HISTORY OF NEW ENGLAND SALMON RIVERS. 83 



Kennebec River. — In its original condition the Kennebec was scarcely surpassed by 

 any salmon river in the country. Atkins stated that it was the second in the state of 

 Maine in the number of salmon yielded by its fisheries, and in the facilities afforded 

 for their reproduction. No serious natural impediments existed to their ascent of the 

 main river as far as Carratunk FaUs, in the town of Solon. At this point there is a 

 precipitous fall, I6J/2 feet high, which was a serious hindrance to them but not impassable. 



In the days of their abundance the main fisheries for salmon were within 20 miles of 

 the mouth of the river, at Waterville 60 miles above, and at Carratunk Falls. At the 

 last place, dip nets were used on the falls and drift nets just below. It was easy for two 

 men to load a boat with salmon here in a day. At Waterville, just below Ticonic FaUs, 

 a large number of drift nets were pUed every season. As many as 82 have been counted 

 at work at one time; but the average was not over forty. They took several thousand 

 salmon in a season. Other drift net fisheries existed at Augusta and various other 

 points on the river. The fisheries near the mouth of the river were carried on with set- 

 nets and weirs, the former coming into use much earlier than the latter. No exact sta- 

 tistics of their catch have been obtained. The use of nets was not confined to the river. 

 Several were set quite outside its mouth on Hunnewell's Beach. At Cape Small Point, 

 six miles west of the river, there were several nets set, and one trap or ground-net was 

 still in use at Baldhead, for the taking of various species, among which salmon were 

 accounted as of considerable importance. 



The salmon fisheries of the Kennebec were in flourishing condition in 1873, when 

 the dams at Augusta were completed. For a few years they continued plenty, and then 

 rapidly declined until they almost disappeared. The drift net fishery at Augusta was for 

 some years abandoned because of the scarcity of salmon. The decade from 1850 to 

 1860 is generally believed to have been the period of greatest scarcity. In 1866, 1867, 

 and 1868 there was a marked increase, the last year being by far the best since 1850. 

 After that there was another decUne, 1870, and 1871 being poor years. In 1872 and 1873 

 there was another increase which far surpassed that of 1868. It was also remarked on 

 the Kennebec, as on the Penobscot, that the salmon of 1873 averaged uncommonly large. 



The Maine Sportsman (Anonymous 1894, p. 17) mentioned that a 12-pound salmon, 

 taken near the hospital wharf in Augusta by a drift net in August, was the first salmon 

 taken so far up the river in several years. 



A letter dated January 14, 1918, from James Derocher, then superintendent of the 

 Craig Brook salmon hatchery, to the United States Commissioner of Fisheries, in part 

 said : T was informed by past Commissioner Austin that a very large school of Atlantic 

 salmon was seen below the tidewater dam in the Kennebec River at Augusta, Maine. 

 This was during July, 1917, and the Commissioner's attention was called to the fact that 

 people were spearing fish in the river. Several arrests were made and it was found that the 

 fish in their possession weighed from 12 to 19 pounds. Mr. Austin informed me that 

 there must have been at least 1,000 fish in the river at that time. He also said that 

 this was the first time in 25 years that Atlantic salmon had been seen in the Kennebec 

 River.' 



