﻿CXLIV 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  spawniii 
  g 
  time 
  ; 
  after 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  of 
  poor 
  quality. 
  The 
  largest 
  shad 
  

   takeu 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity 
  weighed 
  8 
  i)ouuds, 
  and 
  5 
  to 
  7 
  pound 
  fish 
  are 
  not 
  

   rare. 
  The 
  fish-dealers 
  of 
  Sacramento 
  obtain 
  all 
  the 
  shad 
  they 
  can 
  

   handle 
  from 
  salmon 
  fishermen, 
  in 
  whose 
  nets 
  the 
  shad 
  are 
  snagged 
  by 
  

   being 
  caught 
  by 
  their 
  maxillary 
  bone, 
  the 
  mesh 
  of 
  the 
  nets 
  being 
  too 
  

   large 
  for 
  the 
  shad 
  to 
  gill. 
  Shad 
  now 
  ascend 
  the 
  Sacramento 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  

   Chico, 
  about 
  120 
  miles 
  above 
  Sacramento. 
  They 
  were 
  caught 
  there 
  in 
  

   large 
  numbers 
  in 
  dip 
  nets 
  in 
  June, 
  1898, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  they 
  

   have 
  pushed 
  their 
  way 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance 
  beyond 
  Chico. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Columbia 
  Eiver 
  the 
  shad 
  is 
  extremely 
  abundant, 
  and 
  was 
  per- 
  

   haps 
  more 
  numerous 
  in 
  1896 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  inevious 
  year. 
  Its 
  move- 
  

   ments 
  in 
  this 
  river 
  conform 
  with 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  ; 
  that 
  is, 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  definite 
  run 
  into 
  the 
  river 
  for 
  spawning 
  purposes. 
  The 
  fish 
  

   are 
  in 
  greatest 
  numbers 
  in 
  May 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  half 
  of 
  June. 
  In 
  the 
  

   region 
  of 
  the 
  Cascades 
  but 
  few 
  are 
  caught 
  in 
  July, 
  and 
  none 
  in 
  August. 
  

   Here, 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1896, 
  the 
  fish 
  was 
  more 
  abundant 
  and 
  larger 
  than 
  

   ever 
  before. 
  

  

  Shad 
  are 
  taken 
  in 
  salmon 
  wheels 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Cascades. 
  In 
  

   May, 
  1896, 
  200 
  were 
  caught 
  in 
  one 
  wheel 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  day. 
  The 
  largest 
  

   ever 
  seen 
  here 
  weighed 
  7 
  or 
  8 
  pounds, 
  the 
  usual 
  weight 
  being 
  from 
  4 
  to 
  

   6 
  pounds. 
  

  

  Near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  shad 
  are 
  taken 
  in 
  salmon 
  traps 
  from 
  

   early 
  spring 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  season, 
  probably 
  more 
  being 
  

   caught 
  in 
  June 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  month. 
  Examples 
  weighing 
  as 
  much 
  

   as 
  7 
  pounds 
  are 
  not 
  infrequently 
  takeu, 
  although 
  the 
  average 
  in 
  trap 
  

   nets 
  is 
  only 
  about 
  4 
  pounds. 
  Usually 
  only 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  are 
  taken 
  at 
  each 
  lift 
  

   of 
  the 
  net, 
  but 
  sometimes 
  30 
  or 
  more 
  are 
  obtained. 
  A 
  great 
  many 
  shad 
  

   too 
  small 
  to 
  mesh 
  are 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  traps. 
  In 
  May, 
  1896, 
  7 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  

   brought 
  in 
  by 
  the 
  Ilwaco 
  trap 
  fishermen 
  on 
  one 
  day 
  ranged 
  in 
  weight 
  

   from 
  7^ 
  to 
  11 
  pounds. 
  The 
  11-pound 
  shad 
  was 
  the 
  largest 
  ever 
  observed 
  

   on 
  the 
  Columbia 
  of 
  which 
  any 
  record 
  may 
  be 
  had. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  salmon 
  seine 
  at 
  Wallace 
  Island, 
  Columbia 
  Eiver, 
  in 
  May, 
  1896, 
  

   from 
  one 
  to 
  two 
  thousand 
  shad 
  were 
  sometimes 
  caught 
  daily 
  in 
  six 
  or 
  

   eight 
  hauls, 
  and 
  in 
  another 
  seine 
  operated 
  15 
  miles 
  below 
  Mapledell, 
  

   Oreg., 
  15,637 
  pounds 
  were 
  caught 
  and 
  marketed 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  month. 
  

   In 
  1895, 
  between 
  April 
  25 
  and 
  July 
  13, 
  a 
  salmon 
  seine 
  at 
  Quinn, 
  Oreg., 
  

   took 
  25,791 
  pounds 
  of 
  shad, 
  that 
  were 
  shipped 
  to 
  Portland, 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  following 
  year, 
  between 
  April 
  13 
  and 
  June 
  17, 
  the 
  same 
  seine 
  took 
  

   22,792 
  pounds. 
  

  

  The 
  monthly 
  catch 
  was 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  1895. 
  

  

  April 
  1.304 
  

  

  May 
  14.0'0 
  

  

  June 
  9.307 
  

  

  July 
  1.110 
  

  

  2,639 
  

   15, 
  335 
  

  

  4,818 
  

  

  Total 
  25,791 
  | 
  22,792 
  

  

  