370 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



B— EXPERIMENTS WITH A VIEW TO TRANSPORTING SHAD 



A FEW MONTHS OLD. 



By Chakles D. Griswold. 



After returning from Noauk, Conn., at the close of the experiments 

 with embryo-shad, I began an experiment with fish of greater age and 

 development. The shad were obtained from the Connecticut River 

 with a fine-mesh seine. The experiments were made with a view of 

 testing the endurance of fish of a larger growth than the newly-hatched 

 embryos which we had before tried. 



Great care was taken in their capture to prevent their injuring them- 

 selves before they were placed in the jars. They were dipped from the 

 water, before the net was drawn entirely out, with a tin dipper and 

 immediately put into pails of fresh water, with but few in each pail. 



There was some difference observed in the color of the young shad, 

 the pale, lighter-tinted ones proving generally the weaker, and endur- 

 ing much less than the others. 



The shad procured measured from 1£ inches to 4 incbes in length ; 

 those of about 2£ inches being rather more numerous. They were taken 

 in the evening, the net-hauls in the early part of the day taking 

 nothing. They were kept in the transportation-cans, in stone jars, with 

 and without gravel in the bottom, and with river and spring water. 



The first experiment was made on September 5. The shad were 

 put in a twelve-gallon tin can. Supplies of fresh water were afforded 

 every two hours, the supply being about one-eighth the contents of 

 the can or jar in which the fish were placed. The air temperature was 

 65° and the water (spring- water) 64° at the beginning of the experiment, 

 and the variation from this was very slight. The last was dead after six 

 Lours. 



The second experiment was made September 7. On this date two 

 day-time hauls resulted in no captures. In the evening better success 

 attended the effort. The shad were put into the twelve-gallon cans. The 

 temperature of the water was 64°, the air 65°, at 5 p. m. At 11 p. m. 

 the water showed a temperature of 00°, and in one hour afterward they 

 were all dead, having lived seven hours. 



The 8th of September shad were put into the cans at 6 p. m. The 

 spring-water supplies were made less frequently. The temperature at 

 10 p. m. was for the air 6G°, for the water CG°. At 1 a. m. the air 

 was 55°, the water 60°. At 4 a. m., air 52°, water 59°, and the fish 

 rapidly died. They lived ten hours. 



On September 11 a number of shad were again taken and placed in a 

 four-gallon stone jar. The temperature of the air was (56°, of the 

 water G4°. They were supplied every two hours with river-water fresh 

 from the river each time. The water grew colder in the night. Three 

 died after seven hours, a few lived about thirteen, and one died after 

 twenty-one hours. 



