30 



Appendices to Twenty-eighth Annual Report 



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

 were instituted against 192 persons during season 1908-09. Fifty-five 

 persons paid fine or were allowed time to pay, 89 were imprisoned, 14 

 absconded, 8 were acquitted or admonished, and proceedings were with- 

 drawn in the case of 26 persons. 

 The principal offences were— Killing salmon by means of illegal nets, cleek 

 and light and rake-hooks, 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: — Philiphaugh cauld, on the 



Ettrick, and Deuchar Mill cauld, on the Yarrow, were washed away 

 in January last. Philiphaugh cauld is at present under repair, but 

 Deuchar Mill cauld has not been rebu^t. A small dam is being built 

 on Stobo Burn, in Peeblesshire, to form a pond near Stobo Castle. 



2. Are the bye-laws observed in every case ? — Duly enforced and carried out. 



Pollutions— 



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



in Selkirk, Peebles, Innerleithen, Walkerburn, Galashiels, Hawick, Jed- 

 burgh, and Chirnside. Household sewage from Biggar, West Linton, 

 Eddleston, Melrose, St. Boswells, Kelso, Coldstream, Sprouston, An- 

 crum, Lilliesleaf, Earlston, Lauder, &c. 



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



in Peeblesshire which intercept the grosser 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 now in the course of 

 being constructed. In Hawick there are irrigating tanks in a field, but 

 they are not worked satisfactorily. A very expensive purifying plant 

 has been recently erected at Chirnside Paper Works with good results. 



The Salmon Disease— 



1. Disease made its appearance, season 1908-09, in the month of October, 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 : — 



Males. Females. 



Kelts, 1,008 540 



Clean, 50 73 



The Spawning Season, 1908-C9— 



1. Fish were first noticed spawning on 19th October (sea trout). 



2. The greatest number spawned in December. 



3. Spawning ceased end of February. ' 



4. As regards numbers of breeding fish, and state of the water, the past 



spaAvning season is regarded as good. 



Smolts— 



1. Smolts were noticed to be migrating seawards in April and May. 



2. As a smolt year 1909 was fairly good. 



REPORT FROM FORTH DISTRICT. 

 Take of Fish— 



1. State whether the take of fish has been above or below the average of 

 previous years — 



(a) By fixed engines in the sea— Above the average. 



(b) By sweep net in tidal or fresh waters — About the average. 



(c) By rod and line — Below the average. 



3. Particulars as to the times grilse and sea trout appeared are as follow : — 



Grilse, July and August. Trout, all season. 



4. The weight of the heaviest salmon taken during the season was 47 lbs. 

 The particulars of time and place of capture are : — Largo Bay, on the coast 



of Fife. 



