REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 29 



property a hatcbery building tor the Comniissioii, free of expense, tUe 

 Commissioner, liowevcr, to furnish the necessary equipment. Mr. John 

 Gay, insi)ector of stations, was directed to examine tlie location, and 

 on his report and recommendation the offer of Mr. Thompson was ac- 

 cepted. Immediate steps were taken to equip the station, and active 

 operations were inaugurated. On April 22, ISOO, the steamer Fish 

 Ma tele arrived with the necessary materials, and her crew speedily 

 fitted up the buikling;. By May 12 the establishment was ready for the^ 

 receii)t of eggs, the water being derived from the supply of Gloucester 

 City. 



The first eggs received were those transferred from the FLsh Hairk. 

 The spawn-takers commenced taking eggs May 13, visiting the fisheries 

 daily by the launch PctrcJ. Their collections for the season closed 

 May 28, 1800, amounting to fi,3l)<5,0(K> eggs, which were obtained from 

 seines, as follows: Glouces^ter Point, 3(),0()0; Faunce's, 1,752,000; liice's, 

 022,000; and Howell Cove, 3,702,000. These eggs, together with the 

 3,(551,000 transferred from the Fish Hawli, made a total of 10,150,000, 

 and produced 0,201,000 fry, which were liberated in Big Timber Creek, 

 New Jersey, a stream near Gloucester City. The water temperature 

 in the hatchery was 58^ May 12; 00^ May 15 to 23; and 03^ May 31. 



Further details concerning the operations at Gloucester, N. J., will 

 be found iu the account of the operations of the Fish Hawk, pages 55 

 and 50, 



1890-91. 



In the })revious year's work it was found that the water used Avas of 

 too low ai temperature and also contained injurious ingredients. In 

 order to obtain supplies of a more suitable character for the work, a 

 pumping plant Avas put in with a suction pii)e laid to the Delaware 

 River, connection still being maintained with the city supply for cases 

 of emergency. The steam launch Petrel was again assigned here. 

 The Fish Hawk being needed for other work, the proi)agation of shad 

 on the Delaware River was conducted by this station only. The col- 

 lection of eggs began Ai)ril 30, 1801, and was continued till June 2, 

 resulting in a total of 12,105,000. Fry jiroduced from these eggs 

 amounted to 0,155,000, of which 4,030,000 were turned over to messen- 

 gers for distribution and 1,225,000 deposited locally in Big Timber 

 Creek. The seines attended for spawn were those at Gloucester Point, 

 Faunce's, and Howell Cove. The largest day's production of eggs, 

 1,212,000, was on May 1, the Howell Cove seme furnishing 073,000 of 

 these. 1 >uring the season but one ripe shad was obtained at CJloucester 

 Point, a source of 2,500,000 eggs the year preceding. 



The weather was abnormal an<lihe river l)eing low from a drought 

 in the headwaters was nmde lower by prevailing winds from the north 

 and northwest. There were snow flurries May 6. The catch of shad 

 was within 25 per cent of the usual number, but spawning fish were 



