ATKINS THE SALMON AND ITS ARTIFICIAL CULTURE. 307 



of April. Ou the shore of the bay they are built a little later, the 

 salmon not making their appearance so early as in the riv^er. 



The district within which these weirs are almost the sole mode of 

 taking salmon extends from Orrington, on the river, to Belfast, on the 

 west side of the bay, and Castiue on the east side ; and with a very 

 few exceptions no weirs have ever been built outside those limits. The 

 number built within this district in 1873 was 114, of which all but one 

 caught salmon. In 1870 there were 160 weirs, of which five or six caught 

 no salmon, depending for their profits on the capture of menhaden and 

 alewives. The last season having been a profitable one, a greater n*m- 

 ber of weirs will be built in 1874. Thus- the number varies from year 

 to year.* In some i)arts of the river as many weirs are built now as 

 ever, while in other localities there has been a marked falling-off. 



The limits within which salmon-fishing is regularly carried on as an 

 industry in the Penobscot Eiver and Bay at the present day, may be 

 fixed at Oldtown above, and at Rockport, Long Island, and Castine 

 below. jMany years ago there were fisheries on the eastern side of the 

 bay as far out as the upper or northwest end of Eggemoggin Reach 

 and at the extreme lower end of Long Island. But these outer stations 

 were not profitable, and were abandoned after a few j^ears' trial. One 

 at Buck's Harbor yielded about fifty salmon a year. One near Cape 

 Rosier was more productive, and the last year it was in operation 

 yielded 102 salmon. 



For the last two years (1872 and 1873) a weir for the capture of her- 

 ring has been maintained ou Western Pond Island, about two miles 

 below Cape Rosier. It caught 30 salmon in 1872 and only 8 in 1873 . 

 It is probable that, were similar weirs maintained in favorable places still 

 farther down the bay, salmon would be taken in them in small numbers . 

 I have learned of the existence of only one weir in any part of the bay 

 outside of Long Island and Rockport. This is a weir built for the 

 capture of alewives at the outlet of Fresh Pond in ISTorth Haven. In 

 former times there have been weirs maintained at five or six different 

 points on the same island for the capture of herring and mackerel ;t but 

 I cannot learn that a salmon was ever caught there. This fact, however, 

 is not a fair test of the presence of salmon in those waters, since the 

 structure and location of the weir are not favorable for their capture 

 Probably the salmon caught was a native of the Penobscot ; for all the 

 breeding-grounds of the Union River, to which we should naturally re 

 fer it, have for many years been inaccessible. 



The capture of salmon in the Lower Penobscot Bay and in the open 

 sea adjoining, with nets and hooks, is of rare occurrence ; but there are 

 several instances worthy of record. Oft' the northeast breaker of Seal 



* On the appended map of Peuobscot Bay and River are represented all the weirs of 

 which I have obtained information, both those built recently and many that were 

 abandoned years ago. 



t Statement of A. Waterman. • 



