of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



11 



" admission of fish into the loch, a very large increase of salmon in 

 " all the waters of the district would be the certain result. . . . 



44 It is submitted, therefore, that more than a merely practicable 

 "access or stair is wanted at Muccomer. The proprietor of the 

 " Lochy fishing (Mr. Ell ice) considers that as far as possible the 

 " same facilities for the passage of fish as existed previously to the 

 " construction of the canal should be restored. With this object the 

 " bottom of the artificial cut should be so sloped down from a 

 " point considerably above the Bridge of Muccomer as to present no 

 " greater obstruction than any other rocky part of the river 

 " between Mucomer and the sea. This can easily be done at no 

 " great cost, and since, but for the exceptional circumstances before 

 " stated, the expense must have been incurred when the canal was 

 " first made, the Canal Commissioners may reasonably now be 

 " called upon to render Loch Lochy at its present outlet, which is 

 " part of the works of the canal, as accessable to salmon as was the 

 " case before the outlet was changed. 



" It is, moreover, submitted that this is exactly a case to which 

 <; the provisions of the existing Act, and the powers it confers upon 

 " the Commissioners to make bye-laws, are intended to apply." 



As a result, apparently, of negotiations respecting this obstruc- 

 tion at Mucomer, Mr. Ellice and Lochiel obtained the consent of the 

 Canal Commissioners to the construction of a salmon pass in 1874. 

 In 1878 the pass was completed. It is a little difficult, at this 

 date, to see the full design of the pass either from the banks at the 

 fall or from the bridge above, but on communicating with Mr. 

 Malcolm, Commissioner to Mrs. Ellice, I have received for inspection 

 the original plans and specification. The elevation of rock dealt 

 with was 16| feet. The top of the pass enters and traverses the 

 central arch of the bridge, where a series of irregular step-like 

 excavations of considerable extent were formed. The pass is then 

 carried in a transverse manner across the fall below the bridge and 

 the weir in the west arch ; then curving down -stream, enters 

 Mucomer Pool close to the right bank of the fall, where three pools 

 were formed (which still remain) by the erection of built barriers. 

 The length of the pass was about 120 feet. Including the clearing 

 of rock at the entrance and outlet, the average gradient is only one 

 in eight. The volume of water is large, and many of the seven 

 steps and breaks are so abrupt that even now, when 33 years of 

 wearing have passed, the amount of broken and very heavy water 

 is very marked. This is quite out of keeping with what experience 

 teaches are the essential features of a good pass at an 

 obstacle of this kind. Moreover, if the fall be viewed when the 

 water level is above normal it will be seen that the transverse 

 section of the pass is completely swept by the water descending 

 the weir already referred to. Indeed, at such times two- 

 thirds of the pass is raging white water. When the river is not 

 too high, large numbers of salmon and sea trout do, in the 

 summer and autumn, ascend this pass. It is not, however, a pass 

 which spring fish will ever freely ascend, and only spring fish 

 would be of sporting value in Loch Lochy, as they are in Loch 



