Daily Kennebec journal., 1917-02-14
mobiles and violation of laws In relation
to the hunting of partridges.
SEA AND SHORE FISHERIES
Various Important Matters Presented
All to Improve Our industries


Unless the fishing industry is pro-
tected it's going to dwindle ana dWlhuie
and the fishermen will all leave us. It's
up to the State of Maine. it's up to this
committee to make the first move IN
the protection of the fisheries, said
Hon. Luther Maddocks of Boothbay Har-
bor. secretary of the Maine State Sea
Food Protective Commission, speaking
before the committee on sea and shore
fisheries Tuesday afternoon on the re-
solve authorizing the payment of
bounty of $3 a ton on dog fish.
MIR Maddocks reviewed in most in
teresting manner the work of the sea
Food Protective Commission, composed
of himself, c. E. Davis of Portland ana
Capt. Charles l.. Donovan of ~onespoFt
The commission had been handicapped
for lack of funds. he said, but had
done considerable research work and in
vestigations in other states
The question of the ravages of dog
fish, he said. is one of grave import
ance The dog fish have no value as
food fish, he said. 1t would cost from
$4,000 to $4,000 to build works to
utilize them as fertilizer. The Federal
commission is trying to get people to
eat the dog fish and | hope they'll sue
ceed,'' said Mr.. Maddocks, but gentle
men. it will take a thousand years to
eat enough dog fish to show any signs
of decrease in the number of the dog
fish. They are 50 numerous they can
only be estimated in miles. They have
eaten the food fish; when you pull up
your lines in summer all you get is dog
fish. They have discouraged and driven
out Of business 4 large percentage OF
our fishermen. some estimate it as high
rs 90 per cent. Now, gentlemen, our
navy has only 40 per cent enough men,
and sailors are trained by a sea life.
We need to encourage our fishing indus
try.
The object of this bill is to create
market for the dog fish; there is none
now. / am satisfied that if this is
passed enough can be secured from 9TH
er sources to pay $40 ton for dog fish,
and that will create a market. 1t won't
Interfere with peoples eating the fish.
ON the other hand it will encourage
it. We should show that the State is
interested in the protection of our fish
cries"
Mr. Maddocks said he believed it would
from Congress, and this would bring the
matter to a point where rendering worKs
would be encouraged to go ahead, thus
completing the market for doghsn
Capt. Charles l.. Donovan of Jones'
port, another member of the commission,
spoke in favor of the resolve as one who
had followed the sea almost all his life
and who had watched the destruction of
the food fish by the dogfsh growing all
the time. 1t is high time that something
was done about it, he said. Something
will have to be done about it sometime
if the fisheries are to be preserved at
all, and the longer action is delayed the
more of a start the dogfish get. lie
spoke of the feasibility of thus aiding
in making a market for dogfish which
could then be used in rendering works to
produce much needed fertilizer
Commissioner of Sea and Shore Fish
favor of the resolve. as did also Rep.
Claes +. Boman of Vinalhaven.
The amount of money asked for In the
resolve is $4,000 for 1917 and $4,000 for
1915
The hearing on the act to repeal the
section of the statutes which prohibits
seine fishing for smelts within half n
mile of high water mark along the coast
from Cape Small Point on the west to
Owls Head i'll Penobscot bay on the east
brought forth a lively contest betwee:.
representatives. of two different classes
of fishermen, those on the coast and the
hand line fishermen back on the Sheep
scot and Damariscotta rivers. There
We're several sharp passes between Hon,
Luther Maddocks, who conducted the
case for the proponents of the measure.
and witnesses for the remonstrants.
whose case was conducted by former
Rep. James f. Mulligan of Nobleboro.
Mr. Maddocks stated that the fisher
men on the coast can't catch smeits with
hook and line but they could catch them
with the use of small drag nets, and in
the winter time this is about the only
way they can make living. with the
result that many of them either go in
want or break the law. The law has
made many lawbreakers, he said. because
it Is necessary for the coast fishermen
to use seines or see their families go
hungry.
Others who spoke for the law were
Representatives, Elton H. Lewis of
Boothbay and Lincoln NJ. Harris of
Boothbay Harbor. They said $50 or 200
men would be benefited
1t was claimed by the opponents Of
the measure that experience in the
past had demonstrated that allowing
the fishermen at the mouth of the riv-
ers mentioned had practically annihilat-
ed the hand line smelt fishing up the
river, on which they claimed between
200 and 800 fishermen were dependent
in the winter time; that allowing seine
fishing would practically annihilate the
hand line fishing up the river, while
benefitting a smaller number of fisher
men; and that the fishermen on the
coast had other means of revenue
while the passage of the law would
make many men living up river de-
pendent on charity.
Those VINO spoke against the repeal
ing act besides Mr.. Mulligan were
Postmaster r. T. York of Damariscot-
ia Mills, Robert M. Webster of Dam
ariscotta Mills: c. E. Keyes, chairman
of the board of selectmen of Noble
boro: l.. A. Clark of Nobleboro. regis
ter of probate of Lincoln county: w