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a wider range, but were usually restricted to a definite station. 

 Fishing was prohibited in other parts of the stream except 

 those designated by the committee. Special provision was made 

 to prevent fishing within a certain distance of any fishway, or 

 on the large rivers near the entrance of tributary streams up 

 which alewives ran. Not infrequently, no regulations were 

 made governing the fishing w r hich was carried on at any point. 



Seining. Permits were sold for seining on the larger streams, 

 which required both the selection of a definite station and 

 certain specifications regarding the maximum length of net, 

 regulated usually in respect to the width of the stream. 



Indians. In a few instances, as at Bournedale and Mash- 

 pee, special provision was made for the Indians. At the 

 Bournedale fishery the head of every family of the Herring 

 Pond Indians was entitled to one barrel free. 



Pollution. In a very few cases specific reference was made 

 to the prohibition of trade waste pollution. 



Penalties. All sorts of fines and penalties are to be found, 

 ranging from a few dollars up to a maximum of fifty, with for- 

 feiture of apparatus. Numerous provisions for obtaining this 

 fine, and its subsequent disposal to county, individual informant 

 or otherwise, were included. The different infringements of the 

 laws called forth a variety of penalties. 



Public Rights and Sale. Originally all the fisheries were free 

 to the public. With the few exceptions of artificially created 

 private fisheries, and the Weymouth fishery, which was sold by 

 the town to the Weymouth Iron Company, the fishery was 

 operated or leased by the town. The public rights were satis- 

 fied by the requirement that a certain number of fish be sup- 

 plied each household head, or that each householder, by 

 seasonable application at the place of capture within a specified 

 time, had the privilege of purchasing several hundred alewives 

 at the price of 16 to 25 cents per hundred. At Weymouth the 

 purchaser of the fishery, if unable to furnish alewives at this 

 price, was subject to a fine of $5. Provision was sometimes 

 made for supplying the needy poor and widows, free of charge, 

 with a certain number of alewives. In the early days, when 

 the fisheries were operated by the town for the direct benefit 

 of the townspeople, men were appointed to catch the alewives 



