REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 129 



The known results of the attempts to acclimatize salmon in new- 

 streams warrants the belief that but for cultivation salmon would have 

 long sinee been exterminated on the east coast of the Tailed States. 

 The plants of salmon fry in ~Sew England waters by the national and 

 State fish commissions aggregated about 20,000,000 to L892. 



The suggestive history of salmon propagation in the Connecticut may 

 here be outlined. The first planting of fry in this river, consisting of 

 2,000, was made in 1869. A second lot of 30,000 was planted in 1870. 

 In 1873 150,000 were planted in the tributaries of the river, and in 1874 

 another lot of 1,189,000 was introduced. In 1875 the plantings con- 

 sisted of 500,000, and in 187(3 300,000. Results were soon seen. In 

 1872 a 7f-pouud female, a 10-pound female, and a 1-pound grilse, appar- 

 ently the results of the plantings in 1809, were taken. In 1874 and 

 1875 smolts were observed in large numbers in this stream, and several 

 were caught in the Farmington Eiver, the principal tributary of the 

 Connecticut. At least three or four salmon were caught in 1870, while 

 in 1877 the catch amounted to about a dozen. The best results, how- 

 ever, were observed in 1878, lour years after the largest deposits had 

 been made. During that season the catch amounted to probably 500 

 marketable fish, the average weight of which was reported as about 12 

 pounds, some of them weighing 20 pounds. The catch in 1879 is 

 reported as having been somewhat less than in 1878, but the average 

 weight was greater, most of those taken exceeding 18 pounds. Because 

 of certain difficulties, relatively few fry have been planted in the Con- 

 necticut Eiver since 1879, and since that year the catch has been very 

 small, only a few stragglers being reported each year. In 1882 four were 

 reported, two of which weighed 23 and 25 pounds, respectively, the 

 other two about 15 pounds each. In 1884 two were captured. In 18S7 

 the catch was unusually large, about twenty being reported. In 1892 

 three, weighing 35 pounds, were caught in gill nets set below Chester, 

 in the township of Saybrook, and six others, weighing 78 pounds, were 

 taken in pound nets on either side of the mouth of the river. 



The smelt fishery. — While the catching of smelt is not of great 

 importance in comparison with other branches of the New England 

 fisheries, this fishery has some interesting features and in parts of 

 Maine is of considerable extent. The fish enter the fresh waters of all 

 the coast States of the region, but only in Maine are they sufficiently 

 abundant to constitute a prominent river fish; there they are more 

 valuable than salmon, shad, alewives, or any other anadromous species. 



Smelt fishing is carried on along the entire coast of Maine, but is 

 most extensive in the Machias, Westongus, Eenobseot, Bagaduce, 

 Damariscotta, Sheepscot, Kennebec, and Saco rivers, in Eenobseot 

 Bay, Museongus Sound, Casco Bay, and in small streams in York 

 County. In Massachusetts regular smelt fishing is confined to the 

 Merrimac Eiver. The smelt catch in Rhode Island is obtained in the 

 Pawcatuck Eiver. The Thames and Mystic rivers are the principal 

 smelt streams in Connecticut. 

 F. r. 94 9 



