XXII -REPORT OF OPERATIONS AT THE SHAD-HATCHING STA- 

 TION ON BATTERY ISLAND, NEAR HAVRE DE GRACE, MD., 

 DURING THE SEASON OF 1886. 



By L. E. Grabill. 



The first run of shad was perceived on April 18, and 35 ripe shad 

 were taken on April 19. This run continued for a week, and was larger 

 in number than had been known for 20 years. Both shad and herring 

 came in enormous quantities. It was impossible to obtain the catch of 

 shad at the seines during this run. The catch of Mr. Osmond's seine in 

 shad for one day alone was more than 5,000. 



The collection of spawn for the station was done by men and boys 

 hired temporarily for the purpose. As many as 40 men and boys in 

 addition to the station's ordinary force were employed. These were 

 paid monthly wages, each being allowed $10 a month for subsistence. 

 It was endeavored to station men permanently at all the seines, and to 

 attend to as many gill-nets as possible. The men were graded as first 

 and second class spawn-takers, and apprentices. Besides these, boys 

 were used merely as oarsmen. 



Experience shows, however, that it will be better in the future to 

 employ 3 men to every boat, 2 of whom are apprentices ; these 2 to 

 take nightly turns at receiving instruction. Boys, unless quite large 

 and strong, cannot care for boats in a squall. Large as was the collect- 

 ing force it could not attend to more than one-half of the gilling boats 

 on nights when all of the fishermen were out. As a rule it was found 

 more profitable to attend gill-nets than seines. 



Collection was continued from April 19 to June 10, the total number 

 of eggs collected being 60,766,000. Of this number there were received 

 from the steamer Fish Hawk 2,099,000, and from the steamer Lookout 

 2,433,000, the total received from other sources thus being 4,532,000. 



The Commission's gill-nets were put in use during the latter part of 

 the season, there being no scarcity of male fish during the first part. 

 Notwithstanding the smaller mesh of the net, it was not noticed that 

 there was a large difference from other nets in the proportion of male 

 fish caught. The largest roe fish seen during the season was caught in 

 one of the Commission's small-mesh gill-nets. On a few occasions these 

 nets served a good purpose in supplying male fish for impregnating 

 eggs, but they did not supply these male fish nearly so often as they 

 were supplied from ordinary nets near at hand. The Commission's gill- 

 nets, being fished by expert fishermen, caught about as many fish, both 

 male and female, as most of the gill-nets fishing in the same locality. 



At the beginning of the season the hatching department was not pre- 

 pared to do the work that was forced upon it by the early and immense 



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