﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISn 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  XCI 
  

  

  Number 
  of 
  shad 
  fry 
  planted 
  in 
  the 
  Potomac 
  River 
  at 
  Fort 
  Washington 
  

  

  Station 
  1,000,000 
  

  

  Number 
  hatched 
  and 
  distributed 
  from 
  Central 
  Station 
  14, 
  53l 
  ; 
  000 
  

  

  Total 
  product 
  for 
  distribution 
  from 
  Potomac 
  River 
  stations 
  15,531,000 
  

  

  The 
  average 
  loss 
  from 
  impregnation 
  to 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  hatching 
  was 
  31 
  per 
  cent. 
  

   The 
  average 
  loss 
  during 
  incubation 
  at 
  Central 
  Station 
  was 
  10 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  The 
  cost 
  of 
  production 
  was, 
  in 
  round 
  numbers, 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  $330 
  for 
  

   each 
  million 
  shad 
  fry 
  furnished 
  for 
  distribution, 
  or 
  more 
  than 
  30 
  young 
  

   shad 
  for 
  each 
  cent 
  of 
  expenditure. 
  

  

  Battery 
  Station. 
  — 
  This 
  station 
  was 
  continued 
  under 
  the 
  superintend- 
  

   ence 
  of 
  Mr. 
  William 
  Hamlen 
  much 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  1884. 
  Advantage 
  was 
  

   taken 
  of 
  every 
  opportunity 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  work 
  successful, 
  and 
  although 
  

   the 
  results 
  of 
  1885 
  were 
  almost 
  three 
  times 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   vious 
  season, 
  the 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  station 
  was 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  developed 
  to 
  

   its 
  utmost. 
  

  

  The 
  system 
  followed 
  in 
  1884, 
  of 
  fishing 
  the 
  seine 
  by 
  contract, 
  not 
  hav- 
  

   ing 
  resulted 
  so 
  satisfactorily 
  as 
  was 
  hoped, 
  a 
  different 
  plan 
  was 
  adopted 
  

   and 
  the 
  seine 
  was 
  operated 
  under 
  the 
  direct 
  management 
  of 
  employees 
  

   of 
  the 
  Commission, 
  an 
  experienced 
  fisherman 
  being 
  engaged 
  to 
  act 
  as 
  

   captaiu 
  of 
  the 
  seine. 
  

  

  The 
  season 
  was 
  unusually 
  backward, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  prolonged 
  presence 
  

   of 
  ice 
  in 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  time 
  during 
  the 
  earlier 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season, 
  

   however, 
  was 
  occupied 
  in 
  removing 
  obstructions 
  from 
  the 
  seine-hauls 
  

   and 
  in 
  getting 
  ready 
  for 
  the 
  season's 
  operations. 
  Frequent 
  storms, 
  the 
  

   muddy 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  and 
  the 
  troublesome 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  apron 
  

   upon 
  which 
  the 
  seine 
  was 
  landed 
  were 
  all 
  influential 
  in 
  keeping 
  the 
  

   catch 
  of 
  shad 
  below 
  what 
  was 
  anticipated. 
  The 
  first 
  haul 
  of 
  the 
  seine 
  

   was 
  made 
  on 
  April 
  16, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  thereafter 
  worked 
  regularly 
  and 
  

   thoroughly 
  until 
  the 
  27th 
  of 
  May, 
  during 
  which 
  period 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  

   nine 
  hauls 
  were 
  made 
  ; 
  the 
  total 
  catch 
  of 
  shad 
  was 
  3,512, 
  only 
  42 
  being 
  

   ripe 
  females. 
  During 
  the 
  entire 
  season, 
  which 
  ended 
  on 
  June 
  11, 
  the 
  

   total 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  seine, 
  from 
  gillers, 
  and 
  from 
  

   other 
  sources 
  was 
  13,357,000. 
  From 
  these, 
  10,292,000 
  fry 
  were 
  hatched 
  

   and 
  433,000 
  were 
  received 
  from 
  the 
  steamer 
  Lookout, 
  making 
  a 
  total 
  

   of 
  10,725,000 
  ; 
  of 
  which, 
  5,044,000 
  were 
  planted 
  in 
  local 
  waters, 
  and 
  

   5,681,000 
  were 
  shipped 
  away 
  by 
  car 
  and 
  messenger 
  service 
  and 
  deposited 
  

   in 
  various 
  suitable 
  localities. 
  

  

  Experiments 
  were 
  repeated 
  this 
  season 
  in 
  confining 
  unripe 
  shad 
  in 
  

   the 
  pool, 
  but 
  with 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  success. 
  At 
  intervals 
  the 
  shad 
  were 
  re- 
  

   moved 
  and 
  examined, 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  proving 
  utterly 
  unsatisfactory, 
  

   while 
  the 
  few 
  eggs 
  taken 
  refused 
  to 
  hatch. 
  A 
  troublesome 
  feature 
  was 
  

   noticed 
  in 
  this 
  connection, 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  

   hatching-jars 
  being 
  pumped 
  from 
  this 
  pool. 
  The 
  pollution 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  

   in 
  the 
  pool 
  caused 
  such 
  danger 
  to 
  the 
  eggs 
  in 
  process 
  of 
  hatching 
  that 
  

   finally 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  allowed 
  to 
  escape, 
  after 
  which 
  the 
  eggs 
  resumed 
  

   their 
  normal 
  condition. 
  This 
  difficulty 
  could 
  be 
  obviated, 
  of 
  course, 
  

  

  