Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-12-07

OPEcHsE, ME-, Disc. :, ls10.
To the Editor Of The Awserscan:
| In response to the invitation OF Oliver
Bowiey, Of swans Island, In an open letter
to the papers Of the State, wish to say
that the opening remarks Of Mr.. Bowiey
are certainly worthy Of confederation, ~
statistics which are available to all the
citizens OF the State show beyond . doubt
that the herring fishery il the foundation
OF the fish industry and all its allied
| interests.
II is is fact that the use for bait Of this
once numerous fish ID absolutely necessary
in the taking OF HOLSTERS and also ground
nsh, as cod, paddock. etc. For quite .
number Of years the sardine business has
absorbed . large quantity OF herring in
the packing OF sardincs, which form an
| important article OF food and ere shipped
| to all parts oil our country.
Think we are ali agreed that the fish,
ing industry, directly and indirectly,
| affects the greater part OF the population
OF the coast OF Maine and has ever since
the earliest days OF our history. And
those methods Of fishing which seem and
are known to scatter and drive tho herr
ring from our shores should be considered
| in all csndor.
In my boyhood days the herring were
abundant along our shores where the
brush weirs were employed in the talking
Of the same. The porsy and mackerei
were also abundant, and large quantities
were taken in nets and weirs.. So great
was the revenue from these fish that from
| 1850 to 1870, when prices OF nearly every
thing were 20 high, We had abundance
and to spare, but change came over GER
tain OF our people in this State, and many
| more from without the State also who
came here with seincs hundreds OF
fsthorns long. Many men, vessels and
| steamers were used in the taking Of thesc
ish.
/ So constant and persistent were the
ssiners in pursuing the fab that the porgy.
| from which we derived so many dollars,
a. well as the mackerel, were driven from
our shores. Many OF our young men were
forced to abandon the old-tims industry
and, to quite an extent, have moved to
other states.
Now the herring, tn most numerous OF
all the fab, are being depleted. Washing
ton county, the home Of the herring and
where 90 many sardine factories are
located, WAS the first to use seines, and
was the first to suffer loss, and with the
failure OF herring in Washington county,
Hancock county il assaulted. Large seines
are used on the shores and many dead
fish are left on the bottom. This l know
from personal observation. l also know
that where dead fish are left in this way
the silver hake come and have . strong
tendency to keep away the schools OF
herring that would otherwise be taken In
the weirs. ! have also noted that where
dead dsh are thus left, the herring do not
frequent those places the next year, il ever
again. think we should carefully con-
slider this matter.
| have studied the habits OF the herring
the weir business, and though thus en-
| gagged, yet am aware that all classes OF
people are to be considered in this import
| ant question and believe that the preser-
| walton Of the herring is the all-importsnt
thing to be thought OF before any special
| industry or class OF people. Str. Bowley
seems to consider himself eminently fitted
a. Judge in this matter, and asks that ali
people who have aught to say notify him,
~ he is . ''weirman, . fisherman and .
seiner". To our personal knowledge, Mr..
Bowiey has had small weir one year and
has engaged with some others in seining
herring, this year quite extensively. 80 we
presume be knows all about the seining
business, and he knows its effects on the
herring business, though his trade IL that
OF stone-cutter.
Now, presuming that Mr.. Bowley
knows all about the herring fishery, listen
TO his words spoken TO me last winter in
the presence OF reliable witnesses. ~ be-
| lieve that the seining business il very de-
trimentsl TO the herring fishery, and that
| il persisted in, the business will be ruined,
but a. 90 many are engaged in this
method Of taking nsh, ! may ~ well have
my whsck while they are going, for they
will not last long,
! leave II 10 the reader 10 JuuRe OF the
real interests which Mr.. Bowiey has in
| the preservation of the herring fishery.
What Mr.. Bowiey has said to me relative
! to the determination OF the herring has
been repeatedly told me by men WIN have
been engaged in seining. The assertion
has been made in articles written by other
| parties that the herring were still very
numerous and were found in large quanti-
| ties by steamers and vesseis that sail
along our coast. This may be true; like
stories are related in regard to great
schools OF mackerel being seen, and our
government has become so interested a. to
send out vessels to hunt for, and il posi-
Bile, discover their retreat, but SO Tar with
out avail.
What matters it TO ne il these fab are
numerous il by our methods and times OF
taking them we have driven them from