The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1871-03-16
Our Local Fisheries. What They We're,
What They Are, and What They might be.

Our Local Fisheries. What They We're,
What They Are, and What They might be.
We don't intend to make our paper too
tishy The mad wag who has been
poking fun at the honest inhabitants of
the deep, in these columns. and may con-
tinue to do so, isn't the contributor Of the
following. 1t is from the pen of a gentle
man of our city, i devoted disciple of the
rod and line. who in his recreation
exempt from puhlic haunt
Finds tongues in trees. books i'll the running
brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything"
CLANS.
At this season the most important of
our fisheries, is the clam. There are per-
haps very few, even of our own citizens.
who are aware Of the value Of the clam
flats, rs a means Of subsistence for a class
of our people. 1t has been estimated that
there are fifty acres between the lower
bridge, and City Point, annually dug over
for clans. OF the amount caught it is
impossible to calculate, but it is many
thousands of bushels. In addition to
those who made it business to dig and
she'll, and barrel them for bait, and
also to send them in the shell to Bangor
Augusta, and all the principal cities and
towns along the line of the Railroad,
where ''Belfast clams' have a reputation,
there are always some left for the indi-
vidual who had rather dig his own
clans" The clam is emphatically the
poor mans friend-for they are free for all
who will dig. All the capital necessary
to carry on an extensive business, is hoe
and basket And it is the only fish Cor
tiesh) that is the best without any tixings.
Monsieur Blot might search his whole
category of French condiments in vain,
to find anything to improve the fine flavor
Of a clam, baked on a hot rock covered
with rock-weed. A clam boiled in the
shell, and eaten right ont of the kettle
who ever thought of trying to improve
that And the broth. take a clam she'll
and drink from the kittle-what flavor!
How different if you take silver spoon.
But having been down on the flats and
dug our basket of CLANS, we look out on
the bridge, and see almost multitude OF
men and boys, standing at the rail catch
ing
FLOt' NDERS.
Here is a fish that anybody can catch,
who only knows how to bait q hook with
a piece Of clam, throw it Off the bridge, let
it 90 to the bottom. and pull up the
founder when he gets on. Founders are
good in their season, but it is we'll for
their reputation that their season is short.
They are fish that don't require any
legislation to protect them, for they are
Just as numerous now as "before the war"
They come in the Spring, and 60 before
the Summer
WEIR FISHING.
Now after the ice is out of the river to
City Point. we must make a weir across
Fish Cove This is done by constructing
q brush fence, about four or five tcet high :;
the fish go over it at high water and re-
main up the cove until the tide is so
low that they are caught. Now. after the
weir is finished, the first fish caught
are a few slnelts, that are tarly in leaving,
and Il small fish that resembles the sar
dine, and by some are said to be the yeri-
table sardne. These, however, are not
considered Of much account Now comes
the striped bass and shad, formerly in
immense quantities, but growing scarce
every year And here we want lcgisla
ton. One OF our oldest inhabitants.
whose recsllections are very clear, inform
ed Us that the day the British troops left
Belfast there were estimated to be 300
barrels ID shad in this Weir, and not Il
hushel of salt in Belfast to save them.
These fish came annually in those days.
in immense quantities, To 90 up the river
TO spawn; but people soon began to make
WHY'S. AS they returned each season TO
find that they conli not get over the
dams, their number became gradually
less, until now but few are caught.
There is no doubt that if proper fish ways
We're constructed over all the dams on the
river, that these fish would soon return
in 10
ly, and their value would be almost in
calculable. Next after the shad come the
the aewives and bluebacks, in the same
immense quantities, during the month of
June and July and they continue still to
come in quite large schools" often from
80 to 100 barrels being caught in the Weir
any arrangements fo5' saving very many
of them
LOBS TIERS.
Now from July to October, If you want
a Lobster, just set your net, and you are
sure Of him; usually rather small, but
sometimes quite large. A gentleman at
City Point, few years ago, caught one
that weighed p pounds
And if ''there is any dear lover OF cells"
let him but come, make u bob, and get
all he wants. Perhaps some OF our read
ers don't know how to make . bob, OF
what it is good for after il is made
Well here's the recipe. A pint of good
sized angle-worms. Take u darnng
needle, thread it with some linen thread
and string on your worms lengthwise,
until you have got say two yards. Now
tie the two ends together, and do them up
in the same manner You would Il skein of
thread, tie fish line to it, and you have Il
bob. Now get q boat, and just rs the