10 



Appendices to Ticenty-sixth Annual Report 



about eleven miles up the river, Orchy fish remaining below the 

 Orchy Falls, Loch Tay fish remaining below the Dochart Falls. 



When the new water-course for the upper Lochy was cut, the 

 Commissioners were allowed to create the Mucomer Fall, and now 

 we see the early Lochy fish remaining below this fall and at 

 the same time refusing to continue their ascent in the Spean 

 (in the early months), which is perfectly free to them at this 

 point, but which in the early months of the year contains cold 

 water. 



In part the creation of the Mucomer Fall and its weir under the 

 west arch of the road bridge was intended by the Commissioners 

 as a safeguard against the undue lowering of Loch Lochy. I 

 understand, however, that Loch Lochy now generally contains a 

 surplusage of water for canal purposes, and that in all probability the 

 amount of water now discharged from the loch is not equal to the 

 amount formerly carried out by the unobstructed upper Lochy. 

 At the same time, I have no doubt, since the river Lochy was in 

 those early days freely netted by the then proprietor of the Barony 

 of Lochaber (the Duke of Gordon), as well as fished by cruives 

 about two miles from the mouth, the keeping down of the fish, 

 i.e., the prevention of their ascending into Loch Lochy through 

 Mucomer, was regarded apparently as good policy for the net 

 fishing. When the Lord Abinger, who acquired the fishings, 

 decided to remove all nets and cruives from the river for the sake 

 of securing a good angling river, which, even from a purely mone- 

 tary point of view, is to a proprietor of more value, Mucomer Pool 

 became the best in the river, because the creation of the new 

 water-course from Loch Lochy poured the warm waters of the loch 

 into Mucomer Pool, thus inducing early fish to run this length, 

 while the creation of the obstruction now known as Mucomer Fall 

 prevented these fish leaving the pool. Fish, therefore, accumu- 

 lated in Mucomer Pool. 



In 1863 a statement was prepared on behalf of the late Mr. 

 Edward Ellice, and presented to the Commissioners of Salmon 

 Fisheries, whose powers and duties are now transferred to the 

 Fishery Board for Scotland. This statement was approved and 

 acquiesced in by the late Lochiel, and deals very largely with the 

 matter now under review — the change in the fisheries of the 

 district owing to the creation of the obstacle at Mucomer. The 

 following extracts are of special interest : — 



" Apparently at one period considerable value was attached to 

 u the salmon fishing in Loch Lochy. The different stations where 

 u it was prosecuted upon the shores of the loch are specially named 

 " in all the old titles. But since the formation of the Caledonian 

 " Canal the access of fish from the sea into the loch has been 

 " prevented, and the salmon fishing entirely destroyed. . . . 



'• The improvement of the fishing generally, the chief object of 

 " the late Act (1862), has also to be considered. The tributaries of 

 " Loch Lochy suitable for spawning ground very greatly exceed in 

 " extent all those of the River Lochy to which salmon have access. 

 " If the Loch Lochy tributaries were again made available by the 



