﻿420 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  ing 
  ceasing- 
  about 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  August. 
  In 
  18G6 
  the 
  run 
  began 
  

   June 
  22, 
  and, 
  being 
  unexpected, 
  the 
  weirs 
  were 
  not 
  ready 
  for 
  use, 
  and 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  lost. 
  At 
  that 
  time 
  there 
  were 
  but 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   weirs 
  in 
  Lubec 
  Narrows, 
  but 
  in 
  1807 
  the 
  number 
  was 
  increased 
  to 
  6 
  or 
  8. 
  

   From 
  1808 
  to 
  1893 
  the 
  West 
  Quoddy 
  Bay 
  weirs 
  were 
  an 
  almost 
  total 
  

   failure, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  year 
  the 
  herring 
  again 
  appeared 
  there. 
  They 
  

   arrived 
  October 
  16 
  and 
  were 
  taken 
  nearly 
  every 
  day 
  until 
  November 
  

   29, 
  and 
  after 
  that 
  irregularly 
  until 
  December 
  13. 
  At 
  this 
  time 
  there 
  

   were 
  5 
  weirs 
  above 
  the 
  beacon. 
  In 
  1894 
  this 
  experience 
  was 
  duplicated 
  

   with 
  striking 
  exactness, 
  the 
  fish 
  arriving 
  October 
  15 
  and 
  remaining 
  

   steadily 
  until 
  November 
  27. 
  In 
  August, 
  however, 
  two 
  small 
  lots 
  were 
  

   caught. 
  The 
  fish 
  were 
  rather 
  larger 
  than 
  in 
  1893. 
  

  

  In 
  1895 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  investigation, 
  about 
  September 
  25, 
  no 
  

   herring 
  were 
  taken 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  lots 
  in 
  August, 
  

   these 
  being 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  run 
  which 
  appeared 
  simultaneously 
  at 
  Herring 
  

   Cove. 
  A 
  letter 
  from 
  Lubec, 
  however, 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  herring 
  came 
  in 
  

   considerable 
  numbers 
  early 
  in 
  October, 
  but 
  as 
  there 
  was 
  little 
  demand, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  labor 
  troubles, 
  very 
  few 
  were 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  weirs. 
  It 
  was 
  

   supposed 
  that 
  the 
  run 
  was 
  about 
  equal 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  preceding 
  year. 
  

   The 
  same 
  informant, 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  dated 
  August 
  31, 
  1890, 
  says 
  : 
  

   The 
  catch 
  ou 
  the 
  American 
  side, 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Lubec, 
  this 
  year 
  is 
  beyond 
  

   estimate. 
  Boat 
  loads 
  may 
  be 
  dipped 
  on 
  the 
  shores, 
  in 
  the 
  doclvs, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  weirs 
  

   without 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  light 
  or 
  seines. 
  The 
  oldest 
  inhabitant 
  never 
  saw 
  anything 
  like 
  it. 
  

   In 
  Johnson 
  Bay 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  literally 
  alive 
  with 
  herring. 
  Certainly 
  one 
  can 
  say 
  

   without 
  exaggeration 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  more 
  fish 
  in 
  this 
  immediate 
  vicinity 
  than 
  there 
  

   has 
  been 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  decad-^s, 
  put 
  them 
  all 
  together. 
  

  

  Treat 
  Island, 
  about 
  1 
  mile 
  inside 
  of 
  Lubec 
  Narrows, 
  was 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  

   the 
  best 
  fishing 
  location 
  in 
  Passamaquoddy, 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  informed 
  that 
  

   $25,000 
  was 
  vainly 
  offered 
  for 
  this 
  property 
  during 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  its 
  

   prosperity. 
  Catches 
  of 
  100 
  hogsheads 
  on 
  a 
  single 
  tide 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  not 
  infrequent. 
  The 
  most 
  trustworthy 
  information 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  

   been 
  able 
  to 
  obtain 
  fixes 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  the 
  failui-e 
  of 
  this 
  weir 
  at 
  about 
  the 
  

   year 
  1870, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  taken 
  practically 
  no 
  fish 
  since 
  — 
  i. 
  e., 
  to 
  September 
  

   20, 
  1895. 
  It 
  was 
  abandoned 
  for 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years, 
  but 
  has 
  recently 
  

   been 
  i^laced 
  in 
  repair. 
  

  

  In 
  Johnson 
  Bay, 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  Cobscook 
  Bay, 
  the 
  weirs 
  were 
  at 
  

   one 
  time 
  of 
  great 
  value, 
  but 
  they 
  now 
  catch 
  but 
  little. 
  The 
  weir 
  at 
  

   Shackford 
  Head 
  was 
  a 
  very 
  profitable 
  one, 
  but 
  since 
  1885 
  it 
  has 
  failed 
  

   to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  kept 
  in 
  repair, 
  and 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  

   practically 
  wrecked 
  and 
  no 
  eftbrt 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  fish 
  it 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  latter 
  

   part 
  of 
  September, 
  On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  portion 
  of 
  Pemma- 
  

   maquan 
  River, 
  which 
  is 
  practically 
  an 
  arm 
  of 
  Cobscook 
  Bay, 
  there 
  is 
  

   no 
  complaint. 
  There 
  were 
  a 
  few 
  small 
  '' 
  half-tide" 
  weirs 
  prior 
  to 
  about 
  

   1882, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  now 
  about 
  17 
  large 
  weirs 
  here 
  and 
  in 
  East 
  Bay, 
  

   adjoining. 
  There 
  have 
  been 
  fluctuations 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year, 
  

   but 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  no 
  long-continued 
  periods 
  of 
  failure, 
  such 
  as 
  are 
  

   predicated 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  immediate 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Eastport. 
  In 
  1894 
  herring 
  

  

  