104 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



One of the most popular kiiuLs of fishes in America is the shad, or 

 ^^stamsild," which forty or fifty years ago was caught by the million in 

 many bays and mouths of rivers. As soon as there was talk of restoring 

 the depleted fisheries to their former magnitude, it was resolved, among 

 other things, that they should also try the shad, both because it is a 

 favorite article and because it multiplies rapidly. An experienced cult- 

 urist, Mr. Seth Green, was taken into the service of the government and 

 began the experiments. At the first hatching the eggs yielded only 2 

 per cent, of young ; later it advanced to 70 per cent., and increased to 

 99. This was regarded as a triumi^h, because this high percentage of 

 young hatched out was greater than ever was seen or hoped for, and it 

 was also among the first great attempts with the herring kind. During 

 a period of twenty days 40,000,000 or young shad were liberated at the 

 mouth of the Connecticut River. Xo one knows in what time this fry 

 will become mature or return to its nurser3\ Some think it will be about 

 five years ; others, a much shorter time. The next summer they began 

 to hatch a new brood, and after an attempt of twenty days the summer 

 heat became too strong for the eggs (they had already gained experience 

 as to what temperature the young should have), and they concluded 

 their work after having lil)erated 60,000,000 of living shad-fry. The 

 following year they wished to await the result of the 100,000,000 l)efore 

 intrusting much money to the sea. The fourth year the people were 

 highly surprised. It was three years since the first young shad were set 

 free, and as early as the close of May it was reported that for twenty 

 years such shoals of shad had not been seen approaching the land, and 

 vessels which had come through the neighboring sound reported also 

 great schools which stood towards the mouth of the river. The next day 

 there was reported from five different fishing-places an unusually large 

 catch of shad and from the rest that the fishing was remarkable. It 

 continued to be great the whole fishing-season through, and the fish 

 were large and good. By a comparison of this year's catch with that of 

 previous years, it is found that this year's greatest haul yielded about 

 CO per cent, larger profits than ever before reported. The State's (Con- 

 necticut's) fish commissioner did not stop with this ; the result had indeed 

 been good, and they continued to set free the young and then capture 

 the adult. In the two following years 156,000,000 eggs were taken and 

 impregnated. Many States followed the example, and there will be 

 planted yearly millions of shad-fry, carefully hatched, for the enriching 

 of the fishery of the coast and in the rivers. 



An interesting experiment was und.ertaken with shad in 1871. This 

 fish was never seen in California or on the Pacific coast. In the year 

 mentioned upward of 20,000 young shad were sent there and set free at 

 Sacramento. They wished to introduce shad into a sea entirely new to 

 them, and submit them to the experiment as to whether they would live 

 there, and whether they would return to the place where they were lib- 

 erated. The 20,000 shad disappeared in the deep in 1871 ; two years 



