115 



There is no fishery on Town River, since there have been 

 no fishways since 1888, when the old ones at Pratt's Dam and 

 at the Stanley Iron Works were carried away by a freshet. 



By the installation of one more fish way, at the dam of 

 the Easton Investment Company, Nippenicket Pond may be 

 used as a spawning ground, and the fishery may once more be 

 revived. Plans for a simple fishway have already been sub- 

 mitted to the owners of this dam. The stocking of Nippenicket 

 Pond will accelerate the re-establishment of the fishery. 



Nemasket River and Assawompsett Brook. — Nemasket River 

 takes its origin in Assawompsett Pond, and flows through 

 Middleborough to empty into the Taunton River. It receives 

 waste from several factories, sewage from the town of Middle- 

 borough, and, in addition to the dams at the outlet of As- 

 sawompsett Pond, is blocked by two main dams, which are 

 provided with more or less adequate fishways. 



At Starr Mills, north of the village of Middleborough, the 

 fishway is in the form of a natural stream of a gradual rise, 

 equipped with stone projections to enable the alewives to 

 pass up against the current. At the Wareham Street Dam, 

 where the water is used for power by the Middleboro Electric 

 Light Company, there are three outlets, — one a sluiceway to 

 the Electric Light Company, the second the main overflow, 

 and the third the present cement and stone fishway which has 

 a good flow of water, and in most respects is satisfactory. 

 Unfortunately, owing to an inadequate screen, the fish are 

 attracted by the* greater volume of water, and pass by the 

 fishway entrance to eventually find themselves in a blind 

 pocket under the dam. If the stream were properly screened, 

 and the fishway properly cared for by the town, there is no 

 reason why it would not be entirely satisfactory for the passage 

 of alewives. Since the water does not pass over the spillway 

 at this dam in the fall there is no provision for the young ale- 

 wives to pass down stream, except through the turbine wheel. 



A public fishery was established in 1792, and alewives are 

 now taken at the fishway at Starr Mill. The custom of the 

 town is to sell the privilege for periods of one year, but in 

 1913 it was sold for three years for $235. In recent years the 

 production has markedly diminished, the catch for the past 

 few years having hardly averaged 150 barrels. 



