of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



21 



4. The weight of the heaviest salmon taken during the season was 40 lbs. 

 The particulars of time and place of capture are : — Caught at Hud's 



Head, Spittal, on 10th September. 

 Note. — A dead diseased male salmon of 60 lbs. was taken out of the 

 River Tweed at Mertoun, in Roxburghshire, on 1st December. 



Protection— 



1. The assessable rental for 1906-07 was £15,732 9s. Id. 



2. The assessment levied was £3146 9s. 7d. 



3. The water bailiffs employed are — 10 in July and August, 21 in September, 



42 in October, 56 in November and December, 50 in January, 29 in 

 February, 21 in March, 16 in April and May, and 10 in June. 



4. Particulars as to prosecutions instituted are briefly as follow : — Prosecu- 



tions were instituted against 176 persons during season 1906-07. 

 Fifty-five persons paid tine or were allowed time to pay, 48 were 

 imprisoned, 39 absconded, 3 were acquitted, and proceedings were 

 withdrawn in the case of 31 persons. Note. — A great many shown 

 as absconded were ultimately apprehended and underwent their 

 punishment. 



The principal offences were killing salmon by means of illegal nets, 

 cleek and light, and rakehooks ; being in illegal possession of salmon 

 and engines for killing salmon, and assaulting and obstructing bailiffs. 



Obstructions to the Passage of Fish— 



1. Dam dykes disused, built, or in prospect : — The old cauld at Wells 



Sawmill, on the Rule water, has been cut since last year, and a new 

 cauld is being constructed to supply power for sawmill and electric 

 light plant. 



2. With regard to the observance of bye-laws : — Duly enforced and 



carried out. 



3. Fish passes built or in prospect : — None. 



4. Natural obstructions not yet dealt with : — None. 



Pollutions — 



1. The existing pollutions are : — Poisonous matters from mills and dye- 



houses in Selkirk, Peebles, Innerleithen, Walkerburn, Galashiels, 

 Hawick, Jedburgh, and Chirnside ; household sewage from Biggar, 

 West Linton, Eddleston, Melrose, St. Boswells, Kelso, Sprouston, 

 Coldstream, Ancrum, Lilliesleaf, Earlston, Lauder, &c. 



2. Remedial measures : — There are settling tanks connected with all the 



mills in Peeblesshire which intercept the grossest parts of the mill 

 effluent, but not much good. There are purification works connected 

 with the mills in Galashiels and Selkirk, but those in Galashiels do 

 not appear to be of any use, judging from the appearance of the water 

 flowing from them ; but a new system of drainage and purification is 

 being arranged by the burgh authorities. Improved purifying 

 machinery were recently erected at Chirnside Mills, but although 

 a marked improvement is now observed in the state of the River 

 Whitadder, the Berwickshire County Council are not yet satisfied 

 that all means are exhausted to secure the most perfect system of 

 purification. 



The Salmon Disease— 



1. Disease made its appearance during season 1906-07 in the month of 



November, and reached its height in January. 

 The river was free of diseased fish in May. 



2. The number of diseased fish taken from the river and destroyed was as 



follows : — 



Kelts, 

 Clean, 



Males, 

 2,515 

 55 



Females. 

 1,775 

 81 



