Daily Kennebec journal., 1877-12-17
THE MAINE FISHERIES.
Report of the Commissioners of Fish cries
Interesting Facts.

The Fish Commissioners of Maine, E. NJ. Still
well and II. o. Stanley, have prepared their an
nual report, of which we will give an abstract.
There has been marked success N their opera
tions the past year. The almon fisheries of the
Stale have been largely productive, that of the Pc
nobscot ing greater than for twenty five years.
In places where there fshways the take OF
alewives has been large and remunerative. A
lively interest in fish culture has been awakened
among all classes, as shown by the extensive de
mand for brook trout, land locked salmon and
black bass to stock waters. The black bass is ap-
Piled in ell cases as an antidote to the worthless
pickere. 1t costs more to feed plckercl than
any other fish II costs more TO make pound of
pickerel than pound of any other kind of fish.
The pckerel CONSUMES everything that swims or
that it eau swallow; they are very destructive to
young water fowl A better or more >savory fish
than the black bass is rarely found. They grow
rapidly and are more easily bred than trout. But,
10 protect them, there should be heavy penalty
against netting.
A. the great Of the peoIl ignorant Of the
habits OF fishes 1t is stated that IN all cases where sal
mon, either fresh water or ocean, or trout, are re-
qnired TO stock water, 1t necessary that the means
be divided the year before they are 10 be delivered,
these fishes all spawn 10 October and Novem
ber, and 1t requires the whole winter to hatch
tSem preparatory to distributing them In the
spring of the following year. If the depleted
rivers to be stocked with salmon, and the Se-
bago salmon introduced into the immense waste
Of unproductlve waters in kennebec and othee
counties, 1t will be necessary to furnish thr
Commissioners with the means OF Obtaining the
fish. There IL no market into which we 20
and purchase the fry Of these fishes or their eggs,
when the Commissioners receive applications for
| them. They have promise of small supply of
fish from Hon. Harvey Jewell o. Connecticut, and
others The orders for black bass should be sent
| to the Commissioners as early as possible during
| the winter, that they may put them on file, and
make arrangements Tor their capture iD the spring
Now that the inland fisher OF Maine have be-
come SO valuable resource of the State, so i'm
portaut an item in the receipts Of our routes oi
uavel, Our hotels and all places of summer re-
sort, 1t Is time that tins crop tostered and in
creased. We require good square law for the
whole State, and from the first of October to the
first of February, OF March, or April, or Nav, Just
the Leg lsalure shall decide, there shall be nc
fishing OF any IND Whatever in any OF our fresh
water lakes, ponds and streams, Ind that posses.
SION during that period, whether on hotel oil
private table, Oh IN tFdRsitU by carriers, shall be
considered evidence of guilt, without regard Ia
place where caught. Let netting, or speaIing, OIL
graphing, oil Catching IN traps, be constituted a
serious offence, punishable by both crime and i'm
prisonmenl.
For the last four or five years large numbers Of
young salmon have made their appearance ia the
Penobscot rlver al Bangor. POI ton the Ken.
duskeag river has been lull OF them. la dipping
for smelts al Brewer, sixty young salmon were
picked from among the captured smelts in the
course OF TWO hours, aud turned back into the
water. One man fishing for suckers in the Ken
duskeag, caught sixteen young salmon in two
hours, aud carefully returned them to the watsi
again. Young salmon seemed 70 be present il
considerable numbers, both above and below the
dam IN said water, and were taken casiona y
Ia the nets OF fishers for tOmcod below The falls
The salmon fishery of the Penobscot is estimatel
10 be the largest Tor many years, leaving no dou5
in the minds of the most iDcredulous that the worl
OF restoration by planting and protection is sn en-
tire and unmistakable success. Many of tn,
salmon were Of large size, among them one weigh
ing 2s pounds. A very good run Of salmon ha
visited the ST. Croix the last year. In 1873, SOM
thousands Of young salmon were planted in the ST
Croix at Vanceboro'; in 1874, 10000 fry wer
hatched AMI turned into Dobsis stream. lhI
contribution had u marked influence 10 adding Il
tue number making the good Iun of the year
Satisfactory results have been obtained iron
planting sslmon fry 10 the Medouac river. Th'