Snyder.— The Shad Outlook 115 



single shad was taken in a night's fishing. Two experienced and 

 successful fishermen, in the height of the season, in four successive 

 nights succeeded in getting but one shad. 



What does this mean? What can it mean but the rapid 

 approach to the end of the shad industry in Chesapeake Bay? 



Every living creature is subject to the laws of reproduction. 

 Only in that way can life be perpetuated. This is just as true of 

 shad as of any other form of life. It is so self evident and true 

 that it seems there could be no need of light on the part of any one. 

 Among the shad fishermen of Chesapeake Bay and its tributary 

 rivers there is no clear, fixed uniformity of vision as to the cause 

 of the unsatisfactory condition of the shad industry, which all 

 recognize as unsatisfactory. All the fishermen, however, can 

 roughly be placed in two groups. Each group holds fairly fixed 

 opinions as to the cause of the scarcity of shad, but the views of 

 these two groups — and they include all shad fishermen whether 

 gill-net or pound-net men — are entirely antagonistic. Roughly, 

 in one group can be placed all the men fishing regularly in brackish 

 or salt water. In the other group may be placed all men fishing 

 in the bay or tributaries above brackish water, or in other words, 

 on the spawning beds of the shad. 



When remedial measures are mentioned to the first group they 

 almost invariably point to the fishing permitted on the spawning 

 beds as the cause of the trouble. They say : "There's your trouble. 

 Cut out the fishing up there. Let the shad alone on their spawning 

 beds and they will become as plentiful as in years gone by." The 

 above is fairly representative of the views of this group and it is 

 simply surprising how positive many of the men are in giving 

 expression to this view. Having given expression to the above, 

 they speak of the catching of shad all ready to spawn as though it 

 ought to be deemed criminal. They lose entire sight of the fact 

 that every roe shad coming into the bay will reach, if let alone, 

 the condition in which they so severely condemn taking them. 

 They forget that the eggs in a shad are as surely lost when the 

 fish is taken enroute to its spawning bed as when taken on the 

 beds prior to its spawning. 



Those belonging to the second group invariably point to 

 the excessive fishing done farther down the river or bay as the cause 

 of the trouble. They will tell you of the days gone by when ten 



