THE SHJD 



FROM a commercial standpoint, the shad 

 is a highly important fish. During the 

 winter, it is found only in the ocean ; in 

 the spring, in the estuaries where, with gill 

 nets, it is readily captured. The shad lays its ova in 

 the sands above tidal water, and soon after returns 

 to salt water. American shad are superior to those 

 of Europe, both in quality and size. The shad 

 belongs to the migratory class of fishes, being found 

 in the coastal waters during a certain portion of the 

 year only. In their annual migration, they reach 

 the waters of New England about May first. They 

 remain in the rivers for several months, and then 

 disappear. 



In New England, the Connecticut River is the 

 principal shad stream, with the exception of the 

 Kennebec River. In my earlier days, the Thames 

 River, an estuary of Long Island Sound, extending 

 northward to Norwich, and there receiving the 

 waters of the Shetucket and Yantic Rivers, was a 

 most famous stream, and certainly the fish were of 



a delicious quality. 



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