Casco Bay 



Merrymeeting Bay Tributaries 



Shad were taken in Casco Bay from 1855 to 

 1895, but the yield decreased considerably 

 during the 1890's (Stevenson, 1899). They ap- 

 peared in these waters from about May 1 until 

 the end of September. The fish were smaller 

 and presumably younger than those in the 

 rivers, and were commonly known as "sea 

 shad," In 1896, 246,971 lb. were taken in the 

 Bay, of which 154,429 lb. were caught by 

 seines, 69,143 lb. by traps and weirs, and 

 23,399 lb. by drift gill nets. 



The only commercial shad landings reported 

 for Maine in 1960 were from Casco Bay. Gill 

 nets caught 311 lb., and an occasional fish 

 was captured by otter trawl. 



Kennebec River 



The Kennebec River has its source in 

 Moosehead Lake, the largest body of fresh 

 water in Maine. It flows south 155 miles to the 

 sea, entering immediately east of Casco Bay. 

 Shad formerly ascended the Kennebec River 

 as far as Norridgewock Falls, 84 miles from 

 the sea, where they turned aside into a small 

 tributary known as Sandy River (Stevenson, 

 1899). Dip net fisheries were productive at 

 Ticonic Falls and at Skowhegan, Maine, and 

 weirs were operated at Abagodasset Point and 

 in Merrymeeting Bay. 



The fishery of the Kennebec in 1896 was the 

 most important on the Atlantic coast north of 

 the Hudson River. The yield was greater than 

 all the remaining waters of the New England 

 States. The fishery extended from the mouth 

 of the river to near Augusta. The total catch 

 was 962,505 lb., of which weirs took 787,156 lb. 

 and drift nets 175,349 lb. Weir fishing was 

 carried out in the Kennebec chiefly between 

 Iceboro, Maine, 3 miles above Swan Island, 

 and the Chopps, a narrow part of the river 

 below Swan Island. Numerous drift gill nets 

 were fished in Merrymeeting Bay, but most 

 extensively near Bowdoinham, North Bath, and 

 Georgetown, Maine. These nets averaged 

 slightly more than 300 ft. long, and the mesh 

 size was from 4 5/8 to 5 1/4 in. Shad were 

 taken from May 1 to June 25. 



The decline of the fishery in the Kennebec 

 was gradual and did not become serious until 

 the early 1900's. The eventual disappearance 

 was believed to have been caused by industrial 

 pollution fronn Augusta to Merrymeeting Bay. 

 Vast quantities of sawdust were run into the 

 river from numerous sawmills; the river 

 bottom was covered in many places. Industrial 

 pollution from the Androscoggin River, a tribu- 

 tary of Merrymeeting Bay, also was carried 

 through the Bay and probably up the Kennebec 

 by tidal action. By 1918 the catch was so small 

 that the species was no longer mentioned in 

 the Reports of the Maine Commissioner of Sea 

 and Shore Fisheries (Taylor, C.C. 1951). 



Merrymeeting Bay is a broad expanse of 

 water in the lower Kennebec River. It is 

 formed by the confluence of the Androscoggin, 

 Cathance, Abagadasset, and Eastern Rivers. 

 All but the Abagadasset formerly contained 

 shad. 



Androscoggin River . --This river, the prin- 

 cipal tributary of the Kennebec has its sources 

 partly in Maine and partly in New Hampshire 

 and flows 160 miles to Merrymeeting Bay. 

 Although it was never considered a shad river 

 because of impassable falls at Brunswick, 

 Maine, the 5-mile section between Brunswick 

 and the Bay was fished regularly. In 1896, 

 51,357 lb, of shad were taken, of which ,24,433 

 lb. were caught in weirs, 21,065 lb, in seines, 

 and 5,859 lb, in drift nets. Industrial pollution, 

 a serious problem in the Androscoggin for 

 many years, made it unsuitable for fish. The 

 Androscoggin was believed to be the chief 

 source of pollution in the Merrymeeting Bay 

 area (Taylor, C.C. 1951). 



Cathance River . --The Cathance River enters 

 the western side of Merrymeeting Bay. Tnis 

 river in early 1900's was an important sha^d 

 fishing area, both below and above Bowdoinham 

 (Taylor, C.C. 1951). The most productive fish- 

 ing was from 1 l/2 miles above the town to 

 the Bay. In the early 1940's, the river was 

 fished with gill nets, and as many as 13 shad 

 were taken nightly. Nets have not been fished 

 here in recent years, but it is believed that 

 small numbers of shad enter the river each 

 year. 



Eastern River .-- The Eastern River, although 

 it does not flow directly into Merrymeeting 

 Bay, usually is considered a part of the Bay 

 district. This river, with a 10-mile tidal por- 

 tion, enters the Kennebec on the eastern side 

 of Swan Island. It was formerly one of the 

 most productive shad areas in the district. 

 In 1896 this river yielded 97,207 lb. of shad-- 

 85,718 lb. in weirs and 11,489 lb. indrift nets. 

 A few shad were taken in this river in the 

 early 1940's, but it has not been fished since 

 (Taylor, C.C. 1951). This stream probably 

 supports a remnant run. 



Sheepscot River 



The Sheepscot River enters the ocean through 

 a long tidal estuary east of the entrance of the 

 Kennebec River. The two rivers are connected 

 between Bath, Maine, and Hockomock Bay bya 

 navigable channel, the Sasanoa River. The 

 Sheepscot originally contained more shad than 

 any other stream between the Kennebec and 

 the Penobscot (Atkins, 1887); however, no in- 

 formation was given on the number of shad 



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