16 



Appendices to Seventeenth Annual Report 



Smolts— 



1. March ana April, 1898. 



2. Yes. . 



Artificial Propagation of Salmon- 

 No. 



Proportion of Male to Female Salmon 

 No. 



General Question — 



The fishings are very injuriously affected by hang or drift net fishing in the 

 Eiver Forth from Alloa Bridge to Culross. 



THE DISTRICT OF THE RIVER TAT. 



Take of Fish — 



1. (a), (6), (c), and (d) Below average. 



2. No. There will be a better opportunity of getting the numbers now that 



the net fishing is practically in the hands of one company, (c) No. 



3. (a) Clean salmon are in Tay at all seasons of the year. (6) During July 



and August, (c) First Grilse, 15th May ; sea-trout, I don't know. 



4. (a) and (6) Impossible under present arrangements. 

 "5. (a) 54 lbs.; (b) 44 lbs.; (c) 56* lbs. 



Protection — 



1. Kental, £21,047 18s. 2d. 



2. Assessment, £1,473 7s. Id, being at the rate of 7 per cent. 



3. Twenty during close season. 



4. Generally for taking salmon either illegally or in close time ; chiefly 



convicted when detected. Number of cases tried, 24 ; iuvolving 44 

 persons, of whom 39 convicted ; complaints against 2 withdrawn, and 

 3 not proven. 



Obstructions to the Passage of Fish — 



1. Dornoch Dam on the Earn having been damaged by floods, arrangements 



have been made for the breach remaining open so as to allow a passage 

 for fish. 



2. No ; but the Board has recently issued a peremptory circular on the 



subject with good results. 



3. 4, and 5. A committee of proprietors on the Earn are negotiating with the 



view of removing obstructions and improving the fishings generally. 

 6. Notice may here be taken of the formation of a syndicate which has 

 rented most of the commercial fishings with a view to their more 

 economical working. This will probably involve the less frequent fish- 

 ing of some stations. 



Pollutions — 



1. Nothing, except the growth of the population and industries, chiefly 



bleaching and dve works. 



2. No. 



The Salmon Disease — 



1. Yes ; first observed towards end of October ; at its height aboux end of 



December. I am not quite sure if it ever altogether disappeared. 



2. Usual winter conditions. 



3. No ; they are nearly level as to sex. About a score of clean salmon were 



found dead ; but they are mostly foul fish. 



4. I would just remark that a wet season is no cure for disease, and a dry 



season does not seem to make it any worse. 



The Spawning Season — . " 



1. 3rd November, but they must have been spawning earlier, as onekelt was 



landed by rod in October. 



2. 15th November and 15th December. 



