﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  LXXXIX 
  

  

  thing 
  is 
  quickly 
  done 
  the 
  Sacramento 
  Eiver 
  will 
  soon 
  be 
  depleted 
  of 
  its 
  

   most 
  valuable 
  fish. 
  

  

  n. 
  The 
  Shad 
  (Clupea 
  sapidissima). 
  

  

  The 
  Fort 
  Washington 
  Station. 
  — 
  For 
  the 
  two 
  years 
  previous 
  to 
  the 
  sea- 
  

   son 
  of 
  1885 
  the 
  eggs 
  collected 
  from 
  shad 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Fort 
  

   Washington 
  were 
  transferred 
  to 
  Central 
  Station, 
  in 
  Washington 
  City, 
  

   where 
  they 
  were 
  hatched 
  and 
  whence 
  the 
  young 
  fry 
  were 
  distributed 
  to 
  

   suitable 
  waters. 
  In 
  February 
  of 
  1885 
  this 
  work 
  was 
  reorganized 
  under 
  

   the 
  direction 
  of 
  Col. 
  Marshall 
  McDouald, 
  who 
  made 
  Fort 
  Washington 
  

   the 
  headquarters 
  of 
  the 
  collecting 
  force, 
  where 
  all 
  the 
  eggs 
  taken 
  were 
  

   held 
  pending 
  convenient 
  transportation 
  to 
  Central 
  Station 
  on 
  the 
  river 
  

   steamers. 
  

  

  An 
  inspection 
  of 
  the 
  Fort 
  Washington 
  Station 
  showed 
  the 
  desirability 
  

   of 
  an 
  additional 
  building 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  exclusively 
  for 
  holding 
  the 
  eggs 
  and 
  

   keeping 
  them 
  in 
  good 
  condition 
  until 
  shipped. 
  Accordingly 
  such 
  a 
  

   building, 
  16 
  by 
  22 
  feet, 
  was 
  erected, 
  and 
  equipped 
  in 
  time 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  

   first 
  eggs 
  taken. 
  Mr. 
  James 
  Carswell 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  im 
  mediate 
  charge 
  

   of 
  the 
  station, 
  and 
  on 
  March 
  30 
  took 
  possession 
  with 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  his 
  force, 
  

   the 
  others 
  being 
  called 
  in 
  as 
  the 
  season 
  advanced 
  and 
  the 
  work 
  required 
  

   it. 
  By 
  April 
  5 
  the 
  station 
  was 
  fitted 
  for 
  service, 
  but 
  there 
  being 
  no 
  shad 
  

   in 
  the 
  river 
  the 
  seine 
  was 
  not 
  regularly 
  fished 
  till 
  the 
  16th, 
  and 
  no 
  eggs 
  

   taken 
  till 
  the 
  20th, 
  when 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  was 
  still 
  low 
  (52° 
  

   Fahr.). 
  After 
  that 
  date 
  the 
  temperature 
  steadily 
  rose, 
  and 
  up 
  to 
  May 
  

   28 
  an 
  average 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  was 
  taken 
  daily, 
  after 
  which 
  date 
  there 
  

   was 
  a 
  gradual 
  decrease 
  until 
  the 
  5th 
  of 
  June, 
  when 
  the 
  last 
  eggs 
  k 
  r 
  the 
  

   season 
  were 
  obtained. 
  The 
  total 
  of 
  22,576,000 
  shad 
  eggs 
  were 
  obtained 
  

   during 
  theseason, 
  more 
  being 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  seine 
  at 
  

   the 
  station 
  than 
  from 
  any 
  other 
  source, 
  while 
  the 
  largest 
  am 
  ounts 
  for 
  the 
  

   season 
  were 
  taken 
  on 
  May 
  5 
  and 
  6, 
  over 
  three 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  millions 
  of 
  eggs 
  

   being 
  secured^on 
  those 
  two 
  dates. 
  From 
  eggs 
  retained 
  at 
  the 
  station 
  

   1,000,000 
  fry 
  were 
  hatched 
  and 
  planted 
  in 
  the 
  Potomac. 
  The 
  gillers 
  

   and 
  the 
  fishermen 
  at 
  the 
  differeut 
  shores 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  rendered 
  valu- 
  

   able 
  assistance, 
  having 
  furnished 
  over 
  15,000,000 
  eggs, 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  no- 
  

   ticed 
  that 
  for 
  the 
  entire 
  season 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  females 
  was 
  considerably 
  

   in 
  excess 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  males, 
  the 
  proportion 
  being 
  54.3 
  per 
  cent; 
  

   while 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  ripe 
  females 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  females 
  taken 
  was 
  

   17 
  per 
  cent. 
  Also 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  stated, 
  as 
  generally 
  applicable 
  to 
  the 
  shad 
  

   in 
  the 
  Potomac, 
  that 
  the 
  average 
  yield 
  of 
  eggs 
  per 
  ripe 
  female 
  *vas 
  

   28,888. 
  

  

  Central 
  Station. 
  — 
  After 
  the 
  eggs 
  had 
  been 
  held 
  at 
  Fort 
  Washington 
  

   for 
  periods 
  varying 
  from 
  twelve 
  to 
  thirty-six 
  hours, 
  they 
  were 
  forwarded 
  

   to 
  the 
  Central 
  Station 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  a 
  special 
  messenger. 
  The 
  total 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  eggs 
  thus 
  forwarded 
  was 
  21,010,001); 
  of 
  which 
  n 
  umber. 
  1 
  6,536,000 
  

   reached 
  the 
  station 
  in 
  good 
  condition, 
  and 
  yielded 
  14,791,000 
  fry 
  for 
  

   distribution. 
  The 
  aggregate 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  received 
  at 
  this 
  station 
  

  

  