114 American Fisheries Society 



Along the Choptank River from Hillsboro to Williston twelve 

 shad were taken per net in 1903 as compared with one in 1917. The 

 same ratio held good on the Tuckaho in the vicinity of Ridgley. 



This same ratio also held on the Chester River from Chester- 

 town to Millington, according to the testimony of twelve fishermen 

 of record. 



Along all these rivers the testimony of the men of record was 

 strengthened by the testimony of many men who fished years 

 ago, but not in recent years, and by other men who fished only 

 during recent years. 



During the spring of 1918 the writer spent a couple months 

 on the headwaters of Chesapeake Bay; on that part of the bay that 

 was long noted for the vast number of shad that collected there 

 each year to spawn; where the Bureau of Fisheries, years ago, 

 made such great records in the propagation of these fish. On 

 these beds years ago Callighan and Hogan, and over near Charles- 

 town, Barnes, operating large seines, frequently captured from 

 500 to 2,000 shad at a haul. Last spring parties operating a seine 

 more than a mile long on these same beds rarely took more than 

 two or three shad at a haul, while the largest single catch made 

 was but seventeen shad and many hauls were made when not a 

 single shad was taken. Just above Perryville, Md., on the Sus- 

 quehanna River, where for many years four seines have been 

 operated and where years ago each seine took from 1500 to 3,000 

 shad per season, last spring less than 200 shad per seine were 

 taken. The number taken in pound nets on these beds in recent 

 years has not exceeded one-twelfth as many as were annually 

 taken fifteen years ago. On these flats where, years ago, hundreds 

 of men drifted nets for shad and where catches of 200 and even 

 300 shad per night were made, last spring not more than twenty 

 men fished and they fished for shad only for a short period, for 

 shad were so scarce on these natural spawning beds that fishing 

 for them did not pay even at the exorbitant prices received. And 

 this was true in spite of the fact that all of these men set from 

 half a mile to more than a mile of net, as was done years 

 ago when such large catches were made. Catches of twenty 

 shad per mile of net were unusual and this at a time when 

 the very largest catches should have been made. The average 

 catches were less than half that number and frequently not a 



