ATKINS THE SALMON AND ITS ARTIFICIAL CULTURE. 313 



bay than iu 1832. This is caused mainly by the accumulation of saw- 

 dust, which has not only moved the low- water line farther out, but has 

 greatly lessened the depth of the water for a long distance outside of 

 this line, 



13.-fc_TABULAR STATEMENT OF THE CAPTURE OF SALMON ON THE 



PENOBSCOT RIVER. 



The following statement of the number of salmon caught in 1873 is 

 based, for the most part, on the statements of the fishermen themselves f 

 the number caught in each weir and net having been reported in nearly 

 every case : 



Table XII. — Statement of salmon caught in Penobscot Bay and Biver in 1873. 



Kothing is known of the number of salmon caught above Oldtown. A 

 due allowance for this omission, and for certain fishing-stations where 

 it was impossible to obtain correct statements, would probably swell the 

 total to 15,000 salmon. 



In comparison with the yield of many preceding years, this is a very 

 large increase; though unfortunately, in the absence of data for an exact 

 estimate, no very precise statement can be made as to the degree of in- 

 crease. At Eockport, the past season was the best since 1868, the catch 

 of four nets being 300 salmon in 1868, 130 in 1870, and 190 in 1873.* In 

 Camden and Lincolnville it was better than usual. On Long Island the 

 catch was one-third above the average.t The two weirs in Searsport 

 were comi3aratively unsuccessful, while the single one on the western 

 side of Sear's Island did much better than usual. On the west side of 

 Cape Jellison, as has been already stated, salmon were caught in greater 

 numbers than usual, while some of the weirs on the south side caught 

 fewer, t In Castine Harbor the catch was far below the average, while 

 from this point up the east shore of the bay it was considerably above 

 average. In all parts of the river, except here and there a weir, the in- 

 crease was very marked. In the vicinity of Bucksport it is commonly 



* statement of J. Mclutire. 



t Statement of Benjamin Ryder. 



t Statement of James M. Treat. 



