of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



241 



Point on the south, where the Add district begins. But in defining the 

 Awe district, the catchment basin of Locli Feochan is expressly excepted. 

 The rivers Nell and Feochan unite in entering the head of Loch Feochan, 

 while the river Euchar, flowing out of Loch Scamadale, enters Loch Feochan 

 from the south and near the mouth of the loch. 



The first meeting of the new Board was held on 13th December, 1911. 

 The members are :— The Marquis of Breadalbane, Chairman ; the Duke 

 of Argyll, and Mr. Henry Macdonald of Dunach. The Clerk is Mr. 

 Alexander Mac Arthur, solicitor, Oban. 



Since it seems very desirable that the whole district from Appin to 

 Craignish Point should be administered by one body, I understand that a 

 joint meeting of the Awe Board and the Loch Feochan Board is to be called 

 in order, if possible, to secure this arrangement. As Mr. MacArthur is 

 also Clerk to the Awe Board, a temporary working arrangement has mean- 

 while been arrived at. The assessable rental of the salmon fishings of the 

 Loch Feochan district cannot yet be determined, as shootings and fishings 

 are not separated in the Valuation Boll. 



Conon. 



I have had occasion, in former reports, to refer to the difficulties of 

 securing a proper distribution of ascending fish in this district, owing to 

 the presence of the eruive dyke, the Falls of Conon, and the falls on the 

 three tributaries, the Blackwater, Orrin, and Meig. In 1895 a lease of the 

 cruives was entered into, and for a period those engines were not fished. 

 In 1904 I reported that the cruives were again being fished, and in next 

 year's report (23rd Annual Report, Part II., p. 11) I dealt at some length 

 with the conditions which had arisen. At that time netting was carried 

 on for four miles below the cruive dyke, and the cruive fishings (two 

 boxes) were in the hands of the same tacksman. A very complete control 

 was therefore secured upon the available stock of salmon entering the 

 river. Actual returns of fish taken were unobtainable, there being, 

 unfortunately, no obligation on the part of salmon fishers to make even a 

 confidential return of their catches ; but by comparing the assessable 

 rentals it appeared that, separating fishings above and below the cruive 

 dyke, the rental above started at .£575, rose, during the period of twelve 

 years when the cruives were not fished, to <£788, and fell again, on the 

 resumption of cruive fishing, to the former level, £575 



I am pleased to be able to report that a new agreement has been arrived 

 at between the owner of the cruive fishings and a syndicate of five upper 

 proprietors. The whole four cruive boxes are now open, the hecks and 

 inscales are removed, and the boxes themselves put in complete repair. 

 Incidentally, the members of the syndicate are members of the Moray 

 Firth Association, who have taken off nets below the Brahan fishings. 

 The agreement as to the cessation of cruive fishing is for a period of ten 

 years. 



The Moray Firth Association have taken over the Cromarty and 

 Culloclen fishings in the tidal portion of the river. These fishings are 

 carried on, and were at the time of my visit being netted night and day 

 by two crews, a third going on at high water. Netting now stops, 

 however, at the top of the Cromarty and Culloclen fishings, the limit being 

 marked by a line of four black buoys anchored across the stream. The 

 Moray Firth Association hold all the fishings below this point. Formerly 

 when netting was carried on in fresh water below the cruive dykes, it was 

 impossible for salmon to ascend the river except during the weekly close 

 time or when the river was in high flood. I understand that the pool 

 below the Orrin Fall is still netted. It would be of great benefit to the 

 river generally if the fish which congregate there were allowed up into the 



