Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-11-23
NEW nERRsxo Law.

Commissioaer Oonahue Advocate
Important Change.
In line with the suegsstions On the
herring industry contained In the letter
from Oliver Bowiey, Of swsn's Island,
printed in TGs AMxRfcAH last week,
James Donohae, Of Rockland, commis-
sionef Of - and shore nsheriss, also
points cot many weaknesses in the prss-
ent law.
Commissioned Donohue 10 strongly In
favor Of . greater uniformity Of laws re-
lating to the ssining OF herring along the
Maine coast, ana . strong eflOrt to secure
the epsctmsut Of bill having this object
in visw will b. made 1t ths coming ses-
sion Of tho Legislature In Augusta.
.rhe great difacuity", he says, ais the
facs that IL 10 almost impossible 10 ct
those who own veirs and those who are
interested in ssining TO ct together and
agree upon snything. Their intsrests are
often diametricaily opposed. The propeie-
tors Of the sardine- packing sstablish-
meEss, - general proposition, wish to
stand In with both sides. when most Of
their fsh are coming from the weirs, they
are strongly in favor OF the wsirmAn, and
when the seiners are giving them the
balk Of their supply, they are equally keen
on advancing their interests
THE old Law along the Maine coast
r.ade 1t illegal to operate . sstns within
500 feet Of . weir. The fishermen got to
fighting smong themselves, and some
years ago, the cid law was repealed. In
its place special iaws, Affecting certain
localities only, we're paced. Al present il
10 illegal to seine nsh within half mills Of
weir along the Maine coast east OF
White Head, which 10 at the westerly en-
trance Of Penobscot bay. West Of White
Head the limit u placed 1t 1000 feet. Il b
also illegal to operate seine In any bay
OF inlet the entrance 10 which IL less than
three miles broad.
1.-THE wsirmen claim that the value Of
their property 10 greatly decreased when
seiners are allowed 10 catch fish In the
vicinity. On the other hand, the seine
dshsrmen declare that there arc often bays
and coves, in the vicinity Of weirs, where
herring ccngregste, and that, unless they
are taken in seines they are not taken st
all.
There ara various opinions ~ 10
whether or mot seining, II permitted with
oat restrictions, would decrease the supply
OF herring on the Maine coast. The ash
are very prolific, and some suthorities be-
iieve that II they were allowed TO breed
unmolestsd they would soon all the ocean
completely and overflow upon the land.
They are the great food nsh OF the sea,
and are preyed upon b. nearly everything
that swims.
.swhile many theories have been i'd
vancsd TO account for their scarcity this
summer, there IL nothing extraordinary in
it. Every few year. they seem unsccount-
ably 70 disappear, and NO man can say
with certainty where they 20. There il
no doubt but what they will return ~
they have always done in the past. Old
fishermen believe that when the weather
Il calm, % 1t has been along the Maine
coast this summer, the herring ssek the
deep water"
Commissioners Donohus believes the
shore nshing industry TO Be one OF the
most valuable which Maine possesses, and
that, BY wise legislation, II 10 capable OF
being largely increased. Although the
value Of tho catch il approximately go
00,mo psr year, the stsss apppropsiates
bat $4,000 annually 70 defray the entire
expense Of the department. Out OF this
sum force Of from twenty to thirty
wardens l. paid, ~ well - ali incidental
expenses.
Despite the tact that over 5000 men
arc engaged in lobster fishing along the
coast, these tooshsome crussacsans have
bsen steadily increasing for the past
ak years. Every possible effort ID made
70 enforce ths short lobster law, and me
qusnt seizures are made and the offenders
prosecuted.
Although Commissioners Donohue says
that soms sections OF tbs coast, particu-
larry in the vicinity Of the canning
factories, are being depleted Of clams.
there are many other localities in which
the supply far exceeds ths number taken.
Clam oats, 70 b kept in Tbs BEST condi-
ton, should b turned over often. At the
nate things arc going nov, Il isn't likely
that ths Maine clam will become extinct
for good many years TO come.
Penobscot bay 10 open to scailop nshing
each year from Oct. 70 May 1, and the
value OF ths casch last winter was tl2b, 900.
From indications now, Commissioners
Donohus thinks that tie present season u
likely to Be even better.
About half Of the es,0O which was ap-
propriated By the last Legislature for expe-
riments with shall nsh has been used up.
IL has been proved conclusiyely that oys-
ters can easily lad profitably Be cultivated
here. Over 600 boshels OF oysters have
already been taken from one bed which
Donohue established In
6heepscott bay. There afe two others In
Damariscotta bay. The exact conditions
under which oysters flourish are easily
obtainabls In Maine waters