Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1913-07-30
rnE TROUBLESOME poarIsn.
Maine Fishermen Would Like to See
Them Exterminated.

And he said, MY Godl FRANK, snoo1
me quicki Shoot me, quickl The dogs
are eatin' me alivep
1 II hauled up my shotgun an ] pulled
back tn hammer, but Y couldn't do IL,
| though / warn't more N ten feet frnm
him an could hey blown his whole head
of. | don't bT've the Lord would hev
called tibet murder either.
a gasped for air, m dropped my gun
| on the seat, m then looked at Charlie
again m it was all over. jest 4 dark red
! In tn water m hundred ugly shouts, m
shinin' rows OF teeth Jest gleamin' m
snsppin' thar in the gray OF that October
afternoon
Ii was Frank oleson. fisherman OF
Rockland, who spoke. He was telling
little group of oilskin-clsd tishermen
about a tragedy OF 1855 when he and
Charles Freeman sailed out OF Tenants
| Harbor, one October morning. Oleson
brought the little sloop Alpine back the
next morning alone. Freeman had fallen
I overheard in the midst Of a school Of dog
fish, which had eaten him alive before the
eyes of his helpless companion.
l Autt NttS p1Nuu Aok Inc hruibk
grounds of Matinicus island. Freeman
had taken along a shotgun. When five
miles from Criehaven a bunch of coots,
| flying low, came skimming along. Free
man fired into them and three or four
dropped. The Alpine was brought up
into the wind and with her msinsail and
jib tapping the gunner jumped into the
dory and started to pick up his game.
There was a shout, splash and Free
man was struggling in the water. In
reaching oser the side of the dory he had
lost his balance and fallen into the choppy
sea. In moment the hungry, shsrkish
dogs were after him. The opening para
| graph tells all there Is to tell.
/ That the determination or at least the
thinning-out Of the dogfish is practicable
has been demonstrated. Thirty-ive years
ago the old Gloucester schooner Water
Lily, according to Fred Lewis, Of Port
land, who was a member OF the crew,
sailed from the Massachusetts port in
command of Capt. George Il. Robinson on
an experimental fishing trip. The plan
was to jig for mackerri, harpoon sword
I
food fishes that could be taken.
The Water Lily proceeded to Kettle Bot
tom, about fifteen miles of Orr's island.
1 On the first day the Nighttime dory, from
sa. m. to p. M, had caught / 800 dogiish.
From the total dogfish catch on that first
day 2s5 buckets of iiycrs we're cut. LIycrs
then brought 81 a bucket, as they were
converted into oil. Cheaper and better
commercial oils to-day have practically
ended their usefulness for this purpose.
The slaughter was so great that upon the
second day the total catch produced but
( thirty Ave buckets OF liyers. The dogfish
had been thinned out to such an extent
that on the second day the food fishes be-
gan returning to the Kettle Bottom
| grounds and 200 pounds OF pollock were
caught where none had been taken the
| day before. The third day only an oc-
casional dogfsh was pulled In and the
food fishes were taken in paying qnanti-
| ties.
| In August Of 1887, the same Fred Lewis
and Frank Goombs, Portuguese fisher
/ man from Small Point, had a remarka bic
experience, while trawiing over Miles
Rock, about five miles south OF seguin
light. In two Hampton boats they set
( 1000 hooks. They found excellent fishing
and caught sT3 worth OF hake. which wsre
sold to John Lovett & Co., of Portland.
They shared $3.50. The next day they
set I,5oo hooks on the same grounds. and
when they hauled their travis there was
n dogfish on practically everv hook TIA
latter had driven away the food fishes.
not one OF the latter being taken.
! Capt. John Toothaker. of the high. lima