xxvi SHAD FISBEHY COMMISSION 



in a recent official report (Fisheries Eeport, 1907-8, p. 49) : " Shad in good condition, 

 caught in or near salt water is preferred to the salmon by many people." 



The late Inspector Eogers, in the Department's report of 1S87, page 82, ex- 

 presses a view shared by a good many persons, that the river spring shad are not the 

 parent fish of those caught in the bay and distinguished as summer shad, and he 

 states that the latter are really fish native to the waters further south, that is, they 

 are United States shad which have migrated north. Now, it appears to us from our 

 investigations that this point is not well founded. The fact appears to us to be that 

 the large shad come in from deep water to the various rivers of the Bay of Fundy 

 to spawn early in the spring. According to the evidence of fishermen, these large 

 shad keep to the deeper channels and thus escape the weirs along the shore, only an 

 occasional one being caught in gaspereau nets ascending rivers such as the Shube- 

 nacadie. 



Fishery Officer Davison, of Bass River, N.S., a practical fisherman of long experi- 

 ence, who addressed an important communication to the Commission, printed in 

 "■ull as Appendix 2, expresses his views on the point referred to above and the f<illow- 

 ing extract may appropriately be given here: — 



There are some men who no doubt have earefuUy thought over the matter (I 

 would refer to the late TV. H. Eogers. for example) who held the opinion strongly 

 that the shad which ascend the Shubeilacadie and Stewiacke rivers to spawn have no 

 connection with the shad which supply our bay fishery, but were the products of shad 

 which ascended the rivers far south and deposited their spawn early, then, later about 

 the month of June arrived here fat; but he never ventured on an explanation as to 

 what became of the spawn deposited in the Shubenacadie and Stewiacke rivers. Of 

 course the fact of having fat shad so early after the spawning season seemed rather 

 strange. Personally, I believe, that the shad caught in Cobequid bay during the 

 months of June, July and August (that is the female shad) have not arrived at the 

 age of motherhood for that year, but many of them no doubt will go up the rivers 

 to spawn the following year and by so doing will propagate the species, while others 

 will never live to ascend the river the second time. As to the theory that our shad 

 go to the far south to spend th^winter, I have strong doubts. I believe rather that 

 our bay shad go far enough away to get into deep enough water to secure them .i 

 comfortable temperature in which to spend their winter. Other causes which might 

 be mentioned are over-fishing, late fishing, &c. 



Inspector H. E. Harrison, Fredericton, N.B., in his report, 1907-S, referred to 

 this matter (p. 48). ' The most unpleasant feature about the returns is the decreasing 

 catch of shad from year to year. Some fishermen tell us that they believe shad are 

 moving to some other waters; that they do not come to the Bay of Fundy and tribu- 

 tary waters as plentifully as formerly. True it certainly is they do not come this 

 way as formerly, but I do not think they are going anywhere else. I believe it can 

 be charged to overfishing and I trust the forthcoming inquiry by those entrusted to 

 make it, will be a means of having matters arranged so that shad will have a better 

 chance to propagate, and still give fishermen fair treatment.' 



In former times, when shad were plentiful in the bay, vast schools of young were 

 very frequently seen. These shad, IJ inches to 2i inches in length, one witness said, 

 were abundant in the Petitcodiae river about July 1. One witness stated that off 

 East Noel shore: — 



