﻿430 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  as 
  aiiotlier 
  instance 
  of 
  the 
  disappearance 
  of 
  the 
  herring; 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  

   abuse 
  of 
  the 
  gill 
  nets. 
  I 
  afterwards 
  learnedj 
  however, 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  

   weirs 
  upon 
  the 
  island, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  gill 
  nets 
  is 
  prohibited 
  it 
  is 
  

   Qot 
  really 
  known 
  whether 
  or 
  not 
  the 
  herring 
  have 
  appeared 
  there 
  since. 
  

  

  I 
  believe 
  these 
  statements 
  of 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  lost 
  gill 
  nets 
  to 
  be 
  over- 
  

   drawn, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  herring- 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  subsequent 
  

   to 
  such 
  loss 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  accident 
  or 
  to 
  other 
  causes 
  than 
  the 
  pollution 
  of 
  

   the 
  water. 
  When 
  the 
  pollution 
  has 
  been 
  excessive, 
  there 
  is, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  

   some 
  effect 
  for 
  the 
  time 
  being, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  the 
  

   pollution 
  can 
  last 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  season, 
  and 
  if 
  not 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  

   understand 
  why 
  the 
  herring 
  should 
  avoid 
  the 
  locality 
  thereafter 
  unless 
  

   we 
  attribute 
  to 
  them 
  a 
  high 
  order 
  of 
  memory. 
  

  

  Instances 
  are 
  constantly 
  occurring 
  where 
  the 
  herring 
  have 
  ceased, 
  

   for 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  years, 
  to 
  spawn 
  in 
  certain 
  localities 
  where 
  the 
  

   pollution 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  could 
  have 
  no 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  matter. 
  Heed- 
  

   less 
  and 
  unnecessary 
  waste 
  of 
  food-fishes 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  deplored, 
  but 
  it 
  seems 
  

   unwarranted 
  to 
  assume 
  that 
  dead 
  fish 
  strewn 
  upon 
  the 
  bottom 
  will 
  

   keep 
  the 
  fish 
  away 
  for 
  periods 
  of 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  twenty 
  years 
  thereafter. 
  

  

  Other 
  fishermen 
  place 
  stress 
  upon 
  the 
  injury 
  effected 
  by 
  the 
  capture 
  

   of 
  spawning 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  gill 
  nets. 
  As 
  has 
  been 
  argued 
  elsewhere, 
  there 
  

   is 
  no 
  greater 
  damage 
  done 
  by 
  catching 
  the 
  fish 
  during 
  the 
  sjjawniug 
  

   season 
  than 
  by 
  taking 
  them 
  at 
  any 
  other 
  time 
  — 
  for 
  instance, 
  just 
  before 
  

   spawning. 
  It 
  seems 
  that 
  these 
  accusations 
  are 
  but 
  a 
  manifestation 
  of 
  

   the 
  universal 
  warfare 
  between 
  the 
  users 
  of 
  fixed 
  and 
  portable 
  nets. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  it 
  is 
  claimed 
  that 
  the 
  continued 
  catching 
  of 
  

   immense 
  numbers 
  of 
  young 
  fish 
  for 
  the 
  sardine 
  industry 
  must 
  produce 
  

   a 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  herring 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  question 
  of 
  time 
  when 
  

   this 
  decrease 
  will 
  make 
  itself 
  manifest 
  if 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  already 
  done 
  so. 
  

   At 
  first 
  sight 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  this 
  might 
  be 
  reasonable, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  

   reason 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  decrease 
  has 
  not 
  taken 
  plaee 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  because 
  

   the 
  number 
  of 
  herring 
  killed 
  by 
  man 
  is 
  insignificant 
  when 
  compared 
  

   with 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  seas 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  which 
  

   yearly 
  fall 
  victims 
  to 
  the 
  various 
  natural 
  dangers 
  which 
  beset 
  them. 
  

  

  In 
  discussing 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  physical 
  i^henomena 
  other 
  theories 
  regard- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  herring 
  fisheries 
  in 
  certain 
  localities 
  have 
  been 
  

   amply 
  considered. 
  Such 
  theories 
  are 
  that 
  the 
  fog-alarms 
  have 
  scared 
  

   the 
  herring 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  West 
  Quoddy 
  and 
  other 
  places 
  

   and 
  that 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  Treat 
  Island 
  weirs 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  noises 
  and 
  the 
  

   disturbance 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  caused 
  by 
  steamers 
  passing 
  to 
  and 
  fro 
  between 
  

   Lubec 
  and 
  Eastport 
  and 
  through 
  Lubec 
  Narrows. 
  

  

  When 
  all 
  the 
  factors 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  are 
  reviewed, 
  I 
  think 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  

   been 
  shown 
  that 
  not 
  only 
  has 
  there 
  been 
  no 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  sardine- 
  

   herring 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  under 
  discussion, 
  but 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  at 
  present 
  

   no 
  practices 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  fishery 
  which 
  are 
  liable 
  to 
  seriously 
  

   affect 
  their 
  future 
  abundance. 
  

  

  