Buck. — Fishways for the Rank and File 109 



Pkofessok Dyche: Yes. But even in low water the fish would 

 come out a foot or more under the surface of the water. 



Mr. Cranston : Then at a very high stage would not the pressure 

 of the water from the head be too great? 



Professor .Dyche : Yes. Fish will not go up stream at all when 

 there is such pressure. High water is a catastrophe for fish, and they 

 do not try to do anything under such conditions except to protect 

 themselves in more or less sheltered places. 



Mr. Nathan R. Buller, Pennsylvania: I am very much interested 

 in this fishway proposition before the Society at the present time, and 

 I would like to get some information in regard to fishways. 



One of the nightmares of the Commissioner of Fisheries is caused 

 by a law that compels all dams built in Pennsylvania to be provided 

 with fishways for the fish to ascend the river. The Susquehanna River 

 is a shad stream emptying into Chesapeake Bay. The shad ascended 

 the river and there were fishing rights granted by the state to a great 

 many owners of land along the shores of the river. Some years ago 

 the Pennsylvania Water & Power Company erected a dam across the 

 river, 65 feet high and almost a mile in length. There was placed in 

 that dam on the Lancaster County side a Cail fishway, the entrance 

 being at least 1,200 or 1.500 below the breast of the dam. This season 

 1 had a representative on the ground from the time the shad fishing 

 season opens until thirty days after the close, making a daily investiga- 

 tion to find out whether there were any fish ascending the fishway. He 

 would have the fishway emptied and drawn off twice a week. On four 

 different occasions I was there myself, and we failed to find any fish 

 ascending or coming through the fishway, with the exception of four 

 or (ive German carp; and the supposition is that they were going down 

 instead of going up. They were all pounded to pieces. But as far 

 as the shad is concerned we are absolutely certain that not a shad 

 ascended the river. 



Now, the people living on the upper waters demand an adequate and 

 practical fishway into that dam for the purpose of allowing the shad 

 to ascend the river, because they claim that this dam has taken away 

 their inherent rights. 



Now. if there is anybody in the Society that knows of any model 

 or any plan that is practical for the ascent of the shad, 1 would 

 like to learn about it. The shad is probably peculiar in its manners 

 as compared with some other fish. For instance, the shad will not leap, 

 and they will not pass under a shadow. The only possible fishway 

 that could be placed in that dam, of any benefit to the shad, would be 

 one where there would be no obstruction over the top of the fishway ; 

 because if a shadow is cast across the water they will not pass under 

 the obstruction. 



The conditions in the river are deplorable. There were caught at 

 the breast of the dam this season in round numbers about 40,000 shad. 

 The barrier was there and that was as far as they could go. Besides 



