REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XIX 



were on the Neuse Eiver, Forth Carolina. A camp was established by 

 Mr. Milner at Kinstou, in the vicinity of three fisheries, which was con- 

 tinued until May 10. The river was exceedingly high during the whole 

 time. Continued fishing was not begun until April 14, when the water 

 had lowered sufficiently for seiue-hauling. The catch was very light, 

 and no spawners were found. 



On the 12th of May a camp was made near Fish-Haul, on the Pamunky 

 Eiver, Virginia, and some fifty thousand eggs impregnated, but the ova 

 not thriving well the station was continued only ten days, with results 

 of no consequence. 



On the 27th of April a reconnaissance of the fisheries of the Potomac 

 was made in the steam-tug Triana, United States Navy, Captain Cook, 

 kindly placed at my disposal by the Secretary of the Navy. Mr. Milner 

 directed the trip, the commissioners of Virginia and Maryland being 

 members of the party. The results secured by this reconnaissance were 

 an intimate knowledge of the fisheries, the selection of favorable hatch- 

 ing-stations, and thesecuring of a collection of the fishesof the river,while 

 the good will of the fishery proprietors was sought for the purpose of 

 facilitating the obtaining of eggs at the fisheries. A full report of the 

 expedition will be found in the appendix. 



Stations were established on the Potomac at Free-Stone Point, Va., at 

 the Virginia end of Long Bridge, and, later, at Moxley Point, Md., and at 

 Ferry Landing, Va. The work lasted from May 15 to June 5, and about 

 4,885,000 shad were released in the Potomac Eiver. The season at the 

 fisheries was a poor one. The protracted cold weather of the spring 

 retarded the ripening of the ova, and the eggs did not thrive well in the 

 cold w r aters after they were taken from the fish. In an ordinary season 

 a much larger number of young shad would have been placed in the 

 water as the result of such effort. Still this is to be considered as 

 very fair success if compared with the hatching of 1873, which yielded 

 only 1,370,400 shad for the Potomac, and 70,000 shipped to waters of 

 Virginia and West Virginia. 



The season having closed in the region just referred to, traveling par- 

 ties proceeded to the Hudson Eiver, arriving on the 11th of June, when 

 the work of 'distribution began. Shipments were made from here. to 

 four important tributaries of the Mississippi, and to the Colorado Eiver 

 of Texas, of about 425,000 young shad. 



On the 1st of July operations commenced at South Hadley Falls, 

 Mass. The first shipment was started on the 7th of July, between 

 which date and the 31st, transfers were made to waters in the Mississippi 

 Valley, Lake Champlain, to the Atlantic Slope rivers, and the rivers of 

 the Gulf States. As a general summary of the work at this station, it 

 may be stated that the waters of New England other than the Connecti- 

 cut Eiver received 320,000 shad ; there were carried westward and 

 southward, 590,000 ; carried above the Holyoke Dam to the Upper Con- 

 necticut, 1,205,000; hatched and put in below the dam, 4,500,000; sent 

 to Germany, 400,000. Total, about 7,000,000. 



