﻿MANUAL 
  OF 
  FISH 
  -CULTURE. 
  31 
  

  

  EARLY 
  SALMON- 
  CULTURE 
  ON 
  THE 
  PENOBSCOT 
  RIVER. 
  

  

  The 
  movement 
  for 
  the 
  reestablish 
  ment 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  for 
  salmon, 
  

   shad, 
  and 
  other 
  auadromous 
  species 
  in 
  American 
  rivers 
  originated 
  in 
  

   the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  legislatures 
  of 
  New 
  Hampshire 
  aud 
  Massachusetts, 
  

   having 
  in 
  view 
  primarily 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Merrimac 
  and 
  Connecti- 
  

   cut 
  rivers. 
  The 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  Connecticut 
  lies 
  partly 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  

   Connecticut, 
  while 
  many 
  of 
  its 
  tributaries 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Vermont, 
  

   and 
  these 
  two 
  States 
  were 
  therefore 
  early 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  project, 
  and 
  

   their 
  action 
  soon 
  led 
  to 
  a 
  similar 
  movement 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  Rhode 
  Island 
  

   and 
  Maine. 
  The 
  rivers 
  within 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  these 
  six 
  States 
  are 
  the 
  

   only 
  ones 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  known 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  frequented 
  by 
  the 
  

   seagoing 
  Sahno 
  salar, 
  except 
  possibly 
  the 
  Hudson 
  and 
  certain 
  rivers 
  

   tributary 
  to 
  the 
  St. 
  Lawrence, 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  The 
  commissioners 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  governments 
  of 
  the 
  above 
  States 
  

   confided 
  the 
  task 
  of 
  restocking 
  the 
  exhausted 
  rivers 
  turned 
  their 
  

   attention 
  at 
  once 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  most 
  important 
  of 
  the 
  migratory 
  fishes, 
  the 
  

   salmon 
  and 
  the 
  shad. 
  The 
  utter 
  extermination 
  of 
  salmon 
  from 
  most 
  

   of 
  the 
  rivers 
  compelling 
  the 
  commissioners 
  to 
  consider 
  the 
  best 
  mode 
  of 
  

   introducing 
  them 
  from 
  abroad, 
  eggs 
  Avere 
  obtained 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  from 
  the 
  

   spawning-beds 
  in 
  the 
  rivers 
  of 
  Canada 
  and 
  hatched 
  with 
  a 
  measure 
  of 
  

   success. 
  After 
  a 
  few 
  seasons 
  permits 
  for 
  such 
  operations 
  were 
  discon- 
  

   tinued, 
  and 
  it 
  became 
  essential 
  to 
  look 
  elsewhere 
  for 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  salmon 
  

   ova. 
  In 
  1S70 
  attention 
  was 
  directed 
  to 
  the 
  Penobscot 
  River, 
  in 
  the 
  

   State 
  of 
  Maine, 
  which, 
  though 
  very 
  unproductive 
  compared 
  with 
  Cana- 
  

   dian 
  rivers, 
  might 
  yet, 
  perhaps, 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  yield 
  the 
  requisite 
  quantity 
  

   of 
  spawn. 
  The 
  fisheries 
  are 
  all 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  estuary 
  into 
  which 
  it 
  empties, 
  Penobscot 
  Bay, 
  and 
  there 
  the 
  sui^ply 
  

   of 
  adult 
  salmon 
  could 
  be 
  found 
  with 
  certainty, 
  but 
  they 
  must 
  be 
  obtained 
  

   from 
  the 
  ordinary 
  salmon 
  fisheries 
  in 
  June 
  and 
  held 
  in 
  durance 
  until 
  

   October 
  or 
  November, 
  and 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  confining 
  them 
  without 
  

   interfering 
  seriously 
  with 
  the 
  normal 
  action 
  of 
  their 
  reproductive 
  func- 
  

   tions 
  was 
  not 
  yet 
  established. 
  

  

  This 
  plan 
  was 
  finally 
  adopted, 
  and 
  in 
  1871 
  this 
  method 
  of 
  breeding 
  

   salmon 
  was 
  first 
  attempted. 
  For 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  the 
  experiment, 
  a 
  

   point 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Craig 
  Brook, 
  which 
  is 
  by 
  water 
  nearly 
  miles 
  

   distant 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Penobscot 
  River, 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  the 
  

   route 
  being 
  through 
  brackish 
  water, 
  was 
  selected 
  as 
  the 
  most 
  conven- 
  

   ient 
  fresh-water 
  stream 
  which 
  oftered 
  facilities 
  for 
  confiniug 
  the 
  salmon 
  

   and 
  maturing 
  their 
  eggs. 
  After 
  some 
  unsuccessful 
  trials 
  means 
  were 
  

   found 
  of 
  safely 
  conveying 
  a 
  few 
  live 
  salmon 
  in 
  floating 
  cars 
  from 
  the 
  

   fishing-grounds 
  to 
  the 
  station, 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  held 
  till 
  the 
  spawning 
  

   season, 
  when 
  their 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken 
  and 
  imi^regnated. 
  

  

  From 
  1872 
  to 
  187G 
  operations 
  were 
  conducted 
  on 
  a 
  larger 
  scale, 
  with 
  

   a 
  fair 
  degree 
  of 
  success, 
  and, 
  after 
  a 
  suspension, 
  were 
  resumed 
  in 
  1879 
  

   at 
  Craig 
  Brook 
  hatchery, 
  while 
  the 
  retaining 
  inclosures 
  were 
  located 
  

   in 
  Dead 
  Brook, 
  about 
  2 
  miles 
  distant. 
  The 
  disadvantage 
  of 
  this 
  

  

  