FISIir-:RIES, GAME AND FORESTS. I I9 



During the yejir a new hatchery building, and a most important one, has been 

 added to the list. It is located on the west side of the Hudson River, a short distance 

 north of Catskill Landing. This hatchery is used e.xclusively for the propagation of 

 shad, and the methods employed do away entirely with the old method of hatching in 

 floating bo.xes, making a great saving in the hatching of the eggs. 



The water commission of the village of Catskill kindly allowed the building of the 

 hatchery on their dock and atljoining their pumping station, also allowed us to take 

 water from the water pipes, for which they charged $75 for the little over a mouth 

 the hatchery was in operation. The cost of the hatchery, piping, hatching tables, etc., 

 was about $600, and we now have here a permanent and substantial hatchery, and at 

 no State hatchery, counting the amount of money expended, can such substantial 

 returns be obtained, and the public so benefited. 



The first year of the new hatchery resulted in our taking (all within a mile of the 

 hatchery) about i 0,000,000 shad eggs, of which we hatched and turned out 8,690,200 

 shad fry, and I am sure from my own observations, and the observations of many of 

 the oldest and best shad fishermen on the river, that they were the strongest and 

 healthiest lot of shad ever turned into the ri\er. 



The United States Fish Commission donated 2,003,000 shad fry for planting in 

 the Hudson, and t)ur messengers went t(5 their shad hatching station on the Delaware 

 River and transported them to the upper Hudson. 



Shad spawn only at night. They are from three to ten days in hatching, all 

 depending upon the temperature of the water. This means constant work and watch- 

 fulness night and day during the shad spawning season. 



In this connection I would say that it is of the greatest importance that the shad 

 in the Hudson River be better protected b\' legislation. The number of days that nets 

 are allowed in the ri\er should be shortened by at least one or two full days. 

 Statistics show that only about two per cent, of the shad that enter the Hudson River 

 ever reach the spawning grounds. The law at present makes the close time only from 

 Saturday until Monday. The close season should commence Thursday or Friday and 

 continue until the next Monday at sunset. Shad that are taken on I-"riday night do 

 not reach the New York markets until the opening of the markets for Monday 

 morning's sales, and b\- that time they are getting quite stale. There is no doubt 

 whatever that with a longer close season every fisherman would get just as good 

 returns, if not better, than he does at present with the short close season If we have 

 but few shad reaching the spawning beds in the upper Hudson, say in the neighbor- 

 hood of Catskill, we can obtain but few eggs at the best. The more eggs we can get 

 and hatch, the more shad the fishermen will have to catch. I consider this matter of 

 legislation of the greatest importance. 



