Dennys and Pennamaquan Rivers



1824 -- An Act to prevent the destruction of the fish called Salmon and Alewives, on Dennys River and Pinmaquan, in the county of Washington. Laws of the State of Maine. Chapter CCXL.

Text of Act.


"Sect. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in Legislature assembled, That, from and after the passing of this act, it shall be lawful at the annual town meeting in the month of March or April, for the town of Dennysville, to choose a committee of three persons in the eastern district of said town, for Pinmaquan stream, and also a committee of three pesons in the western district for Denny's River; and also for the plantation number ten, adjoining said town of Dennysville, to choose a like committee of three persons for Denny's River, who shall be inhabitants of said districts and plantation respectively; whose duty it shall be to attend to the preservation of the fish called Salmon and Alewives, in the streams called Denny's river and Pinmaquan, in their several districts and plantation respectively, by seeing that proper passage ways are kept open for said fish, and prosecuting all breaches of this act, which shall come to their knowledge.

"Sect. 2. Be it further enacted, That, from and after the tenth day of May next, there shall always be kept open a sufficient passage way for the said fish to pass up the said streams to the ponds, where they usually deposit their spawn, from the tenth day of May, to the first day of July, in each year; and if any person or persons shall willfully stop the said passage way, during the time abovementioned, or in any way hinder or obstruct the passage of said fish through the same, from the time of sunsetting on Friday, and sunsetting the Monday following, during the said term, he or they, so offending, shall forfeit and pay a sum not exceeding, nor less than five dollars.

"Sect. 3. Be it further enacted, That if any person or persons, shall set or place any net, seine, or trap, for the taking of any of the fish aforesaid, or shall by dip nets, weirs, or any other method, take any if the abovementioned fish, in said rivers or streams, or in the salt water within two miles of the head of the tide, in either of said rivers or streams, between the time of sunsetting on Friday in each week, and sunsetting on the following Monday, from the tenth day of May to the first day of August, in each year, he or they shall forfeit and pay the sum of one dollar for each and every Salmon so taken, and one dollar for each hundred Alewives, and in the same proportion for greater or lesser number; and all seines or nets, set as aforesaid, shall be seized by any one of the fish committee, and by him sold at public vendue, first giving twenty-four hours notice of the time and place of sale; and the money arising from such sale, after deducting necessary expenses, shall be paid to the Treasurer of the town or plantation where such seizure is made, for the use of said town or plantation.

"Sect. 4. Be it further enacted, That if any person or persons shall take, kill, or destroy, any Salmon, after the first day of Augusta, in any year, he or they shall forfeit and pay for such Salmon, so taken, killed, or destroyed, the sum of two dollars.

"Sect 5. Be it further enacted, That all fines and forfeitures incurred for breaches of this act, may be recovered by action of debt, in any Court proper to try the same, by any inhabitat of the town or plantation, where the said offence shall have been committed, to the use of the person who shall prosecute and sue for the same: Provided always, That all prosecutions for breaches of this act, shall be commenced withing sixty days from the time said offence is alleged to have been committed, and not afterwards.

Approved by the Governor, Feb. 3, 1824."


1826 -- An Additional Act to prevent the destruction of the fish called Salmon and Alewives, on Dennys River and Pinmaquan. Laws of the State of Maine. Chapter CCCLXXIV.

Text of Act:

"Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in Legislature assembled, That the several provisions of an Act, passed February third, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-four, entitled 'An Act to prevent the destruction of the fish called Salmon and Alewives, on Denny's River and Pinmaquan, in the County of Washington,' be, and they hereby are extended to the towns of Charlotte, Baring and Cooper, and to the Plantation number fourteen, so far, as they may be applicable thereto; and said towns and plantation shall have the same rights and powers to prevent the destruction of the fish aforesaid in their waters, as are granted in the Act aforesaid to the town of Dennysville and Plantation number ten; and all persons offending against the provisions aforesaid, shall be subject to such penalties, and such proceedings shall thereupon be had, as are directed and prescribed in the Act aforesaid, subject to the restrictions and limitations therein contained.

Approved by the Governor, Feb. 4. 1826."


1827 -- An Additional Act to several Acts to prevent the destructon of Fish in Denny's River and Pinmaquan. Laws of the State of Maine. Chapter CCCCLVII.

