of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



The Dunans keeper reported he had fished through March and April, 

 but, apart from a large number of kelts, had hooked only two clean fish, 

 one in each month. He had killed six fish in May up to the date of my 

 visit (25th), three having been got one day. 



I was satisfied that the croys were a distinct advantage to the river, and 

 believe that still more croys could be added with advantage. 



As showing the falling away in sea trout in this neighbourhood, I may 

 give the following particulars I obtained respecting the catches at the head 

 of Loch Shiel. 



1910. 



1911. 



1912. 



Salmon 

 Sea trout 

 Salmon 

 Sea trout 

 Salmon 

 Sea trout 



22 

 1555 



20 

 796 



22 

 756 



1913. 



1914. 



1915. 



Salmon 

 Sea trout 

 Salmon 

 Sea trout 

 Salmon 

 Sea trout 



33 

 603 



24 

 223 



12 

 175 



AiLORT District. 



I referred briefly in my last Annual Report to the Dam dyke which has 

 been erected at the outlet of Loch Eilt. Considerable interest attaches 

 to the creation of artificial floods in small rivers. The height to which water 

 can be raised in this instance is only 3 feet, owing to the danger of flood- 

 ing roads, etc. The superficial area of the loch is about 500 acres. I made 

 a careful inspection of the dam dyke in 1916, and found, as I had previ- 

 ously indicated, that although the original plan had been departed from in 

 one particular, so that the check upon the descending water is not so great 

 as might have been the case, the dam answers its purpose well. The local 

 watcher informed me that with one sluice open 18 in. and the other 

 open 12 in., three hours of flood reduced the level of the loch by only 

 three quarters of an inch. Floods are rur for about twenty-four hours, and 

 are timed at the commencement to meet high spring tides in Loch Ailort. 



Dee (Solway) District. 



A proposal arose in 1916 to utilise the site of the old mill at Tongland,. 

 4 miles up the Dee from Kirkcudbright, for the erection of a power house 

 for the use of The Galloway Engineering Co. The lade draws its water 

 from the river by means of the imperfect dyke and rocky barrier in the 

 river which had been utilised for the construction of the doaches of Tong- 

 land. I have made reference to these old cruives on several occasions. 



The Engineering Company proposed, in the first instance, to raise by 

 1 foot or so the level of the old partial dyke, to reconstruct the intake of 

 the lade, and to introduce turbines. The plans of the Company appear, 

 however, to have been subject to alteration, as ultimately a dyke was 

 erected which, although not completely across the river, was so high that 

 in view of the presence in addition of the rocky barrier and the doaches 

 the upper proprietors of salmon fisheries became seriously alarmed. 



I understand the matter is now likely to form the subject of litigation 

 at an early date. 



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