﻿134 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

   DISTRIBUTION 
  AND 
  ABUNDANCE. 
  

  

  The 
  shad 
  is 
  distributed 
  along 
  the 
  entire 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  

   States, 
  and 
  northward 
  and 
  eastward 
  to 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St. 
  Lawrence. 
  It 
  

   has 
  gradually 
  spread 
  from 
  the 
  Sacramento 
  Kiver, 
  California, 
  where 
  it 
  

   was 
  introduced 
  by 
  the 
  California 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  taken 
  

   from 
  southern 
  California 
  (Los 
  Angeles 
  County) 
  to 
  southeast 
  Alaska. 
  

   In 
  the 
  early 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  its 
  abundance 
  excited 
  unbounded 
  

   astonishment. 
  Nearly 
  every 
  river 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  was 
  invaded 
  in 
  

   the 
  spring 
  by 
  immense 
  schools, 
  which, 
  in 
  their 
  upward 
  course, 
  furnished 
  

   an 
  ample 
  supply 
  of 
  good 
  food. 
  Notwithstanding 
  greatly 
  increased 
  fish- 
  

   ing 
  oi^erations 
  and 
  the 
  curtailment 
  of 
  the 
  spawning-grounds, 
  the 
  supply 
  

   in 
  recent 
  years 
  has 
  not 
  only 
  been 
  generally 
  maintained, 
  but 
  owing 
  to 
  

   fish-cultural 
  efforts 
  has 
  been 
  largely 
  augmented 
  in 
  certain 
  streams, 
  

   notably 
  in 
  the 
  Kennebec, 
  Hudson, 
  Delaware, 
  Susquehanna, 
  Choptank, 
  

   Potomac, 
  Nanticoke, 
  Eappahannock, 
  York, 
  James, 
  Chowan, 
  Eoanoke, 
  

   Neuse, 
  and 
  St. 
  Johns 
  rivers, 
  and 
  in 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay, 
  Albemarle 
  Sound, 
  

   Croatan 
  Sound, 
  and 
  Pamlico 
  Sound, 
  and 
  the 
  Sacramento 
  and 
  Columbia 
  

   rivers. 
  

  

  SHAD 
  IN 
  THE 
  OCEAN. 
  

  

  The 
  shad 
  passes 
  most 
  of 
  its 
  existence 
  at 
  sea, 
  and 
  little 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  

   its 
  habits 
  and 
  movements 
  when 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  rivers. 
  The 
  ocean 
  areas 
  to 
  

   whicli 
  it 
  resorts 
  are 
  unknown, 
  and 
  what 
  its 
  salt-water 
  food 
  consists 
  

   of 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  determined. 
  In 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Maine 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  

   associate 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  with 
  mackerel 
  and 
  herring 
  during 
  the 
  

   months 
  of 
  June, 
  September, 
  and 
  October, 
  being 
  most 
  numerous 
  in 
  June. 
  

   It 
  has 
  been 
  taken 
  at 
  North 
  Truro, 
  Massachusetts, 
  in 
  the 
  fall, 
  when 
  the 
  

   ocean 
  temperature 
  was 
  from 
  43° 
  to 
  49°. 
  In 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  November, 
  

   one 
  year 
  after 
  another, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  Sakonnet 
  

   Eiver, 
  Ehode 
  Island. 
  In 
  May 
  and 
  June 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  captured 
  with 
  

   mackerel 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  northeast 
  of 
  Cape 
  Cod 
  Light. 
  Some 
  instances 
  

   of 
  capture 
  indicate 
  that 
  under 
  certain 
  conditions 
  the 
  adults 
  may 
  

   remain 
  in 
  the 
  fresh-water 
  rivers 
  a 
  whole 
  year. 
  In 
  November, 
  1890, 
  600 
  

   were 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Potomac 
  

   in 
  considerable 
  abundance 
  in 
  August 
  and 
  September, 
  and 
  even 
  during 
  

   the 
  last 
  week 
  in 
  December. 
  Its 
  movements 
  are 
  largely 
  controlled 
  by 
  

   the 
  water 
  temiDcrature. 
  It 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  it 
  aims 
  to 
  occupy 
  a 
  hydro- 
  

   thermal 
  area 
  of 
  certain 
  temperature; 
  that 
  its 
  migrations 
  are 
  determined 
  

   by 
  the 
  shifting 
  of 
  this 
  area, 
  and 
  that 
  this 
  temperature 
  is 
  between 
  60° 
  

   and 
  70°. 
  

  

  SHAD 
  IN 
  THE 
  RIVERS. 
  

  

  The 
  annual 
  migration 
  of 
  the 
  shad 
  from 
  the 
  ocean 
  to 
  the 
  rivers 
  is 
  

   for 
  the 
  sole 
  purpose 
  of 
  reproduction. 
  It 
  ascends 
  to 
  suitable 
  spawning- 
  

   grounds, 
  which 
  are 
  invariably 
  in 
  fresh 
  water, 
  occupying 
  several 
  weeks 
  

   in 
  depositing 
  and 
  fertilizing 
  its 
  eggs 
  in 
  any 
  given 
  stream. 
  

  

  Its 
  migrations 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  are 
  in 
  quite 
  a 
  regular 
  succession 
  of 
  

   time 
  with 
  relation 
  to 
  latitude. 
  It 
  first 
  appears 
  in 
  the 
  St. 
  Johns 
  Eiver, 
  

  

  