INSHORE FISHERIES 



221 



The value of the alewif e fishery in the several New England 

 States is shown in the following tables: 



The number of alewives caught in New England in 1880 

 was a little below 10,000,000, in 1888 it was, in round num- 

 bers, 11,000,000, in 1896, 12,000,000. In 1902, the catch 

 for some years had been on the increase but the value 

 of the catch varied with different years. The average 

 price for the fish in 1896 was nine cents per pound, in the 

 New England States. 1 



Among the streams of New England in which alewives 

 were taken the Damariscotta River in Maine had the largest 

 catch in 1896, followed by the Connecticut, Taunton, Merri- 

 mac, St. George, and Penobscot. The alewife fishing in- 

 dustry of Connecticut has developed greatly during the 

 present century. From the returns of this fishery for the 

 biennial period ending October 1, 1906, it is found that 

 there were 342 persons employed, using 216 boats valued 

 at $9,538 and 636 nets valued at $19,026, showing the 

 amount of $28,564 invested in this branch of the fishery and 

 yielding 2,703,201 pounds of fish valued at $38,755. 1 



i Report of the Commissioners of Fish and Game, Conn., 1906, p. 

 16. 



