624 REPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [6] 



Mr. Harvey says: "Boats coming up the river used to bring leather, 

 cider, whisky, cider royal, salt, iron, &c., and would take back shad." 



Other fish. — We do not find that any other deep-sea fish (with the 

 exception of eels) ever came up the river above Northumberland. The 

 "Oswego bass," " Susquehanna salmon," " yellow bass," "striped bass," 

 " Susquehanna bass " spoken of by the different correspondents ap- 

 pear to be the same fish, which is also sometimes called the walleyed 

 pike, an excellent fish introduced into the river many years ago from 

 Oswego Lake. They are not now as plenty as formerly, though within 

 the past few years they have been increasing perceptibly. The other 

 fish mentioned are nothing but the common river fish. 



Effect of dams. — There is no question that the building of the 

 dams necessary to feed the canals put a stop at once to shad fishing j 

 all our correspondents agree that after the Nanticoke dam was finished, 

 in 1830, no shad were ever caught above it. As to the effect of the 

 dams on the shad fishing, the following extracts from Hazard's Eegis- 

 ter are of interest : 



1829, May 9, page 304. " Lewistowu, Pa., May 2. It is stated that 

 shad are caught in much greater abundance below the dam at North 

 Island, in the Juniata, than has ever been known at any previous time. 

 It is supposed that the dam in the Susquehanna immediately above the 

 mouth of the Juniata has the effect of directing their course up the 

 Juniata. The dam at North Island retards their farther passage, and 

 the consequence is that the people farther up the Juniata are deprived 

 of the luxury of fresh shad, which so abundantly falls to the lot of their 

 neighbors a few miles lower down. But we must be content with these 

 little deprivations by the promise of the immense advantages which are 

 to accrue to the country from the canal." 



1830, May 8, page 304. The Sunbury Beacon of Monday the 26th of 

 April says : " Not less than from four to five thousand shad were caught 

 on Saturday last within a quarter of a mile heloio tJie dam. Upwards of 

 five hundred were taken by one dip-net, and several others averaged 

 two and three hundred each. We understand that several hundred 

 were caught with dip-nets yesterday." 



1831, May 14, page 318. From the Wj^oming Herald: "Wilkes 

 Barre, May 6, 1831. While the raftsmen complain of the Nanticoke dam, 

 the boys find in it a source of amusement. The bass which ascend at 

 this season in great numbers, stopped by the dam, offer fine sport. 

 Indeed, hooks, half a dozen at a time, without bait, are let down and 

 suddenly drawn up often with two or three bass hooked by the side." 



And on the same page,, from the Susquehanna Democrat: "A short 

 time since great quantities of bass were caught in a small eddy formed 

 in the river directly below the abutment of the Nanticoke dam. The 

 fish apparently lay there in schools, and by drawing books through the 

 eddy numbers were caught. On Thursday and Friday last a number of 

 fine shad were caught in the same way. One man drew out nine in one 



