﻿138 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  YOUNGr 
  SHAD. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Middle 
  States 
  tlie 
  young 
  fish 
  remain 
  iu 
  tlie 
  rivers, 
  feeding 
  

   and 
  growing, 
  until 
  the 
  cool 
  weather 
  of 
  fall 
  comes 
  on. 
  They 
  then 
  

   begin 
  to 
  drop 
  downstream, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  November 
  have 
  passed 
  

   out 
  into 
  the 
  ocean 
  or 
  bays, 
  and 
  are 
  lost 
  sight 
  of 
  until 
  they 
  come 
  back 
  

   three 
  or 
  four 
  years 
  after, 
  full-grown 
  and 
  ready 
  to 
  spawn. 
  They 
  leave 
  

   the 
  Potomac 
  River 
  when 
  the 
  water 
  falls 
  to 
  about 
  40°. 
  By 
  that 
  time 
  

   they 
  are 
  about 
  3 
  inches 
  long. 
  For 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  years 
  they 
  

   have 
  been 
  observed 
  in 
  great 
  abundance 
  about 
  Bryan 
  Point, 
  feeding 
  and 
  

   jumping 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  about 
  sunset. 
  They 
  keep 
  within 
  the 
  open 
  

   streak 
  of 
  water 
  between 
  the 
  sliores 
  and 
  the 
  water-grass 
  which 
  covers 
  

   the 
  fiats, 
  in 
  water 
  2 
  to 
  5 
  feet 
  deep. 
  After 
  mild 
  winters 
  young 
  shad 
  have 
  

   been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Potomac 
  River 
  in 
  April, 
  30 
  miles 
  above 
  brackish 
  

   water 
  and 
  160 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  ocean, 
  associated 
  with 
  young 
  alewives 
  and 
  

   sturgeon. 
  Some 
  immature 
  shad, 
  aj)parently 
  2 
  years 
  old, 
  are 
  caught 
  

   each 
  year 
  in 
  seines 
  operated 
  in 
  the 
  fresh 
  water 
  of 
  tlie 
  Potomac 
  River, 
  

   and 
  undersized 
  shad 
  are 
  frequently 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  rivers, 
  

   where 
  the 
  tidal 
  waters 
  are 
  of 
  little 
  length. 
  

  

  COMMERCIAL 
  VALUE. 
  

  

  The 
  shad 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  palatable 
  and 
  X)opular 
  of 
  fishes. 
  Its 
  

   flesh 
  is 
  rich, 
  but 
  not 
  oily, 
  and 
  the 
  roe 
  is 
  considered 
  a 
  delicacy. 
  It 
  is 
  

   the 
  most 
  valuable 
  river 
  fish 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast, 
  and, 
  next 
  to 
  the 
  

   Pacific 
  salmon, 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  species 
  inhabiting 
  the 
  fresh 
  waters 
  

   of 
  North 
  America. 
  In 
  every 
  Atlantic 
  State 
  from 
  New 
  Jersey 
  to 
  Florida, 
  

   inclusive, 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  valuable 
  fish, 
  and 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  it 
  is 
  second 
  only 
  

   to 
  the 
  bluefish. 
  Among 
  all 
  the 
  economic 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   only 
  the 
  salmon 
  and 
  cod 
  exceed 
  it 
  in 
  value, 
  and, 
  considering 
  all 
  branches 
  

   of 
  the 
  fishing 
  industry, 
  only 
  the 
  whale 
  fishery 
  and 
  the 
  oyster 
  fishery, 
  

   besides 
  the 
  foregoing, 
  are 
  financially 
  more 
  important 
  than 
  the 
  shad. 
  

  

  In 
  1896 
  the 
  shad 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  seaboard 
  numbered 
  13,145,395 
  

   fish, 
  weighing 
  50,847,967 
  pounds, 
  and 
  worth 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen 
  $1,656,580. 
  

   The 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  shad 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  States 
  in 
  1895 
  was 
  $5,600, 
  a 
  

   sum 
  representing 
  366,000 
  pounds. 
  

  

  EARLY 
  ATTEMPTS 
  AT 
  SHAD-CULTURE. 
  

  

  The 
  systematic 
  development 
  and 
  extension 
  of 
  shad-culture 
  were 
  

   undertaken 
  with 
  the 
  definite 
  purpose 
  of 
  testing 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  artificial 
  

   propagation 
  in 
  maintaining 
  an 
  important 
  fishery 
  which 
  was 
  being 
  

   rapidly 
  depleted. 
  As 
  early 
  as 
  1848 
  shad 
  eggs 
  were 
  artificially 
  taken 
  

   and 
  fertilized, 
  and 
  in 
  1867 
  more 
  extensive 
  experiments 
  were 
  made 
  on 
  

   the 
  Connecticut 
  River, 
  and 
  later 
  on 
  the 
  Potomac, 
  with 
  encouraging 
  

   results. 
  The 
  attention 
  of 
  many 
  States 
  was 
  thus 
  attracted 
  to 
  the 
  work, 
  

   and 
  in 
  1872 
  it 
  was 
  taken 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  general 
  government. 
  Prior 
  to 
  the 
  

   experiments 
  on 
  the 
  Connecticut, 
  certain 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  salmon 
  family 
  

   had 
  been 
  principally 
  dealt 
  with 
  in 
  fish-culture, 
  and 
  different 
  methods 
  

   from 
  those 
  in 
  use 
  were 
  necessary 
  for 
  shad-hatching, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  less 
  

   specific 
  gravity 
  of 
  shad 
  ova 
  and 
  the 
  much 
  shorter 
  period 
  of 
  time 
  

   required 
  for 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  the 
  egg. 
  

  

  