REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



35 



SHAD FISHERIES. 



Hudson River. — The canvass of the shad fishery of the Hudson 

 extended from the mouth of the river to Hudson, in Cohunbia 

 County, N. Y., which is about the highest point to which commercial 

 fishing extends ; NeAv York Bay and Raritan Bay and its tributaries 

 were also included, although in recent years the catch of shad in 

 that section has been inconsiderable, owing probably to the great 

 amount of refuse discharged into tliese waters. 



In the river proper the apparatus of capture consists almost 

 entirely of gill nets, of which the majority are drifted. At Maiden, 

 in Ulster Count}', N. Y., where there are more drift nets fished than 

 at any other single place on the river, the catch was the largest in 

 six or eight years. The best drifting grounds, however, are in the 

 vicinity of Ehinebeck and Hj^de Park, the average take per net there 

 being larger than elsewhere. Only nine seines were operated for 

 shad along the entire river in 1910, and seine fishing has practically 

 been abandoned during recent years because the small hauls have not 

 justified the expense. Only stake gill nets are used along the New 

 Jersey shore of the Hudson, and the fishery is usually quite remuner- 

 ative, the catch in 1910 being fully up to the average for a number 

 of seasons. 



From the following condensed statistics it appears that the Hud- 

 son River shad fishery in 1910 yielded 228,251 shad, for which the 

 fishermen received $100,821. The catch was reported to be some- 

 what better than in the previous year, but the trend of the fishery 

 is downward. Compared with the year 1896, for example, the yield 

 of shad in 1910 fell off about two-thirds while the value increased 

 one-fourth. 



Statistics of the Shad Fishery of the Hudson River in New York and 

 New Jersey in 1910.^ 



1 These statistics include Lower New York Bay, and Raritan Bay and tributaries. 



