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  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Had 
  all 
  other 
  fisheries 
  furnished 
  an 
  equal 
  percentage 
  of 
  eggs, 
  the 
  

   annual 
  Potomac 
  collections 
  would 
  have 
  reached 
  about 
  300,000,000. 
  

   But 
  while 
  the 
  Fort 
  Washington 
  seine, 
  with 
  a 
  catch 
  of 
  10,000 
  shad, 
  gave 
  

   20,000,000 
  eggs, 
  and 
  another, 
  capturing 
  18,000, 
  gave 
  17,000,000, 
  a 
  third 
  

   catching 
  60,000 
  shad, 
  gave 
  only 
  1,000,000. 
  

  

  Eggs 
  taken 
  by 
  gill 
  fishermen 
  are 
  usually 
  superior 
  to 
  those 
  from 
  seines, 
  

   and 
  the 
  gillers 
  attach 
  enough 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  market 
  for 
  eggs 
  to 
  save 
  

   almost 
  all 
  within 
  reach. 
  At 
  the 
  commencement 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  many 
  of 
  

   them 
  secure 
  spawning-pans, 
  which 
  they 
  keep 
  in 
  their 
  boats, 
  taking 
  and 
  

   fertilizing 
  the 
  eggs 
  themselves, 
  and 
  when 
  accidentally 
  overlooked 
  by 
  

   the 
  regular 
  spawn-takers 
  they 
  sometimes 
  row 
  several 
  miles 
  to 
  bring 
  

   in 
  pans 
  of 
  eggs. 
  In 
  1896 
  a 
  giller 
  who 
  laid 
  out 
  his 
  net 
  with 
  the 
  special 
  

   object 
  of 
  securing 
  spawning 
  shad, 
  caught 
  3,300 
  fish 
  and 
  sold 
  over 
  

   6,000,000 
  eggs 
  to 
  the 
  Commission. 
  About 
  1,100 
  of 
  his 
  fish 
  were 
  roe 
  

   shad; 
  of 
  the 
  total, 
  about 
  6 
  per 
  cent 
  were 
  ripe; 
  of 
  the 
  1,100 
  roe, 
  about 
  

   20 
  per 
  cent 
  were 
  ripe. 
  

  

  The 
  average 
  catch 
  of 
  shad 
  by 
  the 
  gillers 
  who 
  sui)ply 
  eggs 
  is 
  1,600 
  to 
  

   1,800 
  per 
  season; 
  but 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  all 
  operate 
  specially 
  for 
  the 
  caj)ture 
  

   of 
  spawning 
  fish, 
  though 
  this 
  work 
  is 
  profitable 
  and 
  gillers 
  are 
  fast 
  

   turning 
  attention 
  to 
  it. 
  The 
  Fort 
  Washington 
  gilling 
  boats 
  furnish 
  on 
  

   an 
  average 
  about 
  1,000,000 
  eggs 
  each 
  a 
  season, 
  those 
  at 
  White 
  House 
  

   400,000, 
  Sandy 
  Bar 
  350,000, 
  Greenway 
  300,000, 
  and 
  Craney 
  Island 
  

   150,000, 
  the 
  average 
  being 
  about 
  500,000 
  per 
  boat. 
  

  

  Susquehanna 
  Biver. 
  — 
  The 
  shoal 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  of 
  Battery 
  

   Station 
  is 
  an 
  extensive 
  and 
  valuable 
  spawning-ground. 
  The 
  station 
  

   is 
  conveniently 
  situated 
  on 
  an 
  island 
  and 
  the 
  possibilities 
  in 
  egg- 
  

   collecting 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  almost 
  unlimited. 
  Hundreds 
  of 
  gill 
  fishermen 
  

   are 
  engaged 
  and 
  large 
  seines 
  are 
  operated 
  within 
  easy 
  distance. 
  In 
  

   1886 
  the 
  station 
  was 
  overrun 
  with 
  eggs 
  ; 
  170 
  universal 
  hatching-jars 
  

   and 
  58 
  cones 
  would 
  not 
  contain 
  them, 
  large 
  numbers 
  being 
  held 
  in 
  

   cylinders, 
  buckets, 
  and 
  pans. 
  In 
  1888 
  over 
  105,000,000 
  were 
  taken, 
  

   and 
  in 
  1889 
  7,600,000 
  were 
  obtained 
  in 
  one 
  night. 
  Both 
  egg-collecting 
  

   and 
  hatching 
  are 
  carried 
  on, 
  and 
  the 
  establishment 
  is 
  complete 
  in 
  itself. 
  

   There 
  is 
  no 
  transfer 
  of 
  the 
  eggs 
  except 
  for 
  occasional 
  car 
  shipments, 
  

   and 
  the 
  fry 
  are 
  carried 
  to 
  Havre 
  de 
  Grace 
  in 
  10-gallon 
  cans 
  for 
  railroad 
  

   transfer 
  to 
  the 
  places 
  of 
  deposit. 
  

  

  The 
  collections 
  at 
  this 
  station 
  amounted 
  to 
  45,983,000 
  eggs 
  in 
  1896 
  

   and 
  71,000,000 
  in 
  1897. 
  

  

  Belatvare 
  River. 
  — 
  The 
  steamer 
  Fish 
  HawJc 
  has 
  been 
  employed 
  in 
  shad- 
  

   hatching 
  on 
  this 
  river 
  nearly 
  every 
  season 
  since 
  1887, 
  the 
  egg-collecting 
  

   and 
  other 
  labor 
  being 
  performed 
  by 
  the 
  crew. 
  An 
  interesting 
  feature 
  of 
  

   the 
  work 
  is 
  the 
  large 
  yield 
  of 
  eggs 
  per 
  fish. 
  Eggs 
  from 
  this 
  river 
  have 
  

   been 
  saved 
  regularly 
  since 
  1887 
  from 
  seines, 
  but 
  the 
  available 
  product 
  

   among 
  the 
  gill 
  fishermen 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  fully 
  ascertained. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  collected 
  hy 
  the 
  Fish 
  Haivlc 
  numbered 
  37,8(4,000 
  in 
  1896 
  

   and 
  66,708,000 
  in 
  1897. 
  

  

  