﻿XXXVUl 
  REPORT 
  OP 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  the 
  29th 
  of 
  June 
  fishermen 
  were 
  employed 
  to 
  capture 
  brood 
  fish. 
  Many 
  

   hxrge 
  ones 
  were 
  secured, 
  but 
  only 
  24 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  ripe. 
  These 
  yielded 
  

   1,640,000 
  eggs, 
  from 
  which 
  735,000 
  fry 
  were 
  hatched 
  and 
  planted 
  in 
  

   Vineyard 
  Sound. 
  The 
  last 
  eggs 
  were 
  taken 
  on 
  July 
  9, 
  and 
  the 
  average 
  

   period 
  of 
  incubation 
  was 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  three 
  days. 
  

  

  Steamkr 
  Fish 
  Hawk 
  (Lieut. 
  Franklin 
  Swift, 
  Commanding). 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  determining 
  the 
  spawning-grounds 
  and 
  season 
  of 
  

   the 
  shad 
  on 
  the 
  St. 
  Johns 
  l^iver 
  and 
  other 
  southern 
  streams, 
  the 
  steamer 
  

   Fish 
  HawJc 
  proceeded 
  to 
  Florida 
  in 
  January 
  to 
  undertake 
  the 
  collection 
  

   and 
  hatching 
  of 
  shad 
  eggs. 
  Palatka 
  was 
  reached 
  on 
  January 
  IG, 
  and 
  

   an 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  fishing-grounds 
  between 
  that 
  point 
  and 
  the 
  

   headwaters 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  .lohns 
  was 
  at 
  once 
  commenced. 
  It 
  was 
  found 
  

   that 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  shad 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  were 
  

   caught 
  in 
  haul 
  seines; 
  from 
  Volusia 
  Bar 
  to 
  Lake 
  Monroe, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  

   50 
  miles, 
  30 
  of 
  them 
  were 
  <)])erated, 
  while 
  above 
  the 
  lal\;e 
  there 
  were 
  only 
  

   3. 
  The 
  seines 
  were 
  of 
  3i-inch 
  mesh, 
  300 
  yards 
  long, 
  and 
  40 
  meshes 
  

   deep. 
  No 
  ripe 
  shad 
  were 
  caught 
  at 
  Sanford 
  and 
  an 
  examination 
  of 
  

   those 
  taken 
  indicated 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  not 
  spawn 
  for 
  some 
  time. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  water 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Ocklawalia 
  Eiver 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  

   well 
  adapted 
  for 
  hatching 
  pur^wses, 
  a 
  suitable 
  anchorage 
  was 
  found 
  

   and 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  removed 
  there 
  on 
  January 
  26. 
  The 
  water 
  in 
  this 
  

   section 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  slightly 
  brackish, 
  and 
  it 
  continued 
  

   so 
  until 
  February 
  17. 
  This 
  was 
  attribnted 
  by 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  to 
  the 
  

   presence 
  of 
  salt 
  springs 
  in 
  the 
  lakes 
  and 
  river, 
  but 
  it 
  seems 
  more 
  

   probable 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  banking 
  up 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  water 
  at 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  by 
  easterly 
  gales. 
  Tide 
  gauges 
  were 
  used 
  and 
  regu- 
  

   lar 
  observations 
  of 
  density 
  and 
  temperature 
  were 
  kept 
  during 
  the 
  time 
  

   the 
  vessel 
  was 
  stationed 
  at 
  this 
  point. 
  As 
  operations 
  were 
  being 
  con- 
  

   ducted 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale 
  at 
  Volusia 
  Bar, 
  arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  with 
  

   the 
  fishermen 
  for 
  collecting 
  eggs, 
  and 
  through 
  the 
  courtesy 
  of 
  Capt. 
  

   W. 
  A. 
  Shaw, 
  commanding 
  the 
  steamer 
  City 
  of 
  Jacl<sonvUle, 
  free 
  trans- 
  

   portation 
  was 
  furnished 
  the 
  emi)loyees 
  of 
  the 
  Commission 
  engaged 
  in 
  

   the 
  work. 
  Volusia 
  Bar 
  is 
  situated 
  at 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  the 
  St. 
  Johns 
  

   into 
  Lake 
  George, 
  and 
  is 
  so 
  narrow 
  that 
  a 
  seine 
  can 
  be 
  stretched 
  across 
  

   it, 
  thus 
  effectually 
  stopping 
  all 
  fish. 
  The 
  seines 
  are 
  operated 
  from 
  sun- 
  

   rise 
  to 
  sunset, 
  and 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  one 
  is 
  laid 
  out 
  and 
  ready 
  to 
  be 
  hauled 
  in 
  

   another 
  is 
  run 
  out 
  behind 
  it, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  shad 
  passing 
  up 
  the 
  river 
  have 
  

   little 
  chance 
  to 
  escape. 
  The 
  catch 
  was 
  large 
  throughout 
  the 
  season, 
  

   and 
  at 
  times 
  amounted 
  to 
  over 
  1 
  ,000 
  per 
  day. 
  

  

  Spawn-takers 
  were 
  stationed 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  and 
  at 
  Welaka 
  on 
  Feb 
  

   ruary 
  23 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  making 
  regular 
  examinations 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  

   captured. 
  The 
  ship's 
  nets 
  were 
  also 
  set 
  regularly, 
  but 
  the 
  majority 
  

   of 
  the 
  fish 
  taken 
  were 
  gizzard 
  shad. 
  On 
  the 
  3d 
  of 
  March 
  8,000 
  eggs 
  

   were 
  secured 
  at 
  Volusia 
  Bar. 
  They 
  were 
  hatched 
  without 
  loss, 
  the 
  

   mean 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  during 
  incubation 
  being 
  73°. 
  The 
  fry 
  

   were 
  strong 
  and 
  healthy, 
  and 
  exhibited 
  no 
  signs 
  of 
  weakness, 
  as 
  might 
  

   have 
  been 
  expected 
  from 
  the 
  high 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  They 
  were 
  

  

  