55 



siderable, depending upon the quantity of material, has never 

 been completely determined. In the case of dyes the actual 

 effect is by no means as bad as the appearance. Except in a 

 few isolated cases saw mills do not permit their sawdust to 

 enter the streams. The injurious effect of sawdust upon trout 

 is well known. Hot water entering the stream in concentrated 

 amounts quickly kills fish. Brook trout transferred from water 

 at 55° F. to 85° F. die in two and one-half minutes. Chemicals 

 used for spraying cranberry bogs are sometimes carried into 

 the streams in drawing off the bogs, but ordinarily in such small 

 amounts as to cause no harm. Arsenate of lead in a dilution 

 of 1 part to 40,000 is toxic for trout in twelve hours. 



The following coastal streams receive more or less trade-waste 

 pollution: Acushnet, Charles, Danvers, Eel, Indian Head, 

 Ipswich, Jones, Mystic, Nemasket, Neponset, Parker, Saugus, 

 Taunton, Town Brook (Plymouth), Weir, Weweantit, Wey- 

 mouth Fore and Back rivers. 



Unwise Regulation. 



The principal cause of the decline of the alewife fishery has 

 been overfishing as a result of unwise regulation. Unless a 

 reasonable number of adult alewives are permitted to reach 

 the spawning grounds the destruction of any fishery is inevi- 

 table. Almost universally overfishing has been brought about 

 by faulty methods of regulating the industry through town 

 control, — a sad commentary on our lack of foresight. 



Free Fishing. — The streams where the public is given the 

 privilege of free-for-all fishing under various obscure regula- 

 tions, most of which are seldom enforced, have become the 

 poorest producers, and at the present time are the least valu- 

 able, although some offer possibilities for re-establishment. 

 Laxity in town oversight and apathetic indifference on the part 

 of the townspeople have brought about this state of affairs. 

 Wise regulations are either not made, or, if enacted, are not 

 enforced to insure the success of the fishery. People catch the 

 alewives when and where they please, and the fishery passes 

 from bad to worse because of unrestricted methods of fishing. 



Town-operated. — Fisheries directly operated by the town are 

 unsuccessful. Theoretically this method of control is ideal; 



