18 
Appendices to Ninth Annual Report 
ascending fish would select. On the left bank of the stream a good many- 
inches of black water were running over the apron of the dam, and it is here 
that running fish generally attempt to ascend. But, owing to the length of 
the apron, they are always washed back, and no heavy or gravid salmon 
succeed in surmounting it. On this side of the river there is an intake lade 
with sluices belonging to the Messrs Crombie ; and it would not be diflicult or 
expensive to cut a passage from the dam to above the sluices, through which 
salmon might ascend. But, undoubtedly, by far the most effectual means of 
doing away with the obstructive character of Mugiemoss dam would be to 
construct, about 20 yards below the toe of the apron of the dam, a subsidiary 
dam not less than 5 feet high. This salmon could easily surmount, and, after 
doing so, would find themselves in the pool created by the subsidiary dam, 
which would have the effect of raising the water about half way up the long 
apron of the existing dam, which they would then have but little difficulty in 
ascending, and reaching the waters above. 
Number of The strongest proof of the thoroughly obstructive character of Mugiemoss 
salmon lifted dam in its present state is furnished by the fact that last year the river 
over Mugie- watchers took out from the pool below it 560 salmon that were "unable to sur- 
moss Dam. mount it, placed them in boxes and carried them up to the water above the 
dam ; and, besides these, 400 fish were taken out by landing nets with long 
handles whilst falling back after attempting to ascend, and placed in the water 
above — thus making a total of 960 salmon in a single year prevented from 
ascending to the upper waters to sjoawn by this most objectionable dam. 
During the previous year 660 salmon were in like manner taken from the 
pool below the dam and carried over it by the river watchers. 
The Superintendent complains not only of the obstructive character of the 
dam at Mugiemoss, but also of the excessive quantity of water abstracted from 
the river by the works at Mugiemoss, at the Messrs Piries and at the Messrs 
Crombies ; so that, when the river is low, the intake lade contains a larger 
quantity of water than is left in the bed of the river, owing to which, in at 
least one case, the river-bed below the dam connected with the works is left 
almost perfectly dry. Another complaint connected with these works is that 
they inclose and entirely shut in large spaces of the banks of the river from 
which the river watchers are practically excluded. That is to say, they can 
only get access by applying at the doors of the works, so that if any poaching 
is going on inside, word may be passed along and everything made regular 
before the watchers enter. 
Inspection of In August last I met the Ythan District Board, and inspected part of 
River Ythan. ^j^g river, along with the water bailiff. The proprietors on the Ythan are 
assessed on a rental of between £800 and .£900. There is one permanent 
watcher, who resides at Ellon, and there are two or three temporary 
watchers in the close season. The Ythan, besides containing salmon, 
grilse, and sea trout, is a good yellow trout stream ; and, in some of the 
preserved waters, the trout average half-a-pound. 
The Ythan is for the most part a smooth, slow-flowing river, rising at 
the Wells of Ythan, 768 feet above the sea, having a course of 38 miles, 
and falling into the sea near Newburgh. In the first Statistical Account 
of Scotland, published about a hundred years ago, it is stated that there 
was a valuable salmon fishing on the Ythan at Ellon, which yielded a 
rental of .£80 a year — a large sum in those days ; and it is also stated 
that, in the mouth of the Ythan, there was a fine bed of mussels and 
cockles, which supplied the neighbouring country, the town of Aberdeen, 
and also the fishers of the whole Buchan coast with bait. 
I met the water-bailiff at Ellon, and inspected part of the river in his 
company. Lord Aberdeen has the largest share of the Ythan — about 12 
or 14 miles of water, on which the water bailiflf estimated that 100 clean 
salmon are killed annually by the rod. For an east coast river the Ythan 
is decidedly late. The first clean fish come up, the water-bailiff says, in 
March ; the grilse run in July ; and, probably owing to the number of 
long, deep pools, the kelts are not out of the river till May. According 
