of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
37 
There is a small Hatchery on the Ugie at Inverugie, supported by 
private enterprise, which, after being disused for some years, is again in 
operation. About 00,000 fish can be hatched out in it annually. The 
proportion of male to female salmon is estimated to be five males to four 
females. 
The season of 1891 is stated to have been an average one on Answers from 
the Deveron. A salmon of 37 lbs. was caught by net and coble, one ^^J^ 01011 
of 48 lbs. by fixed engines, and one of 33 lbs. by rod. The system of \> 0ilY{ \. 
protection is efficient, and there are eleven water-bailiffs employed. There 
is one cruive, belonging to the Duke of Fife, which is worked in accord- 
ance with the terms of the bye-law. The salmon disease showed itself 
in 1891, but to no great extent. There is a Hatchery belonging to the 
Duke of Fife which is capable of hatching out 200,000 salmon. 
A proprietor of salmon fishings on the Deveron writes me that 
up to 1891 the fishings had been diminishing, but that in 1891 
' the take has been phenomenal — more than double the best here hitherto. 
1 The heavy rains in September drew the fish to the river, and the rain 
' continued until about the end of October, when, the river getting very 
' low, they could not run. The sea-nets, by all accounts, did wonderfully, 
■ so that it has been a great fishing year, not only over all our river, but 
' on all rivers I have heard of.' 
About the salmon disease he writes : — ' Towards end of October disease 
f began to show itself to some extent ; but I believe there is some, to 
1 more or less extent, every season. No idea of cause, unless the accumula- 
' tion of heavy female fish below the cruive dike, hundreds of which have 
' to be lifted over the dike to spawn.' He is of opinion that stake and 
bag-nets are allowed too close to the mouth of the river (400 yards). The 
distance should be double. He also thinks that there should be a slap 
in all cruive dikes, and that the cruive boxes in cruive dikes should be on 
the bed of the river, and not, as now, feet above it — caused by silting-up 
of the bed and addition to height of dike under name of repairs. ' The 
' best plan,' he concludes, 'would be the removal of all cruive dikes (with 
' fair compensation), as being only useful and profitable to one man ; those 
' above and below alike suffering from them.' 
The take of fish fell off in the estuary of the Findhorn and in Answers from 
the river during 1891 ; but not throughout the district, and especially the River 
not in the long range of fixed nets with outriggers in Bessy Bay. Fmdhorn - 
The estuary is stated to be too narrow. It was fixed by the Commis- 
sioners of Scotch Salmon Fisheries by a bye-law which took effect 
from 7th March 1865, and was, I humbly venture to think, illegally and 
incompetently fixed. By the 16th section of 'The Salmon Fisheries 
' (Scotland) Act, 1862,' the Commissioners were empowered 'to fix and 
' define, for the purposes of this Act, and the other Acts relating to 
1 Salmon and Salmon Fisheries in Scotland, the natural limits which 
' divide each river in Scotland (including the estuary thereof) from the 
4 sea, in so far as the same may not be already fixed by statute or by 
'judicial decision' But, in consequence of certain proceedings which 
took place before the Barons of Exchequer in Scotland in 1776-8, the 
limits of the estuary of the River Findhorn were judicially fixed and 
defined by them as extending a great distance on either side beyond the 
estuary subsequently fixed by the Scotch Commissioners, which was, 
therefore, fixed in defiance of the terms of the statute, and in the face of 
a judicial decision previously existing. A map of the Findhorn, showing 
the two estuaries, and a Memorial from the proprietors of river fishings 
against the Commissioners' bye-law form Appendix IX. to my First 
Report to the Board on the ' Salmon Rivers on the East Coast, from the 
' Forth to the Kyle of Sutherland, both inclusive.' 
