MAINE: WALDOBORO' DISTRICT. 65 



of the vicinity, iu common with those of Dainariscotta and New Castle, go down the river on a 

 fishing trip during the summer, but the catch is unimportant. 



NOBLEBORO'. Nobleboro' is an agricultural section lying to the north of Damariscotta. It 

 has a small interest in the smelt and alewive fisheries iu common with the people of Damariscotta 

 Mills. Aside from this it has no fishery interests, for the town, which is devoted almost exclusively 

 to agricultural pursuits, is 20 miles from the sea, with only fresh water within its boundaries. It is 

 not uncommon for some of the residents to visit the fishing grounds at intervals during the summer 

 months to catch a supply of cod and hake for their own tables. 



H. THE WISCASSET DISTRICT. 



34. GENERAL REVIEW OF THE FISHERIES OF THE DISTRICT. 



ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE FISHERIES. The Wiscasset customs district, extending 

 from Damariscotta River to Georgetown, was settled as early as 1C30 by families who came to 

 the region to engage in the fisheries. The first residents located iu the vicinity of Booth Bay. We 

 know little of the fishing interests of the district prior to 1800, but at this time a fleet of small 

 vessels was seat to the Bay of Fundy and to Cape Sable for cod, while vessels of similar size were 

 engaged iu the shore fisheries along the coast of Maine. By 1817 large schooners were built to 

 engage iu the Labrador fisheries. Between 1840 and 1845 ten to twelve sail of vessels were sent 

 annually to Labrador, and the fishery was continued to a comparatively recent date, though it is 

 now entirely abandoned. Considerable attention has been paid to the capture of mackerel from 

 the beginning of the century, and by 1825 jigs were introduced. 



In 1837 several vessels were sent to the Bay of Chaleur for mackerel, this locality having since 

 been visited regularly by a large fleet. 



The first purse seine used by the fishermen of Maine for the capture of mackerel was brought 

 to Dainariscove in I860, and in 1801 it was taken to Southport, where it was used by the boat- 

 fishermen for one or two seasons, after which it was manipulated by the crew of a small schooner. 

 No vessels were interested in the Southern mackerel fishery off the coasts of Virginia and New 

 Jersey prior to 1867. 



THE HERRING AND MENHADEN FISHERIES. The herring fishery in the vicinity of South 

 port was formerly quite important, and a number of small craft from different localities came 

 to the region to secure cargoes. A large part of the catch was smoked and many of the fishermen 

 owned small smoke-houses for preparing their fish. By 1830 vessels were sent to the Magdalen 

 Islands to catch or purchase herring which were to be smoked for the West India trade. This 

 business continued to be important up to 1855, and cargoes have been lauded from time to time 

 since that date. 



Six menhaden oil and guano factories are located in the town of Booth Bay. The first was built 

 in I860, and the fishery was prosecuted with much vigor up to the spring of 1879, Booth Bay having, 

 next to Bristol, the most extensive menhaden fisheries in the State. 



SHIP-BUILDING. Nearly all of the towns of the district have been more or less interested in 

 .ship-building, and not less than three hundred fishing vessels have been launched during the last 

 fifty years. The ship-builders of East Booth Bay at the mouth of the Damariscotta River have built 

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