REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XXXIX 



liberated in the middle of Little Lako George. At the time these eggs 

 were takeu it was thought that the spawning season had at last arrived, 

 but no more were secured, though operations were continued daily. In 

 order that the entire field might be covered, car No. 3 was stationed 

 at Sanford, Fla., in February, and a part of the crew of the Fish Hawk 

 was detailed to assist Capt. T. C Pearce in making collections in Lake 

 JMonroe and in the river above and below it. 



From February 20 to the end of March the spawn-takers from the car 

 attended daily the seines operated at Manuel Lauding, between Lakes 

 George and Monroe. The appearance of the shad in general remained 

 the same to the close of the season, though several ripe ones were found 

 early in March, from which 57,000 eggs were secured. The first two 

 lots taken were placed in the hatching apparatus as usual, but inside 

 of twenty-four hours they were all dead. This loss was attributed to 

 the use of water from the city works, which contains tannin. The 

 third lot of eggs was hatched without difficulty in water taken from 

 Lake Monroe, and the 10,000 fry resulting from them were liberated in 

 that lake. 



At Yolusia Bar observations continued until the close of the month, 

 but though large numbers of shad were being taken in the various 

 seines and gill nets fished on that river, no ripe ones were found 



About the close of March spawn- takers were sent to Lake Harney, 

 35 miles up the river, but they reported that there was no fishing for 

 shad at that point. Again, in Aiiril, one of the men returned and made 

 several hauls with a seine, capturing 1. He was informed that small 

 numbers of spent shad had been caught there for the past three weeks. 

 A third trip to that lake, on April 15, resulted in the capture of 5 spent 

 fish. On April 5, after the close of the fishing season, a seine was 

 hired and four hauls were made at Manuel Landing, resulting in the 

 capture of 18 roe shad, none of which was ripe. 



Trips were also made to Lakes Poinsett, Winder, and Washington, 

 but from the information gathered it seems that very few shad go beyond 

 Lake Harney. 



Though much valuable Information was obtained, the results as a 

 whole were unsatisfactory, as the main object had been to locate the 

 spawning-grounds and to determine definitely at what season eggs are 

 deposited. The dealers stated repeatedly that spawning fish had been 

 captured in January and February. It may be that the headwaters of 

 the river and the lakes are the principal spawning-grounds, but as 

 there is no commercial fishing in those waters this was not decided. 



On March 25 the Fish HawTc sailed for Albemarle Sound, arriving at 

 Mackey's Ferry on April 1. As soon as possible afterward the owners 

 of the seines, pounds, and gill nets were interviewed and arrangements 

 made for collecting eggs. Spawn -takers were sent out on April 2 and 

 the first eggs were brought in on the 5th. From that time to April 27 

 eggs were taken every day except Sunday, when fishing is prohibited 

 by law. On April 7 the eggs collected the previous day commenced 



