SHAD FISHERY OF THE OGEECHEE RIVER, 

 GEORGIA. IN 1954 



An investigation of American shad ( Alosa 

 sapidissima ) is being conducted by the U.S. 

 Fish and Wildlife Service in cooperation with 

 the individual State fishery agencies along the 

 Atlantic coast. The present phase of the study, 

 which began in 1950, is sponsored by the At- 

 lantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. 

 The purposes are (1) to determine the underly- 

 ing causes of a general decline in shad pro- 

 duction along the coast, (2) to determine factors 

 favoring recovery, and (3) to provide basic 

 information whereby each fishery may be man- 

 aged to obtain a maximum sustained yield. 



Shad are hatched in the fresh -water 

 sections of many Atlantic-coast rivers in the 

 spring. They spend their first summer in 

 these ravers and migrate to the ocean in the 

 fall. Sexual maturity is reached 3 to 6 years 

 later, at which time they reenter the rivers 

 to spawn. 



This report concerns a study, undertaken 

 in 1954, of the shad fishery of the Ogeechee 

 River in Georgia. It deals primarily with the 

 determination of fishing rate, fishing effort, 

 total catch, and estimates of size of run and 

 of spawning escapement . 



Appreciation is expressed to the staff of 

 the U.S. Fishery Laboratory, Beaufort, North 

 Carolina, for help in obtaining data; to David 

 Gould, Supervisor, Coastal Fisheries, and to 

 Fred J Dickson, Chief, Fish Management, of 

 the Georgia State Game and Fish Commission, 

 for furnishing license lists, and to the shad 

 fishermen and dealers who cooperated in fur- 

 nishing catch records. 



Description of the river 



The Ogeechee River rises in Green County, 

 Georgia, and flows southeastward about 350 

 miles to Ossabaw Sound, south of Savannah, 

 Georgia. It is a meandering stream, particu- 

 larly below its junction with the Canoochee 

 River, 25 miles from its mouth, (figs. 1 and 



2) . The Canoochee does not support a shad 

 run. The Ogeechee is one of the few remain- 

 ing east-coast rivers virtually unaffected by 

 domestic or industrial pollution. It is rela- 

 tively free from silt at all times. 



At tlie present timie the river is devoid of 

 dams and other obstructions that would block 

 the passage of shad. Shad ascend the river at 

 least 125 miles to the vicinity of Midville. In- 

 dustry could alter both the water quality and 

 the extent of migration unless precautions are 

 taken. The location of textile plants 5 miles 

 below Kings Ferry (U.S. Highway 17) is being 

 considered. It is possible that a low -head dam 

 will be built in conjunction with the plants. 

 Discharge of toxic effluents into the river and/ 

 or blocking of the river by a dam would have a 

 serious effect upon the shad run. It is sug- 

 gested that before industrial development is 

 authorized facilities be planned for the treat - 

 ment of any toxic effluent to be discharged into 

 the river. Also, any proposed dam should in 

 elude adequate facilities for the safe passage 

 of fish. 



The commercial fishery 



The commercial shad fishery extends 

 from the mouth of the river to Midville. Drift 

 and set gill nets are the only types of gear em- 

 ployed. Most full-time commercial fishing 

 takes place in a 25 -mile section of the river 

 from its mouth to approximately 7 miles above 

 Kings Ferry, while part-time fishing takes 

 place above Kings Ferry. The minimum legal 

 mesh size for both types of net is 4-1/2 inches, 

 stretched measure. Most fishermen used 

 5 -1/2 -inch stretched mesh and have changed 

 from linen to nylon nets within the past 5 years. 



The commercial fishing season begins 

 January 1 and ends April 15. The fishing 

 week extends from sunrise on Monday to sun- 

 down on Friday. During the 1954 season shad 

 did not appear in substantial numbers until the 

 first week of February, and commercial fish- 



