THE SMELTS 
255 
The commissioner’s report for 1905-6 (Nickerson, 1907) stated that it was 
obliged to report a largely reduced catch as compared with the last previous report. 
The catch of 770,391 pounds for 1905 was a falling off as compared with the previous year of 
more than a quarter million pounds, and for the two years here reported the production is 319,128 
pounds less than for 1903 and 1904. 
This condition may be accounted for in measure by the fact that the number of men engaged 
in the fishery has been very materially decreased. In 1903 there were 824 men thus engaged, 
while in 1906 the number has fallen to 654. 
The average price received by the fishermen was almost 12 cents a pound, a little better 
showing than two years ago. 
The ice fishing has been classed in some localities as a “sport,” but the catches have been so 
large, and returns so satisfactory, that it has become a business proposition, a hundred or more 
dollars being easily and quickly gathered in, while for a few days the local “sport” has engaged 
in this ‘‘pastime” — a pastime so profitable is likely to be popular. 
As has appeared in the foregoing, other methods of fishing than by hook and 
line were sooner or later adopted. These methods were by some sort of nets, such 
as seines, weirs, traps and pounds, bag nets, dip nets, gill nets, and fykes. As this 
net fishery expanded the catch of smelts increased for some time, but the inevitable 
decline was shown later. 
The statistics of the New England States for 1905 3 indicate that in that year 
in Maine, there were 5,986 shore fishermen, of which the Maine sea and shore 
fisheries commissioner’s report shows 776 were smelt fishermen. The quantity of 
smelts taken in that year amounted to 587,985 pounds, valued at $64,000. The 
following table shows the take of smelts, by countries: 
County 
Pounds 
Value 
County 
Pounds 
Value 
95, 135 
220, 100 
52,500 
54,700 
$9, 008 
18, 875 
6,150 
7,283 
Penobscot. .. 
8,000 
34,500 
121,900 
1,150 
$640 
3,325 
18,516 
207 
Sagadahoc 
Washington 
York. 
The report says: 
Since 1902 there has been a decrease of 47 per cent in the catch of smelts and 34 per cent in 
its value. There is always a demand during the fall and winter, however, and the fishermen seldom 
realize less than 10 cents a pound, the average being considerable more. 
In 1905 the hand-line fishery was paramount and was restricted to Hancock, 
Lincoln, and Sagadahoc Counties, according to the statistical report. Hancock 
County led Sagadahoc and Lincoln Counties by 115,000 pounds, as follows: 
County 
Pounds 
Value 
4, 293 
Sagadahoc.. 
* 
Pound nets, trap nets, and weirs being so nearly alike in principle, the catches 
are combined. These were employed in Cumberland, Hancock, Sagadahoc, Wash- 
ington, and York Counties. The catch of Washington County exceeded the com- 
bined catches of the other four counties by 29,450 pounds. 
a Report, U. S. Commissioner of Fisheries, 1906, Bureau of Fisheries Document No. 620, 93 pp. Washington. 
