The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-01-19

Office coming TO IuDec ne QdQ Deen en-
gagged in the smoking of herring, de-
pending wholly upon torching for his
supply, but he soon found that the move
ments of the herring were very similar
to those of the school that visited Digby,
where the weir was successfully used.
He therefore decided on account of the
labor and exposure in torching and the
comparatively small quantity of fish
taken to build brush weir for the cap
ture of the fish. Accordingly he selected
Rogers Island as suitable location and
proceeded at once to construct his weir.
1t was built in shoal water and was much
smaller than the weirs of the present
day. 1t proved very successful in the
capture of herring, and other parties
soon built weirs of similar size for the
same purpose.
From this small beginning the weir
fishing gradually spread to the adjoining
section, and Campobello, Grand Manan
and the various settlements along the
American shore soon had extensive Weir
fisheries. In 1885 the weir was intro
duced into the fisheries of Grand Manan
Island by Lubec parties. In 1886 the
first one was built in West Quoddy bay,
which soon came to be the principal fish
ing ground on the American shore, and
within fifteen years from that date there
were 80 weirs between Lubec and West
Quoddy Head, distance of or miles
at most.
In 1S49, according to Mr. H. M. Per-
ley, there were q weirs at Grand Manan,
q at Campobello Island, and on the
West Isle. We find no printed record of
the number on the American shore at
that time, but the older fishermen of the
region Informed me that there were
about 45 in the town of Lubec, with Is
additional at PASSPORT and along the
Maine shore between Lubec and Calais.
This would give IS for the American
shore and IS on the English Islands, MAX
ing total of 120 at that time. Along
the Maine coast west Of Quoddy Bay
there were but few brush weirs until 80
or 40 years ago. In 1907 there were but
8 or 4 brush weirs in operation in the
Bagaduce river. At the present time
there is claimed to be 81.
While in conversation with one of the
weir fishermen of Castine regarding the
herring question, l said that the Baga-
duce river would soon protect itself as
there were so many brush weirs being
built that it would compel the fish to
take up new feeding grounds. He re-
piled that he considered three years more
would settle the herring question in the
above mentioned river. SEEMING is en-
tirely prohibited in the Bagaduce river,
the same as on many other rivers in
Maine, which does not give the Irvine
fishermen, or seiners as they are called,
an equal opportunity with the brush fish
ermen.
The cry is, we want protection! What
do you think of one man monopolizing 10
miles of shore privilege by brush weirs
and holding at bay hundreds of needy
fishermen whose families are depending
on them, and allowing the fish to swim
out of our bays, probably to be caught on
the New Brunswick shore next season, as
herring are fish that change from time to
time and are carried more or less by the
current.
There is law which gives every fish
erman one-half mile each way of his weir.
This is too much water for one man to
monopolize. But l do feel that every
man who invests his money should be
protected by distance of about one
fourth of mile, as the fishing grounds
are very small and there are a great many
fishermen who are depending wholly on
herring for their living.
/ CHARLES H. BEAL.