PUBLIC DOCUMENT No. 25. 83 



England is the alewife or branch herring (Pomolobus pseudoharengus) , 

 which ascends the coastal streams each spring to spawn. Colonial 

 records mention this fish as providing food for the early inhabitants. It 

 has always been highly prized by the shore towns, and the fishery has been 

 maintained for the public benefit. The alewife is of value not alone for 

 food and bait, but its presence, especially the young, at the mouths cf 

 the tidal rivers in the late summer, attracts the larger predacious fish tc 

 our shores. For this reason the depletion of the supply of alewives has 

 been an important factor in the general decline of the Massachusetts 

 fisheries. 



The alewives nc longer come to our shores in their former abundance. 

 Rivers which were cnce frequented by this fish no longer may boast of 

 this fishery, and in nearly all the streams the catch has been seriously 

 impaired. While the chief cause of this decline is undoubtedly excessive 

 destruction of the adults as a result of unwise town control, contributing 

 factors, such as changes in the livers and streams, which prevent the 

 alewives from reaching their spawning grounds in the fresh- water ponds, 

 pollution, dams, cranberry bogs and other obstructions to the passage of 

 the fish, have brought about this deplorable condition. 



In view cf the importance of this fishery it was deemed advisable to 

 make a thorough investigation of each ale wife stream in the Common- 

 wealth, to determine whether certain beneficial changes in operating the 

 fishery could be instituted. A detailed examination, including the natural 

 and artificial conditions, the present and past methods of fishing and the 

 history of the fishery, has been made; in fact, all information available 

 has been obtained for each stream. 



The examination of the various streams and the compilation of data 

 upon the fishery was conducted by Mr. R. S. Corwin and the biologist 

 during 1913, Mr. Corwin personally examining the majority of the streams. 

 Considerable valuable information concerning the restocking of these 

 streams and the future restoration of the fisheries has been compiled. 



Bird Diseases. When game birds are raised on game farms under 

 segregated conditions, diseases of a destructive nature, raiely found in 

 free wild birds, occasionally spread through entire flocks. With the idea 

 of insti Aiting preventive measures, a preliminary study of certain diseases 

 was made at the Sutton hatchery. Merely a general survey of the field 

 has so far been made to serve as a foundation for future work along this 

 line. At the present time there is urgent need for this type of work, 

 since the future of our game farms depends upon the elimination and pre- 

 vention of destructive bird diseases. 



Preliminary Investigations for the Systematic Stocking of Inland Waters. 

 Introduction. The selection of suitable waters for stocking fish de- 

 mands consideration. The general public is not always in absolute 

 sympathy with this pait of the work of State commissions. However 

 efficient or capable their personnel, there is bound to be unfavorable and 



