Internal Fisheries. 9 



and the fish-ways erected, certain restrictions must then be 

 put on fishing in them, and we are fortunate in being able 

 to await and adopt such legislation in this important matter, 

 as the other New England States find advantageous. 



SHAD. 



As yet the commissioners have made no effort to intro- 

 duce shad. There are difl&culties attending their introduc- 

 tion which do not apply to other fish. The shad spawn can- 

 not be hatched in the hatching house, but is taken from the 

 parent fish, impregnated, and at once put into hatching 

 boxes, placed in the stream to be stocked, and in thirty-six 

 to sixty hours the young fry make their appearance. 



In the Connecticut river, many millions of young shad 

 were thus hatched by Seth Green, Esq., under the auspices 

 of the commissioners of Connecticut and Massachusetts. 

 This process was repeated for two years, and during the 

 past summer more shad were taken in the river, than any 

 year since 1802. 



There seems to be a shade of doubt as to the shads taking 

 kindly to fish-ways, but in a stream like the Pawcatuck, 

 formerly abounding in shad, \i seems well to at least try the 

 experiment, which we hope to be able to do this coming 

 summer. 



HERRING. 



These fish will need no artificial reproduction. They take 

 kindly to a fish-way, and will soon be in abundance in all 

 streams to which they are alloAved access. At present, none 

 get above the dam at Westerly, on the Pawcatuck, and a 

 limited number are taken at the lower dam, on the Paw- 

 tuxet, while trying to force their way over the rocks. At 

 the instigation of the commissioners, a few were assisted 

 over the latter dam the past spring, and, no doubt, spawned 



