62 



Standard Fishways. — A successful fishway which will take 

 all species of anadromous fish has never been invented. In our 

 work two tj'pes of fishways have been designed, which have 

 proved highly satisfactory for the alewife streams and are 

 adaptable to a variety of conditions. The accompanying illus- 

 trations (Figs. 12, 13, 14) indicate the details of these tj-pes, 

 which have been developed by R. Loring Hayward, consulting 

 engineer for the Division of Fisheries and Game and which are 

 designated as the David and the straight-run fishways. No claim 

 is made that these are the long-sought universal fishways, or 

 that they are suited for other species of fish. We know that 

 they are successful for alewives, and that their simple design 

 makes them well adapted to Massachusetts streams. 



The David fishway (Fig. 14) maj' be either of concrete or 

 wooden construction. With its sloping bottom and irregular 

 baffles it resembles the Brackett type, but possesses the addi- 

 tional qualifications of frequent rest pockets and a steady, uni- 

 form flow of water which is controlled by the upper gate. Al- 

 though more expensive than the second standard type, it can 

 be advantageously installed in a limited space over an irregular 

 course. 



The straight run fishway (Figs. 12, 13) is especially adapted 

 for low dams where the contour of the stream bed affords a 

 gradual fall. This primitive form of fishway more nearly re- 

 sembles a natural swift flowing broken stream, and possesses the 

 advantage of stimulating the rapid ascent of the alewives. 



Chapter 365, Acts of 1904, requires that dam owners shall, at 

 the request of the Division of Fisheries and Game, which fur- 

 nishes complete plans and specifications for every fishway, in- 

 stall suitable fishways at their own expense, and keep them open 

 at specified times, under penalty of a fine of $50 per day for 

 non-compliance. Only through this law can the Division exert 

 direct influence upon the rehabilitation of the alewife fishery. 

 In spite of the difficulty in obtaining the willing co-operation of 

 the dam owners, who naturally object to the expense of con- 

 struction, the work of installing fishways is steadily progressing, 

 and it is hoped that eventually all of the potentially productive 

 streams will be completely equipped. 



