of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
25 
thickly covered with mussels, mostly immature, and seldom exceeding an 
inch in length — the quantity of soft mud probably preventing their proper 
growth and development. I noticed also two species of clams. Con- 
sidering how valuable mussels are for bait, and how many of our Scotch 
mussel beds have been ruined by improvident fishing, one cannot 
help regretting that the vast quantity here lying useless could not be 
removed to some locality where they would grow and thrive. But I am 
afraid that no such locality is to be found nearer than Wigtown Bay. 
While I was inspecting these paidle-nets a boat fishing for salmon in Whammel- 
the low-water channel of the Firth with a whammel or hang-net — the n«tsan<l tliei 
most destructive and objectionable of all moveable nets — came so close to e f^s° US 
the Scotch shore that I could have thrown a stone into her. These 
whammellers have no title whatever to fish for salmon on the Scotch side 
of the Firth, nor have they permission from any one who has a title. 
Anywhere else in Scotland they could be stopped at once, and their owners 
prosecuted and punished under the 7th and Sth Vict. cap. 95, entitled 
1 An Act to amend an Act of the 9th year of King George the Fourth for the 
4 Preservation of the Salmon Fisheries in Scotland' — which provides that 
' whereas it is expedient to prevent the destruction of salmon, or fish of 
' the salmon kind, in the sea or shores thereof ; and whereas doubts are 
entertained of the provisions of the said Act being applicable to the sea 
' or seashore, Be it therefore enacted, &c, that if any person, not having 
' a legal right or permission from the proprietor of the salmon fishery, shall 
' from and after the passing of this Act, wilfully take, fish fo^ or attempt 
' to take, or aid or assist in taking, fishing for, or attempting to take in or 
' from any river, stream, lake, water, estuary, firth, sea-loch, creek, bay, or 
' shore of the sea> or in or upon any part of the sea within one mile of 
' low-water-mark, in Scotland, any salmon, grilse, sea-trout, whitling, or 
' other fish of the salmon kind, such person shall forfeit and pay a sum not 
' less than 10s. and not exceeding £5, for each and every such offence, and 
' shall, if the Sheriff or Justices shall think proper, over and above, forfeit 
' each and every fish so taken, and each and every boat, boat tackle, net, or 
' other engine used in taking, fishing for, or attempting to take fish as afore- 
' said ; and it shall be lawful for any person employed in the execution of 
' this Act to seize and detain all fish so taken, and all boats, tackle^ nets, 
1 and other engines so used, and to give information thereof to the Sheriff 
' or any Justice of the Peace, and such Sheriff or Justice may give such 
1 orders concerning the disposal of the same as may be necessary.' This 
Act is amended and made more stringent by the 25th section of • the 
' Salmon Fisheries (Scotland) Act, 1868,' which gives ample powers of 
search and seizure to constables, river watchers, officers of District 
Boards, &c, and declares that the possession of salmon by unqualified 
persons shall be held 'prima facie evidence of their intention to contravene 
the provisions of the 7th and 8th Vict. cap. 95. Unfortunately, neither 
this Act nor its amendment apply to the Solway Firth, because the 25th 
section of the Act of 1868 is an amendment of 7 and 8 Vict. cap. 95, 
which again is an amendment of 9 Geo. IV. c. 39, the 14th section of 
which excludes the Solway and the rivers flowing into it. Nothing 
would do more to improve the Salmon Fisheries in the Solway Firth 
than the repeal of this exclusion, which would enable the District 
Boards of the Annan and Nith, which suffer most from the ravages of 
these ' whammellers,' to prosecute and put them down. At present, they 
cannot raise a prosecution with any chance of success, although these men 
annually capture tons of salmon in the low-water channel of the Firth, and 
greatly injure the fisheries in the rivers both on the Scottish and English 
sides of the Solway. 
