54 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



nel, thus escaping the numerous pound nets set for their interception 

 on the flats and shallows of Chesapeake Bay. On April 6 shad in 

 plentiful numbei-s were observed on the natural spawning grounds 

 in the vicinity of the station, their arrival being at least 20 days 

 later than in the preceding year, when abnormally hi^h water tem- 

 peratures ruled throughout the month of March. On April 10, when 

 the first shad in spawning condition was found, and for 12 days 

 thereafter, the water temperature remained too low for the success- 

 ful ripening of their eggs. Consequently, the egg collections during 

 this period, amounting to 5.442,000, were small as compared with the 

 same period in former years. However, on April 24 a decided im- 

 provement in water temperatures was noted, and during the remain- 

 ing days of the month eggs arrived at the hatchery in large num- 

 ber, giving a total up to and including April 30 of 31,306,000, which 

 is seldom exceeded for that month. 



These few days in late April proved to be the height of the egg- 

 collecting season, as the catch of fish began falling off rapidly soon 

 after the beginning of 'May, and by the 12th of that month many of 

 the fishermen had suspended their operations. Eggs ceased coming 

 in very shortly thereafter, the last consignment being received May 

 15. Of the season's total, aggregating 47,478,000, one lot of 1,311,000 

 was sent to the bureau's central station at Washington, D. C, for 

 aquarial display; the remainder were hatched, producing a normal 

 percentage of healthy vigorous fry for return to the local spawning 

 grounds of the Potomac and its adjacent tributaries. 



The season also proved a very successful one for the shad fisher- 

 men. They made unusually heavy captures throughout practically 

 the whole of April, and though the prices obtained for their product 

 were not as high as had prevailed during the preceding five years, 

 their financial returns were greater. 



SHAD AND RIVER HERRINGS, EDENTON (N. C.) STATION. 

 [Dell Brown, Superintendent.] 



There is also to be recorded a satisfactory increase in the output 

 of shad in North Carolina waters. The sj^awning season at Eden- 

 ton extended from March 28 to May 8, during which time 35,201,000 

 ripe eggs were obtained for incubation. More than 78 per cent of 

 these produced fry at a cost of about $69 per million. 



Because of the poor quality of the eggs obtained from fish taken 

 in pound nets in this section, all shad eggs during the past season 

 were taken from fish caught in gill nets, the fishermen operating on 

 areas from which such apparatus is normally excluded by law. 

 During the shad-spawning season licenses countersigned by the bu- 

 reau's agent were issued by the State authorities to certain fishermen 

 permitting them to use gill nets on the restricted areas, provided that 

 all ripe eggs thus obtained were delivered to the Edenton hatchery. 

 It is apparent that the prevailing sentiment of the region is opposed 

 to this method of securing shad eggs, and many of the local citizens 

 are of the opinion that greater results would accrue were the gill-net 

 fishermen excluded entirely from the restricted area and the shad 

 allowed to spawn naturally, basing their argument on the ground 

 that only a small percentage of the fish taken by the gill nets contain 

 ripe eggs. 