Text of Act:

"Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in Legislature assembled, That the Fish Committee, any and each of them, chosen in the towns of Charlotte, Baring, Cooper, and plantation number Fourteen, shall have the exercise the same power in all and either of the towns through which the fish pass, including Dennysville, as they have had right heretofore to exercise in the towns or plantation in which they were severally chosen: Provided, That the Fish Committees, in either of the aforesaid towns or plantations, shall neglect to keep open, and cause to be kept open, good and sufficient fishways, under the Act passed February the fourth in the year eighteen hundred and twenty-four, and the Act additional thereto, passed February the fourth eighteen hundred and twenty-six. And the penalty mentioned in the second section of said first mentioned act against persons offending, as therein described, shall be not less than twenty dollars, any thing in said Act to the contrary notwithstanding.

Approved by the Governor, Feb. 7, 1827."

1828 -- An Additional Act to prevent the destruction of Fish in Denny's River and Pinmaquan. Laws of the State of Maine. Chapter DLVII.

Text of Act:

"Sect. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in Legislature assembled, That the powers given to the Fish Committee, chosen in the towns of Charlotte, Baring, Cooper, and Plantation number Fourteen, in the Act to which this is in addition, passed February seventh, one thousand eight hundred and twenty seven, be, and the same hereby are extended to the towns of Alexander and Baileyville; and the fish committees of the towns last aforesaid shall have like powers with the committee of Charlotte, Baring, Cooper, and number Fourteen -- and the towns of Alexander and Baileyville at their annual meeting in the month of March or April, may choose such committee consisting of three persons for each town.

"Sect. 2. Be it further enacted, That during the season for the fish to descend down Denny's river and Pinmaquan, the fishways on said rivers shall be kept open, any person or persons hindering or obstructing the passage of said fish through the same, during the time aforesaid, shall forfeit and pay the penalty imposed in the second section of an Act regulating the fishery on said streams passed February third, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-four, to be recovered by any individual of the fish committee of either of the towns named in this Act, or by any inhabitant of the town or plantation where the said offence shall have been committed, in an action of debt, in any court competent to try the same, to the use of the person who shall prosecute and sue therefor.

Approved by the Govenor, February 23, 1828."


1830 -- An additional Act to prevent the destruction of the fish called Salmon and Alewives, on Dennys River and Pinmaquan, in the county of Washington. Laws of the State of Maine. Chapter 88.

"Sect. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in Legislature assembled, That it shall be lawful for the Fish Committee for the western district of Dennysville, and for the town of Edmunds, (formerly plantation number ten) annually chosen in conformity with the provisions of the first section of the Act to which this is additional, to sell, at public vendue, to the highest bidder therefor, the privilege of taking Alewives, at such times as are allowed in and by the Act aforesaid, in Denny's river within the limits of said towns of Dennysville and Edmunds, for a term of time not exceeding one year: said vendue to be holden at the saw-mill on Denny's river, near where said fish are usually taken, on the second Monday of April, each year, at eleven o'clock in forenoon; and the said committees, or a majority of them, shall, on the day of, and previous to such sale, meet and depute one of their number to act as Auctioneer at such sale; one moiety of the proceeds of such sale, shall be paid to the treasurer of the town of Dennysville, and the other moiety thereof to the treasurer of the town of Edmunds, for the use of said towns respectively.

"Sect. 2. Be it further enacted, That if any person, or persons, without the consent of the purchaser of said privilege, shall willfully take or destroy any of said fish, in any part of Denny's river, within the limits of the towns of Dennysville and Edmunds, he or they, so offending, shall forfeit and pay to the said purchaser, one cent for each fish so taken or destroyed, to be recovered by action of debt in any Court of competent jurisdiction.

"Sect. 3. Be it further enacted, That the purchaser of said privilege shall, at all times, when such fish are ascending said river, on the days by law allowed for taking the same, employ and keep employed, a sufficient number of persons for that purpose; and shall furnish every applicant with said fish at the rate of ten cents per hundred, unless the Selectment of the towns aforesaid shall determine upon and establish some other price: Provided, That said purchaser shall not furnish or supply any one person at one time, with more than three hundred fish, if other applicants are present wishing to be supplied. And if said purchaser shall unreasonably neglect or refuse to supply any person or persons, who shall apply to him for fish, and tender payment for the same, said purchaser shall forfeit and pay, for each and every such offence, the sum of five dollars, to be recovered by action of debt in any Court of competent jurisdiction, one moiety thereof to the use of the town to which such applicant belongs, the other moiety thereof to the person who shall sue therefor.

Approved March 10, 1830."

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