The sudden decline in catch m I906 (Table 2, Fig 2) led to the follow- 

 ing official comments f 



"This is a variety of fish which was once very plentiful 

 in practically eYery river of this State, but has been 

 gradually diminisMng in nimibers until at the present 

 time the catch is ^ery smallo I think it may be correctly 

 assumed that the decrease in the shad fishery is in large 

 ineasure due to the same causes that have so injured the 

 alewife and salmon fishery j viz.^ pollution of rivers and 

 failure to provide proper fishways in dams. The Kennebec 

 River in past years was noted for the quantity and espe- 

 cially the quality of the shad caught xd.thin its waters, 

 but there remains of this great fishery only a remnant of 

 its former greatness. (Report of the Commissioner of Sea 

 and Shore Fisheries of the State of Maine, 1907-1908), 



After 1906, the catch in the Kennebec improved somewhat. It was believed 

 at the time that the presence of large schools of shad off-shore indicated both 

 the possibility that river conditions were unsuitable for their entrance and a 

 future return in abundances 



"This year large schools of shad have been found from 10 

 to 20 miles off our coast,, and many large catches have 

 been made by seiners. This may indicate a return of the 

 fish which furnished another reason why suitable provi- 

 sion should be made to allow them to reach their natural 

 spawning grounds (Ibid,, 1907-1908, p. 23) o 



"These fish were once very plentiful in the rivers of this 

 state especially the Kennebec, but in recent years the 

 catch has been gradually decreasing, so that it has now be- 

 come very small, although the catch on the Kennebec and its 

 vicinity this year has been larger than formerly. Two years 

 ago very large shad were found along the coast, but contrary 

 to their usual habits they staid outside in the outer by and 

 beyond the outside islands, and did not come into the rivers 

 There have been, however, large quantities of small 

 shad caught in the weirs this year, which may indicate tVat 

 we will have a return of the large ones another season! 

 (Ibid,, 1909=1910,?. 20) , . 



The possibility that the off=shore schools were not Maine fish was over- 

 looked, since it is only within recent years that it has been shown that shad 

 spawning in more southern waters may later migrate to the coastal waters of 

 Maine. 



By 1912, the catch in the Kennebec had attai.ned earlier levels but the in- 

 crease was temporary (Table 2), The shad catch had become so small by I918 that 



21 



