﻿400 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  as 
  well 
  satisfied 
  with 
  the 
  season's 
  yield. 
  The 
  effect 
  of 
  steamboats 
  upon 
  

   the 
  herring 
  are 
  certainly 
  overestimated, 
  for 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  them 
  pass 
  

   within 
  a 
  few 
  rods 
  of 
  herring 
  schooling 
  at 
  the 
  surface, 
  and 
  have 
  noticed 
  

   no 
  evidence 
  of 
  alarm, 
  although 
  those 
  quite 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  boats 
  disap- 
  

   peared, 
  but 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  again 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  boat 
  had 
  passed. 
  

  

  Fresh 
  and 
  brackish 
  water. 
  — 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  noticed 
  that 
  the 
  herring 
  show 
  

   much 
  tendency 
  to 
  run 
  into 
  places 
  into 
  which 
  fresh 
  water 
  is 
  discharged. 
  

   The 
  fishermen 
  say 
  that 
  in 
  dry 
  seasons 
  they 
  run 
  into 
  coves 
  and 
  mouths 
  

   of 
  streams 
  in 
  order 
  " 
  to 
  get 
  fresh 
  water 
  to 
  drink." 
  The 
  summer 
  of 
  1895 
  

   was 
  one 
  of 
  extraordinary 
  drought, 
  yet 
  the 
  herring 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  every- 
  

   where, 
  and 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  confined 
  to 
  places 
  receiving 
  the 
  discharge 
  of 
  

   streams 
  of 
  fresh 
  water. 
  When 
  they 
  do 
  go 
  to 
  such 
  places 
  it 
  is 
  probably 
  

   to 
  obtain 
  food 
  or 
  escape 
  enemies, 
  and 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  fresh 
  water 
  rather 
  

   than 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  it. 
  Moreover, 
  the 
  discharge 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  in 
  the 
  

   neighborhood 
  of 
  Eastport 
  is 
  so 
  small, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  tidal 
  ebb 
  

   and 
  flow, 
  that 
  they 
  must 
  have 
  very 
  little 
  effect 
  indeed 
  upon 
  the 
  salinity 
  

   of 
  the 
  water. 
  In 
  the 
  Elver 
  Schlei, 
  in 
  Germany, 
  they 
  spawn 
  in 
  water 
  

   which 
  is 
  practically 
  fresh, 
  and 
  they 
  occasionally 
  run 
  into 
  fresh 
  water 
  in 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  in 
  Maine 
  — 
  in 
  the 
  Kennebec, 
  for 
  instance, 
  which 
  they 
  

   have 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  ascend 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  Gardiner. 
  

  

  Impure 
  water. 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  belief 
  among 
  the 
  fishermen 
  that 
  the 
  

   herring 
  are 
  affected 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  extent 
  by 
  impurities 
  in 
  the 
  water; 
  that 
  

   offal 
  and 
  dead 
  fish, 
  the 
  oil 
  from 
  factories, 
  and 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  decaying 
  bait 
  

   in 
  lobster 
  traps, 
  etc., 
  will 
  drive 
  fish 
  from 
  grounds 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  

   in 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  frequenting 
  for 
  many 
  years. 
  That 
  these 
  statements, 
  so 
  

   strongly 
  made, 
  have 
  some 
  basis 
  in 
  fact 
  is 
  probable, 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  effects 
  

   have 
  been 
  exaggerated 
  is 
  beyond 
  doubt. 
  The 
  matter 
  will 
  be 
  more 
  fully 
  

   discussed 
  in 
  the 
  section 
  treating 
  of 
  the 
  alleged 
  decrease 
  in 
  herring 
  in 
  

   the 
  Passamaquoddy 
  region. 
  

  

  Temperature. 
  — 
  The 
  effect 
  of 
  temperature 
  upon 
  the 
  incubation 
  of 
  the 
  

   eggs 
  is 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  section 
  upon 
  spawning, 
  where 
  its 
  probable 
  

   effect 
  upon 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  spawning 
  is 
  also 
  considered. 
  Sufficient 
  data 
  

   for 
  the 
  discussion 
  of 
  this 
  subject 
  as 
  relating 
  to 
  our 
  coasts 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  

   collected. 
  It 
  would 
  require 
  observations 
  extending 
  over 
  a 
  series 
  

   of 
  years 
  and 
  at 
  different 
  stations 
  to 
  form 
  any 
  satisfactory 
  basis 
  for 
  

   conclusions, 
  and 
  these 
  observations 
  should 
  embrace 
  the 
  temperature 
  

   of 
  the 
  air 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  at 
  the 
  surface 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  bottou), 
  together 
  

   with 
  a 
  close 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  and 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  fish. 
  It 
  is 
  

   useless 
  to 
  speculate 
  upon 
  the 
  matter 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  data, 
  but, 
  on 
  

   the 
  other 
  hand, 
  were 
  they 
  in 
  our 
  possession 
  there 
  is 
  but 
  little 
  doubt 
  

   that 
  they 
  would 
  yield 
  important 
  results. 
  

  

  Eain, 
  snoiv, 
  and 
  ice. 
  — 
  The 
  effect 
  of 
  these 
  phenomena 
  is 
  closely 
  con- 
  

   nected 
  with 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  light 
  and 
  temperature, 
  and, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  

   the 
  latter, 
  the 
  proper 
  data 
  for 
  their 
  discussion 
  are 
  lacking 
  so 
  far, 
  at 
  

   least, 
  as 
  our 
  shores 
  are 
  concerned. 
  Gentle 
  rains 
  and, 
  inferentially, 
  

   snows 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  effects, 
  apparently, 
  as 
  cloudy 
  or 
  foggy 
  weather 
  

   without 
  precipitation. 
  In 
  studying 
  these, 
  and 
  in 
  fact 
  all 
  phenomena, 
  

  

  