HISTORY OF SALMON ANGLING IN NEW ENGLAND. 101 



1929. 



In 1929, there seems to have been some further indications that the forebodings of 

 previous years were not fully fulfilled. It was stated that the celebrated Bangor salmon 

 pool opened for fishing April 1 and four prizes were taken, weighing respectively, 

 193/^, 153^, 115^ and 143^ pounds. And again a mimeograph sheet of record sized fish 

 issued on April 25, 1929, by the Passenger Traffic Department of the Maine Central 

 Railroad, Portland, Maine, reported that 13 anglers of Bangor and Brewer secured one 

 salmon each weighing as follows: 10, 15, 17, 14^, 7>^, 16)^, IBJ^, 17i^, 16^, 18, 17)^, 

 17, 133^ pounds, making in all 17 fish ranging from 73^ pounds to 18 pounds and aver- 

 aging nearly 153^2 pounds. 



The Atlantic Fisherman (Fisherman's Doctor 1929, p. 24) is responsible for the fol- 

 lowing: 'A fine eleven pound salmon jumped into the boat of Lathrop Caldwell on July 

 first. CaldweU hails from Brewer. The fish had not been hooked.' 



Again the Boston Globe of May 20, 1930, pubUshed a dispatch from Bangor dated 

 May 19 concerning a big catch in the weirs. Concerning the fishing at the pool the dis- 

 patch said: 'The fuU force of the run, however, apparently didn't reach the Bangor 

 salmon pool which was densely populated with anglers who made but a few catches.' 



Table 19 gives the records of numbers of salmon taken from Bangor pool by a club 

 of anglers of Bangor, each year, for the 40 years from 1893 to 1932, both inclusive. The 

 numbers fluctuate considerably from year to year, yet considered by decades a progres- 

 sive increase is shown. It is not clear whether this means more anglers, more fish or 

 both. 



Table 16 shows that the yeoxB. of largest commercial catches of Penobscot Bay and 

 river do not correspond with years of largest catches by anglers. Thus 1896 represents a 

 commercial maximum. In the same decade the anglers' maximum was in 1897. Five 

 years later (1901) the largest number was recorded for Penobscot Bay and river. In the 

 same year the anglers catch was only eight below that of their high catch of 1902 in the 

 same decade. 



Table 20 shows the number and average weight of salmon taken by anglers from 

 the Bangor pool each month of the fisliing season for seven years from 1926 to 1932, 

 both inclusive. As a rule the most salmon were taken in June, although in 1930 the catch 

 in May exceeded that of June by 21 fish, and in 1932 the catch in May exceeded that in 

 June by 26 fish. 



Notwithstanding the complaints and lamentations by anglers that the fishing at 

 Bangor pool was being ruined by the commercial fishery down river, the figures indicate 

 that angUng has improved, although fluctuatingly, in the last 40 years. On the other 

 hand, the commercial fishery of Penobscot Bay and River appears to have declined. Is 

 this decUne on account of decreased intensity of fisliing, or are the salmon scarcer than 

 formerly? It is possible that both factors are in effect. That the numerical records for 

 the Bangor pool have increased substantially in the last ten years may be in spite of 

 scarcer fish and may be attributable to the operation of fewer nets in the Penobscot 

 Bay and river. 



