﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  45 
  

  

  Tlie 
  collection 
  of 
  eggs 
  commenced 
  in 
  April 
  aud 
  ended 
  on 
  June 
  17, 
  

   resulting 
  in 
  the 
  procurement 
  of 
  04,362,000. 
  This 
  exceeded 
  the 
  take 
  of 
  

   any 
  previous 
  year 
  excepting 
  1888 
  and 
  1895, 
  when 
  the 
  collections 
  

   amounted 
  to 
  81,170,000 
  and 
  66,055,000, 
  respectively. 
  The 
  quality 
  of 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  was 
  exceedingly 
  poor, 
  however, 
  probably 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  

   temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  which 
  prevailed 
  throughout 
  the 
  season. 
  They 
  

   were 
  derived 
  from 
  5 
  haul 
  seines 
  and 
  121 
  gill 
  nets, 
  the 
  seines 
  producing 
  

   8,477,000. 
  Of 
  eggs 
  collected 
  from 
  shad 
  caught 
  in 
  gill 
  nets, 
  33,234,000 
  

   were 
  taken 
  by 
  8 
  gillers, 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  4,154,000 
  to 
  each 
  man. 
  The 
  other 
  

   gillers 
  employed 
  averaged 
  only 
  about 
  204,000. 
  These 
  men 
  operated 
  

   within 
  sight 
  of 
  the 
  station 
  and 
  within 
  a 
  radius 
  of 
  2 
  miles. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  were 
  held 
  at 
  Bryan 
  Point 
  from 
  12 
  to 
  36 
  hours 
  and 
  then 
  

   IJacked 
  on 
  wire 
  trays 
  overlaid 
  with 
  wet 
  cloths 
  and 
  shipped 
  to 
  Central 
  

   Station 
  by 
  the 
  Washington 
  aud 
  Mount 
  Vernon 
  boat. 
  Transfers 
  were 
  

   made 
  daily 
  from 
  April 
  22 
  to 
  Juno 
  17, 
  except 
  on 
  May 
  17 
  and 
  30 
  and 
  

   June 
  7 
  and 
  14. 
  The 
  shipments 
  in 
  April 
  amounted 
  to 
  19,817,000; 
  in 
  

   May 
  31,572,000, 
  and 
  in 
  June 
  13,399,000, 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  2,202,000 
  per 
  

   day 
  in 
  April, 
  1,018,000 
  in 
  May, 
  and 
  788,000 
  in 
  June. 
  

  

  The 
  force 
  was 
  reduced 
  on 
  May 
  23, 
  when 
  the 
  services 
  of 
  the 
  tug 
  were 
  

   discontinued, 
  and 
  again 
  on 
  the 
  29th, 
  only 
  a 
  sufficient 
  number 
  t>f 
  men 
  

   being 
  retained 
  to 
  store 
  the 
  property 
  and 
  attend 
  the 
  gillers 
  operating 
  

   within 
  easy 
  distance 
  of 
  the 
  station; 
  that 
  is, 
  between 
  Mount 
  Vernon 
  

   Pier 
  and 
  River 
  View. 
  

  

  The 
  cost 
  of 
  making 
  collections 
  this 
  season 
  amounted 
  to 
  only 
  !5^47 
  per 
  

   1,000,000, 
  whereas 
  the 
  average 
  cost 
  in 
  previous 
  seasons 
  has 
  been 
  about 
  

   $80 
  per 
  1,000,000. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  during 
  the 
  entire 
  season 
  were 
  poor 
  in 
  (puility, 
  and 
  were 
  

   inferior 
  to 
  any 
  taken 
  in 
  previous 
  years. 
  Only 
  44,000,000 
  of 
  those 
  col- 
  

   lected 
  were 
  delivered 
  at 
  Central 
  Station, 
  and 
  the 
  total 
  loss, 
  amounting 
  

   to 
  43 
  per 
  cent, 
  was 
  increased 
  by 
  the 
  accidental 
  destruction 
  of 
  3,000,000 
  

   eggs 
  and 
  fry 
  in 
  Central 
  Station. 
  From 
  1885 
  to 
  1892 
  the 
  difference 
  

   between 
  the 
  eggs 
  collected 
  and 
  the 
  output 
  from 
  Central 
  Station 
  ranged 
  

   from 
  11.44 
  to. 
  41 
  i)er 
  cent, 
  the 
  average 
  loss 
  being 
  25.47 
  per 
  cent. 
  Of 
  

   this, 
  14.94 
  per 
  cent 
  represented 
  the 
  loss 
  from 
  time 
  of 
  collection 
  to 
  

   delivery 
  at 
  ( 
  'eutral 
  Station, 
  and 
  10.53 
  per 
  cent 
  the 
  subsequent 
  loss 
  in 
  

   hatching. 
  The 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  run 
  of 
  shad 
  ai)peared 
  on 
  a 
  rapidly 
  ascend- 
  

   ing 
  temperature, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  of 
  ])o()r 
  vitality 
  

   when 
  taken, 
  as 
  the 
  rise 
  in 
  temperature 
  M'as 
  greater 
  than 
  had 
  been 
  

   recorded 
  in 
  11 
  years 
  preceding. 
  The 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  at 
  the 
  

   station 
  registered 
  46° 
  on 
  April 
  10, 
  48° 
  on 
  the 
  12th, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  21st, 
  

   when 
  large 
  collections 
  were 
  being 
  made, 
  it 
  reached 
  71'^, 
  a 
  rise 
  of 
  25"^ 
  in 
  

   ten 
  days. 
  Though 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  shad 
  was 
  enormous 
  up 
  to 
  and 
  including 
  

   April 
  21, 
  after 
  which 
  it 
  commenced 
  falling 
  off, 
  the 
  total 
  catch 
  probably 
  

   fell 
  short 
  50 
  per 
  cent, 
  the 
  season 
  being 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  uni)rofitablc 
  

   ever 
  known 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  river 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen. 
  Seines 
  which 
  took 
  

   150,000 
  shad 
  in 
  1895 
  took 
  only 
  30,000 
  in 
  1896. 
  

  

  