﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  15 
  

  

  the 
  ten 
  years 
  ending 
  in 
  1903 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  artificially 
  hatched 
  shad 
  

   returned 
  to 
  public 
  waters 
  by 
  the 
  gov 
  ernment 
  was 
  over 
  one 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  

   billion. 
  An 
  important 
  point 
  is 
  that 
  these 
  eggs 
  are 
  taken 
  from 
  fish 
  

   that 
  have 
  been 
  caught 
  for 
  market, 
  and 
  hence 
  would 
  be 
  totally 
  lost 
  if 
  

   the 
  Commission 
  did 
  not 
  collect 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  fishermen. 
  

  

  The 
  great 
  multiplication 
  of 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  fishing 
  appliances 
  on 
  the 
  

   coast, 
  in 
  the 
  bays, 
  in 
  the 
  estuaries, 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  courses 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  

   results 
  in 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  run 
  each 
  season 
  

   before 
  the 
  shad 
  reach 
  the 
  spawning 
  grounds, 
  and 
  hence 
  the 
  natural 
  

   increase 
  is 
  seriousl}^ 
  curtailed, 
  and, 
  in 
  some 
  streams, 
  almost 
  entirely 
  

   prevented. 
  The 
  stead}^ 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  shad 
  catch 
  in 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  con- 
  

   ditions 
  more 
  unfavorable 
  than 
  confront 
  any 
  other 
  fish 
  of 
  our 
  easterL 
  

   rivers 
  is 
  conclusive 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  beneficial 
  efi'ects 
  of 
  artificial 
  propa- 
  

   gation. 
  In 
  1880, 
  prior 
  to 
  which 
  3^ear 
  shad 
  cultivation 
  had 
  been 
  on 
  a 
  

   comparatively 
  small 
  basis, 
  the 
  total 
  yield 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  from 
  Maine 
  

   to 
  Florida 
  was 
  18,000,000 
  pounds; 
  during 
  the 
  four 
  succeeding 
  years 
  

   the 
  supph" 
  in 
  man}- 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  decreased 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  that 
  

   the 
  abandonment 
  of 
  the 
  fishery, 
  as 
  a 
  commercial 
  enterprise, 
  was 
  immi- 
  

   nent. 
  From 
  1885, 
  when 
  the 
  largely-increased 
  plants 
  of 
  fry 
  began 
  to 
  

   produce 
  results, 
  until 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  the 
  trend 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  has 
  

   been 
  steadily 
  upward 
  in 
  every 
  stream. 
  Against 
  a 
  product 
  of 
  18,000,000 
  

   pounds, 
  worth 
  $995,000, 
  in 
  1880, 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  placed 
  an 
  annual 
  catch 
  of 
  

   over 
  50,000,000 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $1,700,000, 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time. 
  As 
  

   a 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  increased 
  abundance 
  of 
  shad, 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  this 
  toothsome 
  

   food 
  has 
  been 
  materially 
  reduced, 
  but 
  even 
  at 
  the 
  price 
  actually 
  

   received 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  annual 
  catch 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  is 
  

   upward 
  of 
  a 
  million 
  dollars, 
  or 
  more 
  than 
  three 
  times 
  the 
  amount 
  

   expended 
  by 
  the 
  government 
  in 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  shad 
  in 
  twenty 
  

   years. 
  

  

  Evidence 
  is 
  not 
  lacking 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  long-continued 
  and 
  increas- 
  

   ingly 
  extensive 
  fish-cultural 
  operations 
  on 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  have 
  pre- 
  

   vented 
  the 
  depletion 
  of 
  those 
  waters 
  in 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  exhaust- 
  

   ing 
  lake 
  fisheries 
  in 
  the 
  world. 
  The 
  luscious 
  white-fish, 
  the 
  splendid 
  

   lake 
  trout, 
  the 
  excellent 
  pike 
  perch, 
  or 
  wall-ej^ed 
  pike, 
  are 
  hatched 
  in 
  

   such 
  numbers 
  as 
  to 
  assure 
  their 
  preservation 
  without 
  further 
  curtail- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  fisheries. 
  

  

  The 
  magnitude 
  of 
  the 
  salmon 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  States 
  has 
  

   required 
  very 
  extensive 
  artificial 
  measures 
  to 
  keep 
  up 
  the 
  supply. 
  

   Hatcheries 
  have 
  been 
  established 
  on 
  tributaries 
  of 
  the 
  Sacramento 
  and 
  

   Columbia, 
  in 
  the 
  Puget 
  Sound 
  region, 
  and 
  on 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  short 
  coast 
  

   rivers; 
  here 
  are 
  taken 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  royal 
  chinook, 
  of 
  the 
  scarcely 
  

   less 
  royal 
  blue-back, 
  and 
  of 
  other 
  species, 
  and 
  here 
  each 
  yenv 
  millions 
  

   of 
  young 
  salmon 
  are 
  started 
  on 
  their 
  way 
  to 
  salt 
  water. 
  Having 
  grown 
  

   and 
  waxed 
  fat 
  on 
  the 
  rich 
  pasturage 
  of 
  the 
  ocean, 
  these 
  fish 
  return 
  to 
  

   the 
  rivers 
  to 
  spawn 
  in 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  four 
  years. 
  Some 
  seasons 
  as 
  many 
  

  

  