of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



71 



The Salmon Disease — 



1. No salmon disease that I have seen in the district. 



3. I have seen no diseased salmon this three years. 

 • 4. No remarks to make. 



The Spawning Season — 



1. On the 7th of November. 



2. About the 24th of December. 



3. About the end of December yearly. 



5. Below an average. 



6. The Dee, the Tarff, and the Ken. 



Kelts— 



1. The month of March. 



2. In April. 



3. Month of May. 



Smolts — 



1. March, April, and May. 



2. Not very good. 



Artificial Propagation of Salmon — 



Mr. Anderson, Edinburgh, has a hatchery on the Dee at Tongland this four 

 years, and for three years has put out about 180,000 each year. 



Proportion of Male to Female Salmon — 

 I cannot state the proportion. 



General Question — 

 No. 



THE DISTRICT OF THE RIVER NITH 



Take of Fish— 



1. (a), (6), (c), and (d) Less than in previous year. 



2. (a) and (b) Cannot be given ; (c) about 30 in all. 



3. Clean fish are caught as soon as the fishings open on 24th February ; 



but afterwards from about middle of March no clean fish are got till the 

 sea-trout begin to run in April. 



4. (a) and (6) Cannot be given. 



5. (a) 31 lbs. ; (6) 25 lbs. ; (c) 21 lbs. 



Protection — 



1. £775 9s. 9d. 



2. 2s. 6d. per £. 



3. One man employed and paid by the Board, and over twenty gamekeepers 



sworn in as special watchers. 



4. Yes. (1) Two men fishing in a fish-pass in night time fined £2, with 



17s. of expenses each, or one month's imprisonment ; (2) one man 

 using drag hooks fined £% or 21 days ; (3) two men for contravention 

 of Sol way Act — fishing in river without leave — fined £l, with 22s. of 

 expenses each, or 21 days' imprisonment ; (4) two men for contraven- 

 tion of Solway Act — ostensibly fishing for white fish by means of stake 

 nets in estuary of river without leave — fined Is., with 20s. of expenses 

 each, or 14 days' imprisonment. Respondents in the last case have as 

 a remedy raised an action of declarator against the District Board and 

 proprietors of the district to declare a right of fishing for white sea-fish. 



Obstructions to the Passage of Fish — 



1 . No alteration. 



2. One cruive in the district is substantially in accordance with bye-law ; 



most of the dams are not. 



3. No. 



4. Yes, when the fish are running after a flood, but when the rivers are low 



the passes do not facilitate the passage of fish, 

 5 and 6. No. 



