-'30 



KEPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



Shipments of fish eggs to foreign countries, fiscal year 1923. 



COOPERATION WITH FISH-PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATIONS. 



Throughout the year the bureau has worked in close harmony with 

 fishing clubs and other organizations interested in stocking certain 

 waters or in securing legislation for their protection. Such organ- 

 izations have assisted in the distribution of fish by promptly meet- 

 ing shipments sent out by cars or detached messengers and carefully 

 liberating them in the most suitable waters available. The bureau 

 has furnished these agencies information as to the best methods of 

 planting fish, and in some instances public talks have been given by 

 the bureau's representatives explaining its work at some length. In 

 other instances the bureau's employees have been detailed to give ad- 

 vice to State organizations, their expenses while thus engaged be- 

 ing borne by the State in question. 



PROPAGATION OF MIGRATORY FISHES OF ATLANTIC RIVERS. 



Owing to various unfavorable conditions, the season's results in 

 shad propagation on the Potomac River and in the Albermarle 

 Sound district were smaller than for several years past. At the 

 Bryans Point station the unusually cold and stormy weather pre- 

 vailing practically throughout the spawning season interfered with 

 fishing operations, and the river water remained too cold to ripen the 

 eggs and cause the fish to seek shallow waters to spawn until about 

 two weeks beyond the usual time. Shortly after the middle of April 

 egg collections were undertaken and continuously prosecuted until 

 May 15, and 17,677,000 eggs were secured. Shad work at the 

 Edenton station was practically negligible as a result of a recently 

 adopted decision to issue no permits for the operation of gill nets 

 on the usual spawning grounds. In past years gill nets have con- 

 stituted the main source of supply for shad eggs for this station, but 

 experience having shown that many of the fishermen were not com- 

 plying with the terms of the license, its discontinuance was deemed 

 advisable. The results of the season's work in the propagation of 

 glut herring at the Edenton station were most encouraging, the egg 

 collections being increased over last year's collections by approxi- 

 mately 200 per cent, notwithstanding the difficulty encountered in 

 obtaining efficient spawn takers to handle the large numbers of fish 

 available. 



Eggs to the number of 313,000,000 were obtained and incubated at 

 an average cost of $2.14 per 1,000,000. The propagation of this 



