PROPAGATION" AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD FISHES, 1921. 43 



409,683,000, or an average annual ouput of 34,140,250. Practically 

 all of these fry in each instance were distributed on local spawning 

 grounds. In view of the conditions that exist in other shad streams 

 where artificial propagation is not conducted, it seems but just to as- 

 sume that the hatcheries have been a factor in maintaining the shad 

 fisheries in their vicinity. 



The bureau is frequently importuned by State officials and others 

 to render assistance m restocking depleted shad streams by planting 

 therein a portion of the output of its two hatcheries. In their efforts 

 to obtain this assistance the illogical argument has been advanced 

 that the shad hatcheries, being the property of the Federal Govern- 

 ment and supported by public funds, should apportion their output 

 in accordance with public demands and without regard to the source 

 of supply. Were the bureau to be influenced by such reasoning it 

 would result in dividing the comparatively small output of its two 

 hatcheries among various States along the Atlantic seaboard. The 

 numbers allotted in any instance would be negligible, and such a 

 course would inevitably result disastrously to the fisheries in the 

 waters in which hatchery operations are now conducted. 



For many years the bureau followed the policy of making sys- 

 tematic plants of shad fry in the principal shad rivers and tribu- 

 tary streams along the Atlantic seaboard, but the results did not 

 justify a continuance of such efforts, because the States concerned 

 did little or nothing for the protection of the species, and with the 

 rapid and constant increase in fishing operations and fishing devices 

 the run constantly lessened. Finally, in order to maintain the 

 dwindling supj)ly in home waters the bureau found it necessary to 

 discontinue s]ii[)ments to outside points and return to the local 

 spawning grounds the entire product of its shad hatcheries. 



The status of the shad fisheries at the present time is precarious in 

 the extreme, fully warranting the adoption of drastic measures if 

 they are to be saved from total and early extinction. In spite of the 

 discouraging situation, however, the States most nearly concerned 

 have thus far appeared loath to take any decidedly aggressive action 

 toward safeguarding or increasing the run. 



While the falling off of the shad run in many Atlantic coastal 

 rivers and their total disappearance in others are due to several 

 causes, the chief factor involved would seem to be a total lack of 

 protection during the spawning season. As a result of the extensive 

 fishing operations near the mouths of such streams and in the salt 

 and brackish waters below very few shad are able to reach their 

 spawning grounds. The considerable amount of trade waste enter- 

 ing the streams has also had a deleterious effect. 



The collection of shad eggs in the Potomac, at the Bryans Point 

 (Md.) station, fell considerably below that of a nornuil season, 

 amounting to only 15,620.000. During February and March the 

 weather was unusuallv mild, with high water tem})oratures, the 

 maximum in March bemg 64° F., with a mean temperature of 52° F. 

 As a result, spawning shad were taken unusually early, and 316,000 

 eggs were secured during that month. AVeather conditions in April 

 were a reversal of those in March, with e(|ually unfavorable results 

 to the work, and the season was brought to an early close on May 9. 

 Approximately 1,110,000 of the eggs secured were sent to central 



