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The Council will not relax their efforts in the cause, but it seems to them that the best hope of obtaining a measure adequate to meet this terrible evil of pollution of streams rests now on the public voice making itself promptly, powerfully, and decisively heard by the Government.
To that end, and in order to make the fearful state of our rivers more widely known, the Council have prepared and are now disseminating a pamphlet, containing in a concise form all the necessary facts relating to the question, extracted from the voluminous Blue Books, &c., of the last thirteen years.
Although the Council have not yet succeeded in accomplishing the main object of their endeavours, viz., the obtaining of an Act to prevent the Pollution of Rivers, they are, nevertheless happy to say that the past year has by no means been barren of results advantageous to the Fisheries at large, or promising to be so, as the following proceedings will show:—
In the first place, on the 7th June of last year, a great Salmon Fishery Congress assembled, under the presidency of Earl Percy, at South Kensington. This Congress included various noblemen and gentlemen, great Fishery proprietors, Conservators, and others from all parts of the kingdom. It was attended by Mr. Frank Buckland and Mr. Spencer Walpole (the Government Inspectors of Salmon Fisheries for England and Wales), by the Special Commissioners of Fisheries, and by the President (Lord de Blaquiere), and several members of the Council of the Fisheries Preservation Association, all of whom took an active share in the proceedings.
A great portion of those proceedings having been devoted to the consideration of the pollution of rivers,—Mr. Highford Burr (of the Council of this Association) moved and carried unanimously a resolution in the following terms:—
"That as various rivers are seriously injured by liquid and solid poisonous matters, and as it is necessary for the public health and the supply of food for the people, that the pollutions should be prevented, further legislation is urgently needed."
From the discussions that arose and the interchange of suggestions which took place, not merely as regarded the evil of pollutions but on all points affecting the interests of the Fisheries, at a Congress so influential and possessing such special and practical knowledge of the subjects brought under deliberation, it is impossible to doubt that great benefit must ensue to the Fisheries.
In the next place, through the great exertions mainly of Lords Abinger and Wynford, aided by their lordships friends in the Upper House, and assisted by Lord de Blaquiere and his friends, a very pernicious measure of Lord Cranworth relating to the Irish Fisheries was in July of last Session thrown out in the House of Lords.
The importance of its rejection may be estimated by the fact that had that Bill passed into law it would have had the effect of undoing much of the beneficial legislation of late years by re-establishing in Ireland those destructive engines which the friends of the Fisheries had been at such great pains to get abolished.
Lastly, on the 2nd April of the present year a deputation of a very influential character, consisting of Lords Abinger,Airlie, Seafield,Colville, and Saltoun, and other large Scotch proprieters, &c. (and of which various members of the Council of this Association made a part), having been formed by Lord Abinger, was introduced by his lordship to the Home Secretary for the purpose of ascertaining from the Right Honorable Gentleman what steps Her Majesty's Government proposed taking this Session for the amendment of the Scotch Fisheries Act.
Lord Abinger having explained that the amended Act desired was one based on the Scotch Bill of 1866, which had passed ths House of Lords and that the chief amendments required were:—
1st. The appointment of permanent Inspectors empowered to carry out such alterations in the bye-laws as might from time to time be found expedient, and whose duty, it should be to report annually the general condition of the Scotch Salmon Fisheries.
2nd. The confirmation of the bye-laws, already passed by the Commissioners in order to set at rest doubts arising from the peculiar wording of the Act of 1862 as to the legality of those laws.
Mr. Gathorne Hardy in reply informed the Deputation that "the whole subject of the amendment of the Scotch Salmon Fishery Acts was then under the consideration of the Government, and was engaging the attention of the Lord Advocate."
The Council cannot close their Report without congratulating the members on the fact that the two last valuable Reports (July, 1867, and March, 1868) of the Inspectors, declare that the English and Welsh Salmon Fisheries are on the increase, four and twenty rivers being specially named in the first of those Reports as exhibiting great and marked improvement."
Among other kind contributions to the funds of the Association since the last Report the Council have the pleasure of acknowledging the following donations—namely:—Earl. de Grey and Ripon, £10 10s.; Lord Northwick, £10 10s.; Lord Ebury, £ 10 10s.; J. H. Arkwright, Esq., £ 10;Archibald Cockburn, Esq., £ 10 10s.
Annexed is the Honorary Treasurer's Account of Receipts and Payments for the last vear, shewing a balance to the credit of the Association on the 1st May inst. of £ l83 Is. 9d.; but this balance will be much diminished by the stationery, printing, and some other expenses of the past year while those of the current year will be more than usually large.
The Council, in concluding their Report, and in reminding the Subscribers that their Subscriptions became due on the 1st of the present month, would earnestly impress upon every Member the strong necessity of his kindly continuing his active support to the Association.
Fisheries Preservation Association,
23, Lower Seymour Street,
1st May, 1868,
