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Appendices to Thirty- first Annual Report 



netting in the lowest stretch of the river, and for the two last years the 

 nets have not been fished. At the same time tlie Borhoise dam pool in 

 in the upper river has been netted by one of the proprietors on one or two 

 occasions each year. It appears from the result of this upper netting that 

 the stock of fish in the river has not yet improved. The time has been so 

 short that it would have been surprising if any marked increase had been 

 noticed. The Tarft' seems to be the chief spawning tributary, and this is 

 still seriously obstructed. 



It is felt locally that in the case of a small district like the Bladnoch, 

 where proprietors who could form the Board are few in number, the duty 

 of enforcing the Salmon Acts places those proprietors in an unenviable 

 position, in that the odium is localised in a manner impossible in a large 

 district. In certain localities the combination of two District Boards in 

 the supervision of two united districts has the advantage of getting over 

 this difficulty. 



SoLWAY Dee. 



In the spring of the year I entered into correspondence with a 

 representative of the Dee proprietors with regard to the amount of netting 

 carried on in this river. In August of the previous year (1911) I had 

 corresponded with the District Fishery Board, who had written me on the 

 subject of the different methods of fishing in the district and the possible 

 adjustment thereof. Many of the upper proprietors fish pools with nets, 

 and similar nets are regularly used at the mouth of the river. The 

 Doaches of Tongland are not now fished as cruives, but the Shoulder Net, 

 which is peculiar to this district, is fished regularly immediately below 

 the doaches, and is no doubt a deadly engine for the securing of the fish 

 which are checked by the obstructions referred to. In the estuary, with 

 its soft muddy banks, the Yair Nets, peculiar also to this district, are fixed. 

 The District Board, with the best interests of the river at heart, considered 

 that the upper proprietors might be willing to give up their sweep netting 

 if an arrangement could be come to by which Captain Hope, of St. Mary's 

 Isle, would forego his use of the shoulder net and do away with doaches 

 altogether. To ascertain the relative values of the various proprietors 

 presented some difficulty, but steps were taken to ascertain as far as 

 possible the actual state of the case. Mr. Wilkinson, who sits as Chairman 

 of the Board and mandatory for Captain Hope, came to Edinburgh to see 

 me, and the actual results of the doach, low^er sweep net, and yair fishing 

 for a series of years were submitted. The question then became one for 

 the upper proprietors to consider, and the correspondence first referred to 

 was continued. The fundamental conditions were that all netting above 

 the doaches be given up, and that Captain Hope be given suitable 

 compensation for renouncing his right of fishing at the doaches, either by 

 means of the fishing boxes of the cruives themselves, or by means of the 

 shoulder net. After the upper proprietors had had sufficient time to 

 consider the matter, I had an opportunity of meeting them and of discussing 

 the various aspects of the question. This meeting took place in Castle 

 Douglas; the benefits of the step contemplated were, I hope, fully explained, 

 and as a result a committee was appointed to bring the matter to a 

 definite issue. After this committee had met. Captain Hope was asked to 

 state a figure which he would accept for the fishings in question. In 

 reply. Captain Hope explained that his lease of the Burgh of Kirkcudbright 

 fishings (yair nets) terminates with the fishing season of 1915, and that any 

 leasing of his own netting rights to the upper proprietors would have to 

 terminate at the same time. The Burgh fishings are commonly let by 

 public auction on a lease of 10 years. The question of the purchase of 

 Captain Hope's fishings had, however, been more favoured than the possible 



