BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 351 



excellent place for growing and fattening- oysters, which I have been told 

 would produce amx)le food for the fish the year round. I have but little 

 experience in this new business to me, and would be thankful for any 

 suggestions that you or Professor Baird may give me in the enterprise, 

 and, if I can communicate auji:hing new and of interest to you, will gladly 

 do so. 



NOTES AND SVOOESTTOIVS COIVCERIVIIVG THE FliORIDA SHAD 



FISHERY- 



By J. H. OSBOR]V. 



Sorrento, Orange County, Florida, 



December 18, 1881. 

 Hon. Spencer F. Baird, 



Commissioner of Fisheries : 



Sir: At your request I will give you such information as I can in 

 relation to shad. I fished for six years on the Hudson at Hyde Park ; 

 have fished on the Upper Saint John's, at the mouth of Lake Munroe, 

 for the past five winters. In the winter of 187G and 1877 shad were 

 very plentiful ; I could catch as high as 200 in one day. 



I use a drift-net, 5-inch mesh (string measure), 25 meshes deep. The 

 average depth of the river is 15 feet. Shad have been dropping off for 

 the past two winters, until now I have to fish nights to catch fifty shad 

 with a net 300 feet long. (The river is about 150 yards wide.) With 

 two other drift-nets beside my own (which would cost about $20 apiece) 

 during the month of March I could catch about 300 a day. Shad run 

 here from January 10 up to about the 25th of March. We do not fish 

 after March 1, because they get very soft after that time. They are ripe 

 about March 5, and are running the best then. I think the river ought 

 to be stocked as high up as possible, say at the head of Lake Harney 

 or Lake Jessup. The lakes are dead water, or, in the North Eiver par-, 

 lance, slackwater. They are very shallow, only about 7 feet in the chan- 

 nel, with a very gradual bottom, and good sandy beach. In March the 

 water gets A^ery warm on the shores of the lakes. The river proper has 

 no beach; 10 feet of water 3 feet from shore. Would have to catch the 

 shad at the mouth of the lakes in the narrow river. If I can be of any 

 service to you, will be only too happy to help to get the river stocked. 

 I think we ought to have some laws to prevent setting gill-nets at Pa- 

 latka and Melaka. They completely block the river, and prevent any 

 shad from coming up. 



Hoping we may get our rivers stocked in the near future, 

 I am, respectfully, yours, 



J. H. OSBOEK 



