26 



wall of rocks in the stream, the apex pointing up stream. At 

 the apex was placed a set net, 18 to 20 feet long, into which 

 the fish were driven from the stream below. 



Fish Hou^e Passageway. — On Monument River, Bournedale, 

 the fish are taken as they pass through a narrow runway be- 

 neath the fish house, the catcher dipping them directly into 

 barrels or upon the wooden floor. 



Catching Basins. — At Herring River, Harwich, the alewives 

 are allowed to collect in a large basin or pool, the upper end of 

 which is closed by a gate to prevent their passage up stream. 

 From this pool the fish are removed by seining. 



Seine Trap. — At Edgartown Great Pond and Mattakessett 

 Creeks alewives are caught, as th^y enter the pond, in a trap 

 set at night in Cracketuxet Cove (Fig. 3). Two seines are used 

 to separate the runs of the two previous nights. The fish 

 which have been in the trap longest are taken first, and are 

 hauled in seines upon the beach. Wagons are backed into the 

 water, and the fish transferred from the seines with dip nets. 

 Provision is made for a free passage during non-fishing days, 

 and for the exit of the alewives which have spawned by bending 

 to one side an end of the seine trap. 



In the brackish water ponds and large rivers the fish are 

 usually taken by seining (Fig. 3). At Hummock Pond, Nan- 

 tucket, the curious procedure is followed of raking the fish upon 

 the shore with wooden rakes as they crowd into the opening 

 through the beach between the pond and the ocean. In Madde- 

 quet Ditch, Nantucket, a large dip net 4 feet in diameter and 

 8 to 9 feet long, subconical in shape, is placed longitudinally 

 in the stream, and raised by means of a large handle. 



Marketing. 

 Alewives are marketed for food or bait either fresh, in cold 

 storage or salted. The salted fish are shipped in barrels or, 

 more rarely, packed in cases. By special care in curing 

 and packing it is conceivable that choice brands with suit- 

 able trade names might be developed. Massachusetts ale- 

 wives, although some are used for home consumption, are 

 mostly shipped to the West Indies. The market for fresh ale- 



