﻿4l^S 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Moreover, 
  there 
  is 
  good 
  reason 
  for 
  believing 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  to 
  which 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  dissatisfied 
  ones 
  point 
  as 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  greatest 
  abundaucx^ 
  

   there 
  was 
  greater 
  pollution 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  than 
  at 
  present. 
  Of 
  recent 
  

   years 
  but 
  little 
  of 
  the 
  offal 
  of 
  the 
  factories 
  at 
  Eastport 
  has 
  been 
  willfully 
  

   thrown 
  into 
  the 
  water. 
  That 
  which 
  is 
  so 
  disposed 
  of 
  results 
  entirely 
  fi 
  om 
  

   the 
  washing 
  of 
  the 
  factory 
  floors 
  and 
  the 
  tapping 
  of 
  the 
  tanks 
  used 
  in 
  

   washing 
  and 
  salting 
  the 
  herring. 
  As 
  before 
  mentioned, 
  the 
  heads 
  and 
  

   other 
  refuse 
  from 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  fertilizer 
  factory, 
  and 
  such 
  

   materials 
  only 
  get 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  by 
  accident. 
  This 
  practice 
  has 
  been 
  

   adhered 
  to 
  since 
  about 
  1890. 
  

  

  The 
  older 
  fishermen 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  period 
  between 
  1855 
  and 
  1870 
  as 
  the 
  

   time 
  when 
  herring 
  were 
  most 
  abundant. 
  Prior 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  date 
  given 
  

   no 
  use 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  herring, 
  such 
  as 
  are 
  now 
  used 
  for 
  oil 
  

   sardines, 
  but 
  about 
  that 
  time 
  Mr. 
  Treat, 
  who 
  owned 
  the 
  famous 
  

   Treat 
  Island 
  weir, 
  began 
  pressing 
  such 
  fish 
  for 
  oil. 
  It 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  a 
  

   profitable 
  industry; 
  the 
  fishermen 
  at 
  once 
  took 
  hold 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  idea, 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  estimated 
  that 
  within 
  the 
  next 
  decade 
  at 
  least 
  100 
  presses 
  were 
  

   constructed 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  of 
  Quoddy. 
  During 
  and 
  just 
  following 
  

   the 
  civil 
  war 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  great 
  demand 
  for 
  fish 
  oil, 
  and 
  for 
  awhile 
  it 
  

   paid 
  better 
  to 
  jjress 
  even 
  the 
  large 
  herring 
  than 
  to 
  smoke 
  them. 
  

  

  Large 
  quantities 
  of 
  pomace 
  resulted 
  from 
  this 
  industry, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  period 
  following 
  1855, 
  but 
  a 
  relatively 
  small 
  proiwrtion 
  of 
  

   it 
  was 
  used 
  for 
  fertilizer. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  this 
  refuse 
  was 
  thrown 
  into 
  

   the 
  water; 
  in 
  other 
  localities 
  an 
  effort 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  keep 
  it 
  above 
  the 
  

   tide 
  level, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  even 
  then 
  a 
  considerable 
  amount 
  found 
  its 
  

   way 
  into 
  the 
  tide 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  butts. 
  Of 
  course, 
  as 
  

   much 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  as 
  i^ossible 
  was 
  saved, 
  but 
  with 
  the 
  crude 
  methods 
  then 
  

   in 
  use 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  doubt 
  considerable 
  discharged 
  with 
  the 
  refuse. 
  

  

  All 
  of 
  this 
  matter 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  thrown 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  with- 
  

   out 
  producing 
  an 
  amount 
  of 
  pollution 
  equaling 
  or 
  exceeding 
  that 
  now 
  

   produced 
  by 
  the 
  factories. 
  Before 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  fertilizer 
  from 
  

   the 
  cuttings 
  the 
  pollution 
  resulting 
  from 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  sardines 
  

   was 
  xierhaps 
  appreciable, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Eastport 
  at 
  

   the 
  present 
  time. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  the 
  recent 
  abundance 
  of 
  young 
  her- 
  

   ring 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Eastport 
  and 
  Lubec 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  improvement 
  

   in 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  since 
  the 
  cuttings 
  have 
  been 
  disposed 
  of 
  

   otherwise 
  than 
  by 
  being 
  cast 
  into 
  the 
  harbor. 
  The 
  improvement 
  in 
  the 
  

   catch, 
  however, 
  has 
  been 
  delayed 
  too 
  long 
  after 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  the 
  

   supposed 
  remedy 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  supposition 
  very 
  probable. 
  

  

  The 
  sardine 
  canneries 
  are 
  not 
  alone 
  held 
  responsible 
  for 
  the 
  pollution 
  

   of 
  the 
  waters. 
  Occasionally, 
  through 
  neglect, 
  or 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  stormy 
  

   weather, 
  a 
  weir 
  is 
  not 
  fished; 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  water 
  be 
  shallow, 
  fish 
  will 
  some- 
  

   times 
  die 
  in 
  numbers 
  at 
  low 
  tide. 
  It 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  if 
  these 
  dead 
  fish 
  

   be 
  not 
  removed 
  no 
  herring 
  will 
  enter 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  weirs 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  

   polluted 
  water 
  is 
  carried 
  by 
  the 
  current. 
  After 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  

   source 
  of 
  offense 
  they 
  will 
  fish 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  before. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  frequently 
  to 
  

   happen, 
  where 
  there 
  are 
  strong 
  tidal 
  currents, 
  that 
  the 
  weirs 
  above, 
  and 
  

  

  