﻿44 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  ill 
  the 
  north 
  pond 
  30 
  breeders 
  were 
  put 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  south 
  

   pond, 
  Avhich 
  had 
  been 
  partitioned 
  off 
  as 
  a 
  spawning-bed. 
  They 
  com- 
  

   menced 
  building 
  nests 
  on 
  April 
  25, 
  and 
  young 
  bass 
  were 
  noticed 
  on 
  

   May 
  13. 
  Although 
  every 
  effort 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  secure 
  good 
  results 
  from 
  

   this 
  species, 
  the 
  indications 
  are 
  that 
  the 
  total 
  output 
  will 
  not 
  exceed 
  

   two 
  or 
  three 
  thousand. 
  Attempts 
  Avere 
  made 
  to 
  remove 
  the 
  young 
  fisli 
  

   from 
  the 
  ponds 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  method 
  employed 
  with 
  the 
  large-mouthed 
  

   species, 
  that 
  is, 
  with 
  tine-meshed 
  seines, 
  but 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  

   only 
  a 
  few 
  si)ecimens 
  had 
  been 
  caught. 
  It 
  is 
  thought 
  that 
  the 
  poor 
  

   success 
  with 
  this 
  species 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  high 
  temjierature 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  

   They 
  were 
  fed 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  material 
  as 
  the 
  large-mouthed 
  bass, 
  namely, 
  

   natural 
  food 
  in 
  the 
  ponds 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  stages, 
  then 
  young 
  car}), 
  and 
  

   afterwards 
  finely 
  chopped 
  fish. 
  

  

  Shad. 
  — 
  During 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  October 
  the 
  shad 
  fry 
  which 
  had 
  

   been 
  placed 
  iu 
  the 
  west 
  pond 
  in 
  April, 
  1895, 
  were 
  liberated. 
  It 
  is 
  

   impracticable 
  to 
  count 
  these 
  fish, 
  but 
  the 
  number 
  liberated 
  was 
  esti 
  

   mated 
  at 
  1,000,000. 
  They 
  had 
  attained 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  5 
  inches 
  

   and 
  were 
  apparently 
  strong, 
  healthy 
  fish, 
  having 
  had 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   food 
  throughout 
  the 
  summer. 
  In 
  liberating 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  Potomac 
  they 
  

   were 
  i^ermitted 
  to 
  pass 
  out 
  the 
  gates 
  gradually 
  at 
  night, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  

   that 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  immense 
  schools 
  of 
  white 
  and 
  

   yellow 
  perch 
  lying 
  outside 
  the 
  gate 
  if 
  liberated 
  during 
  the 
  day. 
  The 
  

   pond 
  was 
  left 
  bare 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  destroy 
  noxious 
  weeds 
  

   and 
  plants. 
  

  

  Between 
  April 
  25 
  and 
  28, 
  189G, 
  2,333,000 
  fry 
  were 
  introduced 
  into 
  the 
  

   pond. 
  At 
  the 
  cl 
  se 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  large 
  numbers 
  could 
  be 
  seen, 
  though 
  

   they 
  had 
  not 
  attained 
  as 
  large 
  size 
  as 
  iu 
  past 
  seasons. 
  

  

  Bryan 
  Point 
  Statiox, 
  Maryland 
  (S. 
  G. 
  AVorth, 
  Superintendent). 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  view 
  to 
  increasing 
  the 
  output 
  of 
  shad 
  fry, 
  the 
  allotment 
  for" 
  

   the 
  propagation 
  of 
  that 
  species 
  on 
  the 
  Potomac 
  was 
  increased 
  from 
  

   $•4,000 
  to 
  $6,000, 
  and 
  arrangements 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  push 
  the 
  work 
  to 
  its 
  

   utmost 
  capacity. 
  L. 
  G. 
  Harron, 
  superintendent 
  of 
  the 
  aquarium, 
  was 
  

   detailed 
  to 
  assist 
  in 
  the 
  work, 
  and 
  reported 
  for 
  duty 
  on 
  April 
  1. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  launch 
  Petrel, 
  which 
  .was 
  utilized 
  between 
  Bryan 
  

   Point 
  and 
  Alexandria, 
  a 
  steam 
  tug 
  was 
  chartered, 
  which, 
  willi 
  a 
  large 
  

   force 
  of 
  spawn-takers, 
  attended 
  the 
  gillers 
  and 
  seines 
  between 
  Guuston 
  

   and 
  Freestone 
  Point, 
  commencing 
  April 
  20, 
  and 
  covering 
  daily 
  about 
  

   15 
  miles, 
  until 
  May 
  23, 
  when 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  released 
  and 
  the 
  spawn- 
  

   takers 
  attached 
  to 
  it 
  discharged. 
  

  

  The 
  returns 
  from 
  this 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  were 
  disappointing 
  in 
  view 
  

   of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  third 
  of 
  the 
  funds 
  available 
  were 
  expended 
  

   here, 
  while 
  the 
  collections 
  amounted 
  to 
  only 
  15J 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  

   take. 
  A 
  like 
  result 
  may 
  be 
  experienced 
  any 
  season, 
  however, 
  as 
  the 
  

   spawning-grounds 
  of* 
  the 
  shad 
  vary 
  with 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  

   the 
  lateness 
  of 
  the 
  season. 
  This 
  year, 
  owing 
  to 
  absence 
  of 
  rain, 
  the 
  

   fresh 
  water 
  diminished 
  and 
  the 
  salt 
  water 
  backed 
  far 
  up 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  