RECORDS OF SALMON CAUGHT IN THE SEA. 31 



As pertains to the New England coast, in 1894 (1895, p. 98), Smith wrote that for two 

 or three years large numbers of young salmon about six inches long have been noticed 

 in the pound nets, at North Truro, Mass., according to Capt. Atkins Hughes. Smith 

 (1898, p. 119) further said that at Matinicus, in August and September fish too small to 

 utilize are taken in considerable quantities. In 1895 and 1896 the smallest taken was 

 one-half pound. The present writer observed a young salmon of about one-quarter 

 pound taken in a pound net at Small Point, Maine, July 6, 1896. This fish was l}/2 inches 

 long. 



According to Mr. Rich an eight and one-half inch salmon was taken in a pound net 

 at Richmonds Island, July 1 and another about 973 inches on July 12, and Will Richard- 

 son and Gus Wallace of Small Point say that 1,000 pounds of six-inch salmon were taken 

 in their pounds and Uberated this year. One of about 9^ inches long was taken in a 

 trap near Harpswell, August 16, 1923. August 2, 1928, Charles Pye of Bald Head, 

 Small Point, stated that many small salmon 'smelt size,' were caught by him: '15 or 20 

 every day; 500 so far.' A 'pre-grilse' IP/5 inches long was caught about September 16, 

 and another about ISVs inches long on October 3, 1923, in a pound net at Small Point, 

 Casco Bay. 



Records of Salmon Caught in the Sea. 



In a study of the marine habitat of the salmon, I have collected a record of over 200 

 instances of these fish taken in the sea. To enumerate each would but accent the obvious. 

 Sufficient then but to note that the extreme range covered by these takings is long and 

 wide, extending from well off the coast of Delaware on the south, northward to the coast 

 of Labrador, in the vicinity of the Strait of Belle Isle latitudinally and from the coast 

 Unes of Maine, Massachusetts and New Jersey to the southeastern part of Georges 

 Bank, distant from Cape Cod, the nearest land, 160 miles longitudinally. The recorded 

 takes were made by hook and line, traps, weirs, gill and pound nets, Une and otter 

 trawls and mackerel seines and at aU seasons of the year. The range of years covered 

 by these individual reports extends from 1879 to 1930 and show weights of salmon 

 taken from 'smelt size' to 35 pounds. 



Few if any small fish are among those taken other than by the fish-catching appli- 

 ances close to or not far from the coast line and none of the salmon included in these 

 over 200 separate cases are contained in the preceding table in this paper. In general 

 these reports of individual takes are well authenticated and are taken from newspapers 

 published at fishing ports, fisheries publications, reports of fishermen and fish dealers 

 and from a collection of these occurrences gathered by Dr. Hugh M. Smith of the United 

 States Bureau of Fisheries and for several .years its commissioner, who noted in 1898 

 that instances were multiplying of the taking of salmon at sea on trawl lines on the 

 New England coast, usually during the time when the fish were running in the rivers, 

 but occasionally in midwinter. 



As an indication of the scope of these reports as to the season of catch, size range, dis- 



