292 EEPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. - 



tlie middle of Jane to the first of July. The main ran reaches Caribou 

 about July 20, and the last run the last of August. 



Meduxnclieag River. — In 181G salmon were very plenty on this river iu! 

 the vicinity of Houlton. They continued so until 1826, when they were 

 shut out by dams that were built across the stream at different points.' 

 Since that time few liave been caught above Woodstock, where the 

 first obstruction is encountered. Alewives also formerly frequented 

 this river, and have shared the fate of the salmon. A fish-way was built 

 over the dam at Woodstock in 18G8, and both salmon and alewives are 

 reported to have passed through it the following year.* 



3. — SAINT CROIX RIVER. 



This river once yielded large numbers of salmon. The principal fisb. 

 ery previous to 1825 was that carried on at Salmon Falls in Calais, a 

 short distance above tide-water. The whole river is here compressed 

 into a narrow and steep passage, which, although difiScult, was in its 

 natural state surmounted by great numbers of salmon, shad, and alewives. 

 There were several side-channels into which the fish crowded in order 

 to avoid the furious current of the main channel, and here they were 

 easily taken with dip-nets. The following statements, reported by 

 Perley, illustrate the abundance of salmon. A boy of fifteen has been 

 known to take 500 salmon at these falls with a dip-net in a single year, 

 and a man has taken 90 to 100 salmon two days in succession in the 

 same mode. Another man, standing on a jam of logs a short distance 

 below the fiills, took 118 salmon in one day. Such occurrences do not 

 appeaf to have been common, and afibrd no basis from which to com- 

 pute the total yield. 



Above Salmon Falls there has been very little salmon-fishiug done at 

 any time. The extent of the range of salmon on the upper waters at 

 that time cannot be now ascertained. I have it from an intelligent 

 Indian of the Passamaquoddy tribe. Piel Toma, who lives near Prince- 

 ton, that fifty years ago they were caught at Grand Lake stream on the 

 west branch. The Indians call the sea-salmon Pl-ldJim, iu distinction 

 from the land-loclccd salmon, which they call Tage-icah-nahn. 



Dams were built on this river probably a century ago, but previous to 

 1825 they were all provided with ways for the passage of migratory fish, 

 of such a character that the dams did little or no harm to the fisheries. 

 But in 1825 the Union dam in Calais was built, and reuuiined for many 

 years without an adequate fish-way. Being situated in tide- water, it com- 

 pletely shut out from their breeding-grounds all the migratory fishes, 

 except such as could surmount it at high water, in exceptionally high 

 tides. That this was occasionally possible with salmon there is no 

 doubt. But so long were the fish kept in waiting for a favorable oppor- 



* Letters of T. P. Packard, J. R. Weed, Beruice Royal. 



* Annual Rept. (Canadian) Dept. Marine and Fisheries, for 1870, p. 289. 



