﻿XCIV 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  thing 
  for 
  farmers 
  to 
  haul 
  away 
  a 
  wagon-load 
  of 
  small 
  shad 
  intercepted 
  by 
  and 
  drowned 
  

   in 
  those 
  deadly 
  fish-baskets, 
  and 
  use 
  them 
  for 
  fertilizing 
  purposes. 
  It 
  is 
  to 
  this 
  more 
  

   than 
  to 
  any 
  other 
  single 
  cause 
  that 
  the 
  gradual 
  and 
  steady 
  decline 
  in 
  the 
  shad 
  yield 
  

   of 
  the 
  Delaware 
  is 
  attributable. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  people 
  living 
  along 
  the 
  river 
  were 
  as 
  fully 
  alive 
  to 
  their 
  own 
  and 
  the 
  ger 
  eral 
  

   public 
  interest 
  as 
  they 
  should 
  be, 
  they 
  would 
  at 
  once 
  and 
  forever 
  rid 
  themselves 
  of 
  

   those 
  most 
  indefensible 
  violations 
  of 
  statute 
  law 
  ; 
  for 
  the 
  law 
  expressly 
  condemns 
  and 
  

   forbids 
  them. 
  If 
  the 
  State 
  fish 
  commissioners 
  were 
  provided 
  with 
  the 
  means 
  where- 
  

   with 
  to 
  compensate 
  wardens, 
  the 
  evil 
  could 
  be 
  remedied 
  ; 
  or 
  if 
  the 
  sheriffs 
  and 
  con- 
  

   stables 
  of 
  the 
  counties 
  bordering 
  on 
  the 
  river 
  had 
  proper 
  respect 
  for 
  their 
  sworn 
  

   obligations, 
  the 
  outrages 
  could 
  be 
  prevented. 
  Possibly 
  the 
  legislature 
  will 
  in 
  its 
  wis- 
  

   dom 
  grant 
  the 
  appropriation 
  asked 
  for 
  by 
  our 
  board 
  of 
  State 
  fish 
  commissioners, 
  in 
  

   in 
  which 
  event 
  fish-baskets 
  will 
  have 
  short 
  leases. 
  

  

  But 
  for 
  the 
  restocking 
  of 
  the 
  Delaware 
  by*the 
  commissioners 
  already 
  referred 
  to 
  

   the 
  shad 
  supply 
  of 
  that 
  river 
  would 
  be 
  much 
  less 
  than 
  it 
  is. 
  With 
  additional 
  hatch- 
  

   ing 
  facilities, 
  with 
  a 
  proper 
  observance 
  and 
  a 
  somewhat 
  more 
  extended 
  close 
  season, 
  

   and 
  the 
  complete 
  abolishing 
  of 
  illegal 
  fishing, 
  that 
  supply 
  would 
  certainly 
  bo 
  quad- 
  

   rupled. 
  It 
  requires 
  little 
  calculation 
  to 
  demonstrate 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  result 
  would 
  prove 
  

   hundreds 
  of 
  thousands 
  of 
  dollars 
  in 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  States 
  of 
  Pennsylvania 
  and 
  New 
  

   Jersey. 
  

  

  Allow 
  me 
  to 
  say 
  in 
  conclusion, 
  then, 
  that 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  Philadelphia, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   those 
  residing 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  Delaware, 
  from 
  its 
  mouth 
  to 
  its 
  source, 
  owe 
  a 
  large 
  

   debt 
  of 
  gratitude 
  to 
  Prof. 
  Spencer 
  F. 
  Baird, 
  of 
  tho 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  for 
  the 
  

   unselfish 
  and 
  happily 
  successful 
  efforts 
  he 
  and 
  his 
  assistants 
  have 
  been 
  and 
  are 
  

   making 
  in 
  the 
  behalf 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  interests 
  of 
  that 
  stream. 
  The 
  sending 
  of 
  the 
  

   Fish 
  Hawk 
  into 
  the 
  Delaware, 
  the 
  hatching 
  of 
  shad 
  on 
  board 
  of 
  her, 
  and 
  the 
  shipping 
  

   to 
  and 
  planting 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  fry 
  in 
  its 
  upper 
  waters, 
  which 
  are 
  the 
  natural 
  spawning- 
  

   grounds 
  of 
  the 
  shad, 
  are 
  kindnesses 
  and 
  compliments 
  meriting 
  much 
  higher 
  appreci- 
  

   ation 
  than 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  accorded 
  them 
  by 
  the 
  general 
  public. 
  

  

  The 
  Lambertville 
  Station. 
  — 
  Car 
  No. 
  3, 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  J. 
  Frank 
  Ellis, 
  with 
  

   complete 
  shad-hatching 
  apparatus, 
  arrived 
  here 
  about 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  June 
  

   and 
  a 
  temporary 
  station 
  was 
  established. 
  It 
  met 
  with 
  fair 
  success 
  

   during 
  its 
  stay, 
  and 
  left 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  July. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  first 
  

   time 
  auy 
  of 
  the 
  cars 
  of 
  this 
  Commission 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  shad 
  

   hatchery. 
  

  

  Experiments 
  in 
  raising 
  shad 
  in 
  the 
  carp 
  -ponds 
  at 
  Washington. 
  — 
  On 
  June 
  

   14. 
  1885, 
  a 
  lot 
  of 
  just 
  hatched 
  young 
  shad, 
  brought 
  over 
  from 
  Central 
  

   Station 
  in 
  eight 
  fish-cans, 
  was 
  planted 
  in 
  the 
  northwestern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   west 
  pond, 
  in 
  the 
  so-called 
  old 
  canal. 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  pond, 
  which 
  is 
  about 
  

   5 
  feet 
  deep 
  at 
  one 
  end, 
  were 
  kept 
  100 
  good-sized 
  carp 
  which 
  had 
  spawned 
  

   a 
  fortnight 
  before, 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  carp 
  were 
  in 
  excellent 
  condition. 
  

  

  On 
  July 
  20 
  the 
  first 
  young 
  shad 
  was 
  noticed, 
  which 
  was 
  then 
  about 
  

   half 
  an 
  inch 
  long. 
  Eight 
  days 
  later 
  they 
  were 
  from 
  three-fourths 
  to 
  one 
  

   inch 
  in 
  length 
  ; 
  on 
  August 
  14 
  they 
  were 
  from 
  2 
  to 
  2£ 
  inches 
  long 
  . 
  

   September 
  20, 
  from 
  3 
  to 
  4 
  inches 
  ; 
  and 
  October 
  1, 
  from 
  4 
  to 
  4£ 
  inches 
  

   in 
  length. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  summer 
  almost 
  no 
  fish 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  during 
  the 
  daytime; 
  

   but 
  after 
  sunset, 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  seeking 
  for 
  food, 
  hundreds 
  were 
  vis- 
  

   ible 
  jumping 
  about, 
  sometimes 
  leaping 
  about 
  a 
  foot 
  out 
  of 
  water, 
  catch- 
  

   ing 
  mosquitoes 
  and 
  small 
  flies. 
  

  

  