fish buildings

From Caleb Crawford  The Space of Food

 

The Passagassawakeag River is a tidal estuary which flows into Penobscot Bay at Belfast, Maine. When the tide comes in, the river floods fairly far up. The name of the road that runs next to the river is called Head of the Tide at that point. The salt water mixes with the fresh water of the river to create brackish water. I came across these fish traps on the river. The open part faces downstream, towards where the tide comes, towards the open ocean. I am assuming that these are here to catch fish as they head upriver, possibly to spawn. I do not know whether these are placed for catching and eating, for catching fish to spawn and seed other streams, or for scientific study. However, traps such as these have been in use for catching and eating for millennia. Like many agricultural structures, they are quite beautiful.