most important districts : — 



