88 



dip nets from sunrise Tuesday to sunset Friday each week. 

 On Pudding Brook, a tributary, is a small pond with concrete 

 dam, at North Pembroke. Nioe or ten years ago alewives 

 also ran up this stream. 



Since 1898 the practice of seining alewives at the mouth of 

 the river has been practically abandoned, owing to the rapid 

 flow of water through the new opening. The greater part of 

 the fishing is now carried on in the tributary streams. For- 

 merly ten permits to seine alewives were offered for sale at 

 prices ranging from $75 to $80 apiece by the towns along the 

 river, in the proportion of Marshfield four, Pembroke two, 

 Norwell two, and Scituate two; but in 1913 only two were 

 sold. As illustrative of their depreciation in value it may be 

 stated that the average price of the Marshfield privilege for 

 thirty years previous to 1900 was $34.85, and from 1900 to 

 1912 has been $3.40. 



For years there has been no alewife fishery in Indian Head 

 River, owing to pollution and to at least four dams which pre- 

 vent the passage of fish. An unsuccessful attempt was made 

 years ago to establish a fishery on Indian Head Brook. No 

 alewives have been seen in Indian Head Pond for seventy-five 

 years, although they come each year in small numbers as far 

 as the dam at Clapp's Rubber Factory. 



The alewife fishery on Barker's River is the traditional and 

 sacred possession of the town of Pembroke. The doctrine that 

 there was a herring right before a mill right has prevailed, and 

 to-day the alewives run unmolested, except on four days each 

 week, from the waters of Massachusetts Bay to Furnace Pond. 

 Previous to 1910 mill owners and cranberry growers were al- 

 lowed to keep closed dams and establish fishways, but, owing 

 to the fact that the quantity of alewives was decreasing, it was 

 decreed that the dams must be opened. Two towns, Pembroke 

 and Hanson, are interested in Pembroke Weir, and hire men 

 to do the catching, selling the product in the proportion of 

 200 herring to each male inhabitant at the rate of 25 cents 

 per hundred. Curiously, Pembroke widows get 100 gratis, but 

 must pay 25 cents for the second hundred, whereas Hanson 

 widows pay the full rate of 25 cents per hundred. It is stated 

 that years ago the revenue from this fishing was sufficient to 



