RED BROOK (WAREHAM). Red Brook, So Called from the Fact That the Stream Is Colored by Deposits of Iron Ore, Runs from White Island Pond to Buttermilk Bay
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106 with numerous 6-inch baffles. At the southern spillway the gates are so arranged that the person in charge of the fishway can regulate the flow of water for the catching pool. At Glen Pond the stream separates into two branches which enter the northeastern end of Agawam Pond. The western branch is used principally for cranberry bogs, and the eastern, or main stream, is blocked by a dam and spillway at the lower end of Glen Pond. A fishway in the form of a ditch 2 to 3 feet wide permits the alewives to pass into this pond. A recently constructed dam below Glen Pond is opened during the spring run. The majority of the alewives spawn in Glen Pond, and a small number in Spectacle Pond, which is con- nected with Agawam Mill Pond. Alewives are taken at East Wareham with dip nets, the catch ranging from 500 to 3,000 barrels. The fishery is sold at public auction, subject to certain restrictions, under the direction of a joint committee from the towns of Plymouth and Wareham. A few shad are taken each year and placed in the Agawam Mill Pond, this being one of the very few instances of an existing shad fishery. Between 1865 and 1913, a period of forty-nine years, the income from the fishery totaled $32,118.02, or an average of $655.47 per year, reaching the highest in 1892, when $1,352.50 was received by Wareham, the lowest in 1911, when only $55 was paid. The stream is a valuable asset to Wareham and Plymouth. In spite of numerous local controversies with the conflicting cranberry interests the towns have taken good care of the fishery, and if the lessees see that the proper number of spawn- ing alewives reach the spawning grounds, and the town con- tinues its present oversight, the fishery should maintain its normal output. The future of the industry and the extent of its development depend wholly upon continued judicious methods of handling by the local authorities. RED BROOK (WAREHAM). Red Brook, so called from the fact that the stream is colored by deposits of iron ore, runs from White Island Pond to Buttermilk Bay. Between White Island Pond, Bartlett's 107 Pond and its outlet it is lined with numerous cranberry bogs, and obstructed by several small dams. Red Brook is controlled by, and has been in the possession of, the Lyman family for about fifty years. Since 1917 Mr. George Besse has been endeavoring to develop this fishery. WANKINCO RIVER. Wankinco River has its origin in East Head Pond, and empties into Agawam River at Wareham. Passing through cranberry country, it is obstructed by a great number of small dams, and forms Tihonet Pond and a millpond at Parker's Mill. At present practically no fishery exists. It is possible for alewives to pass to Parker's Mill Pond and Tihonet Pond, but it is impossible for them to reach East Head Pond for spawning. By using Tihonet Pond as a spawning ground, a limited fishery might be established. WEWEANTIT RIVER. Weweantit River has its source in Wenham Pond, and flows south for 14 miles to empty into Buzzard's Bay. The stream is largely used for water power to operate saw and grist mills, and for flooding cranberry bogs. It is slightly polluted with sawdust and trade waste from the factories at South Wareham and Tremont. Below Wenham and Bartlett's ponds the stream is obstructed by numerous cranberry bog and mill-pond dams, which render it absolutely impossible for alewives to ascend. Fifty years ago alewives ran up Sampson's Brook, a tributary, which now drains Federal Pond, a reservoir for cranberry bogs, and receives the overflow from Sampson's Pond. The fishways on the dams at Tremont and South Wareham are obstructed, and practically useless. Formerly abundant, the alewives ceased to run to the spawning grounds in Wenham Pond and Sampson's Pond when the dam of the Tremont Nail Company was installed, some eighty years ago. Since 1874 the receipts from the sale of the Weweantit Alewife Fishery have varied from 33 cents to $21, the ten years previous to 1912 showing an average of $8. The obstructing dams at Tremont and South Wareham, and the.