to 6,000 lb. and averaged 3,000 lb. Most shad 

 were taken by pound nets and floating traps 

 fished near the coast. In 1929, 139 of these 

 gears were fished, but by 1958 only 19 were 



in use; this decline may partially explain the 

 decreased production in Rhode Island during 

 recent years. The catch in I960 was less than 

 6 percent of the 1896 take. 



SHAD FISHERIES OF MASSACHUSETTS 



The shad fisheries of Massachusetts have 

 changed little over the years except in rnag- 

 nitude. No shad fishery existed in the State in 

 1896, but an estimated 114,152 lb. were taken 

 incidental to the catch of other species. The 

 estimated 1960 catch was 657,000 lb., of which 

 96 percent was caught by purse seines, 3 per- 

 cent by pound nets, and 1 percent by stake gill 

 nets and trawls. 



FISHERIES BY WATER AREA 



Many areas that produced shad in 1896 re- 

 ported none in 1960. 



Taunton River 



The Taunton River is formed by the union 

 of the Satucket and Matfield Rivers in Bridge- 

 water, Mass., from whence it flows into 

 Narragansett Bay (Fig. 25). It is navigable 

 18 miles to East Taunton, {Bristol County) 

 Mass., where a 9-ft. dam blocks upstream 

 passage of fish. Shad entered the river in 

 1896 about the latter part of March and re- 

 mained until some time in June although few 

 were taken after the end of May. It does not 

 appear that shad were ever commercially 

 important in this river. In the 1890's they 

 were taken incidental to catches of alewife. 

 From 1878 to 1896, the catch ranged from 

 5,900 to 32,000 lb. In 1896 haul seines took 

 13,225 lb. Only occasional fish have been re- 

 ported in recent years. 



Buzzards Bay 



This Bay is a coastal indentation of 225 

 square miles on the southern shore of Massa- 

 chusetts (fig. 25). In 1896 pound nets set along 

 the shore west of Apponagansett Bay, at the 

 nnouth of Pamansett River, between that river 

 and the Goose Neck, and near Elizabeth Is- 

 lands, caught 2,845 lb. of shad incidental to 

 the catch of other species. Pound nets in Vine- 

 yard Sound (Dukes County) adjacent to Buz- 

 zards Bay caught 10,150 lb. Only 400 lb. were 

 landed in I960 in Bristol County, all by otter 

 trawl. This figure includes fish caught in 

 Buzzards Bay and offshore and landed in New 

 Bedford, Mass. Most fish were captured in 

 late April and May before spawning occurs in 

 most northern rivers. 



Cape Cod and Massachusetts Bay 



The shad catch in Cape Cod and Massa- 

 chusetts Bay in 1896 was taken principally by 

 fishermen operating from Provincetown (Barn- 

 stable County) in drift nets fished for mackerel. 

 Scomber scombrus . During June, 44,160 lb. of 

 shad were landed. Because of the small mesh 

 of the nets used, fish were small, averaging 

 only about 2 lb. each. Shad were taken also 

 by mackerel seine fishermen; in 1896 the 

 catch was 35,820 lb. A few fish (6,882 lb.) 

 were taken in pound nets in Cape Cod Bay. 

 Total catch in Barnstable County was 86,862 

 lb. In addition, 670 pounds were caught in 

 Massachusetts Bay (Suffolk County). 



The 1960 catch in Barnstable County, which 

 includes Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket Sound, 

 was 19,600 lb. The decline of the nnackerel 

 fishery between 1896 and 1960 undoubtedly 

 caused the decrease in shad catch in this 

 area. 



Merrimack River 



The sources of the Merrimack are in east- 

 central New Hampshire; the main stream is 

 formed by the junction of the Pemigewasset 

 and Winnipesaukee Rivers (fig. 25). It flows 

 110 miles to the sea near Newburyport, Mass. 

 At Lawrence, Mass., 27 miles above its mouth, 

 the stream was crossed obliquely by a dam 

 32 ft. high and 900 ft. long with a wooden fish- 

 way at the south end. The dam and fishway 

 were built in 1848. At Lowell, Mass., 12 miles 

 above Lawrence, there was a second dam about 

 30 ft. high, built in 1830 and enlarged in 1876. 

 A third dam was constructed in 1871 at Man- 

 chester, N.H. Its length was 420 ft. and its 

 height about 12 ft. Three other dams were 

 located above Manchester at Hooksett, Garvin 

 Falls, and Sewell Falls. Before the construc- 

 tion of these dams, the annual shad catch was 

 about 500,000 lb. It was apparent, however, 

 that after the completion of the dam at Law- 

 rence in 1848, the catch declined drastically, 

 and by 1882 it was insignificant. Only 30 lb. 

 were landed in 1896. 



The present shad run in the Merrimack is 

 small, since the only area available for spawn- 

 ing, the lower section of the river, is heavily 

 polluted with industrial waste and domestic 

 sewage. The fishway in the Essex Company 

 Dam at Lawrence was rebuilt in 1919 after the 

 previous fishway had been destroyed by ice. 

 Shad were able to ascend this fishway and 



84 



