1(1)Where there is no district salmon fishery board for a district, the sheriff shall, on the application of two qualified proprietors of salmon fisheries in the district—
(a)make up a roll of upper and lower proprietors in the district to which the application relates;
(b)call a meeting of these proprietors, at such time and place as the sheriff may direct, for the purpose of forming an association of proprietors of salmon fisheries for that district and electing a committee to become the district salmon fishery board for that district; and
(c)give notice at least once in each of two successive weeks by advertising in a newspaper circulating in the district of the date, time and place of that meeting.
(3)Where proposals for a designation order have been considered by the Scottish Ministers, in accordance with schedule 1 to this Act, and they consider that a designation order should be made—
(a)the clerk or, acting jointly, the clerks to the district salmon fishery boards for any district or districts which would be superseded by the proposed designation order shall perform, in respect of the proposed district, the duties specified in sub-paragraph (1) above; or
(b)where there is no district salmon fishery board for any district which would be superseded by the proposed designation order, the sheriff shall perform the duties specified in sub-paragraph (1) above on the application of two proprietors of salmon fisheries in the proposed district,
and the following provisions of this schedule shall have effect in respect of the proposed district as if it had been designated.
(4)Where the salmon fishery district lies in more than one sheriffdom, the sheriff in whose jurisdiction lies the major part of that district may, for the purposes of this schedule, perform the duties specified in sub-paragraph (1) above in an adjacent sheriffdom.
(5)The sheriff may recover from the committee formed in accordance with this schedule all expenses incurred by the sheriff in the performance of the sheriff’s duties under this paragraph, whether or not that committee becomes a district salmon fishery board, but if it does become such a board, these expenses may be met out of the fishery assessment.