Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-05-28
ALEWlVE FISHING ON THE
DAMARISCOTTA RIVER.
A Journal Correspondent Describes this
Novel and Interesting Business.
Large Revenue from the Fisheries to
Newcastle ana Nobleboro.

Newcastle ana Nobleboro.
The alewife fishery upon the pamariscotta
River is booming business for the few
weeks that il lasts. Near the last OF ApriI
nc see fresh slewives appearing in the mar
kei followed u little later by the smoked iish.
They are taken b, peculiar process At such
hshing grounds as the one at namariscotta
Z Mills, and also In wcirs down the river IN,
extensive alewife fishery at pamariscntt,
! Mills has of late wears been let to outside
parties hu, the present season the towns of
i New Castle aud Noblehoro. regarding the
nsherN AS lucrative enough to warrant them
in retaining IL, hold the business in their own
hands. At the beginning of the spawning
sesson which commences sometime the
middle or last of April the sl,wiy,s
gathering In large schools ascend the river
, 10 spawn in the pond above the Mills
which is peculiarly suited for this purpose.
IL is mostly when the fish are ascending that
they are taken in immense quantities The
stories which were told your correspondent
previous To hts visit to the fishery were gen
orally taken with considerable salt aud he
classed them IN the same category with that
of the Long island sea serpent who eats four
bales of pressed ha, each meal Arriving
upon TIE scene of operations found MIR.
Ross, the seiectnsn of the town, who has a
large kno" ledge of the fishery aud its his
tory. Below the mills aud falls, on a point
of land running out into the stream was the
packing wharf, ON one side of which runs
the Lock Stream Large piles of barrels
hllcd the wharf and extended a distance
from the water. Ina large vat at the upper
end of the wharf were quantities of alewiyc
sa'l"d ready for packing The atmosphere
was decidedly hshy
| Down to the large bin on the wharf ex.
tended sluiceway full of running water con
| Quoted from the stream Following the walk
beside the sluceway We went up the stream.
arriving at series of other troughs or bins
Crossing the stream over the plank walk We
| found still another trough with numbers of
| hopping hsh strewn about. 1t was placed
Just beside u basin formed in the stream by
rocks piled up and So arranged that the basin
opened in u small entrance at the upper end.
The fish running up against the current took
advantage of such places To rect aud entering
| these artificial basius or traps in large nchools
were taken out IN dip nets and poured into
| The BINS The dip nets were large aud strong
each one holding more than man could lift.
taken dripping from the water with their
large load of wriggling alewives they were
| turned over with u couple of skiful shakes,
landing their contents in the watts vhcr, tho
fish while energy remained with them hpppci
iranticaily with loud slapping sound. send
ing showers of scales into the air.
How the Fish ar. Caught.
Here" said Mr. Ross. when the fish
are running up pretty lively they are taken
out in large quantities There are not very
many running nov. In about an hour they
will commence To come up against the tide
and then II you wait you can see more.
Come this way aud will show yuL some ale
wives running up.
Following by a circuitous route up steep
banks and through narrow alley ways We
came out upon the banks ngain IN n very
picturesque place arehei over by willows
The water came down in series of little
| cascah ~ over the rocks
This is the Lock Stream 50 called"
said MIR R0ss Here the alewives are al
lowed II free course and anyone who takes
them here is subject to a fine Of twenty five
cents for each fish 50 takpu You will no
ticc these little circular basins that are built
of stones in the stream allowing the water
Ia descend from one lock into another.
Built this way there is a chance for the fish
to gather and rest
Looking into one of these artificial basins
We could see that the water was blue black
with a school of waiting alcwiveA
Nov come up here where you can see
them as they 20 up the stream said Mr..
Ross
lie struck the surface of the water In the
basin below with his cane and the startled
fish darted up at the next opening
Through this cascade several feet in
height poured. hut with one vigorous twist
of tail and fins the alevife would shoot up
like silver arrow through the fail and into
the basin above. Occasionally one would
leap out of the water in his frantic efforts
Sometimes several crowded together and all
were thrown back by the force Of the cur
rent OF in the hardest places the strength Of
some was not equal to the task but the ease
and celebrity with which the majority could
glide agains, a down pouri 4 stream Of water
was something T. be wondered at Com.
ing to the bead Of the stream where it flows
fr IN the pond We watched the fish in their
last effort, 4 then h0me run some, shoot.
ing the last cascade. would pause while still
in the current and Wriggle slowly in
to the pond as though they were weary.
Others darted swiftly IN and were out Of
sight in n moment
They generally wait for a school To form
before going up to spsvn,' said Mr.. Ross
How many Of the basins or locks are
there in the Locke Strcamf' / asked as We
we're descending
There are sixty of them"
~ suppose there u no way Of estimating
the number Of fish that 10 through the differ.
ent streams IN 0ayf
ayes there is vt least in this stream. ~
3 ou had held your watch in your hand while
you were up there you would have found
that on an average thirty aiewives run
through every minute. You can reckon that
upf And Mr.. Ross smiled chserfully.
Fofty-'hree thousand running up the Lock
Stream each day actually SEEMED small
number when as We descended we saw each
lock crowded with blue backs. yenturei
10 ask how many more they took each day.
We'll Monday. the l3th We had the
| largest catch that has ever been made on ihi.
stream. We took nr huniyed and my
| Jarrsis."
where DO they all gof''
The most Of them 70 TO San Domingo
and thereabou And. by the way, there ia
something curiou. will tell you Yon sill
| notice that all the hoops on our barrels are
ash hoops II they were birch or anything
else the people down there wouldn't eat the
fi.h. They wouldn't consider them III 10 eat.
| II il curious thing, but true
Are they sent on just as packed from the
| ebarfi"
They are run into those sluices you see,
conducted 10 the bins on the wharf salted
and packed. They are then all picked or
| struck as We term IT, They are sent from
here 10 NickersOn'. where they are re packed
| ard sent 70 san Domingo"
"How many Of these have you on the
wharf B0yf'
There are twenty -four OF twenty y-fse
hundred barrels Of struck alevives on the
wharf nov"
Hetrscing our steps We Crossed the wharf
| eh re large number OF men Ners a, work
salting. packing, preparing barrels. etc, and
went over to another part Of the stream where
| by thi. time the h,b were running In larger
numbers Here the slulcersy was run up
| into the fall. and the water taken therefrom.
| There we're two large basins and from these
the ash were beinz dipped in bushels in the
huge dip nets. The air full Of spray
and flying scales in the immediate vicinity Of
| the hoppers in the sluiees and there was
| nni.e Of many flaming tails, Atthi- place