SHAD FISHERIES OF THE ATLANTIC COAST. 245 



HUDSON RIVER. 



In point of commerce the Hudson is the most important river of the 

 United States, and formerly its shad fisheries were the most valuable 

 on the Atlantic seaboard, but in this particular it is now surpassed by 

 several other rivers. Its sources are in the Adirondack Mountains in 

 Essex County, whence it flows in a general southeasterly direction 

 about 110 miles to Sandy Hill, and thence almost due south nearly 200 

 miles, to its entrance into New York Bay. From New York Bay to 

 Piermont the width is from 1 to 2 miles ; between Piermont and Haver- 

 straw it expands into Tappan Bay, with a length of 12 miles and a 

 width of 4 or 5 miles ; while from Haverstraw, 34 miles distant from 

 New York, to Albany the width of the river varies from 900 to 300 

 yards. At Troy, 6 miles above Albany, it receives its principal tribu- 

 tary, the Mohawk, whose volume of water is greater than that of the 

 Hudson above that point. Above Troy the river partakes of the 

 characteristics of a large mountain stream, with numerous falls and 

 rapids. 



At Troy there is a State dam, built in 1826, of log cribwork filled in 

 with stone, 1,100 feet long and 10 feet high, which forms an impassable 

 barrier to the further progress of shad except when the water rises 

 above the crest of the dam during high freshets. There was formerly 

 a fishway in this obstruction, but it was destroyed by a freshet several 

 years ago and has not been replaced. At Mechanicsville, 9 miles above 

 Troy, there is a dam of cut-stone masonry 10 feet high, built in 1882. 

 Three-quarters of a mile above is a dilapidated log dam with an original 

 height of 8 feet. At Stillwater, 3 miles above Mechanicsville, there is 

 another log dam, forming an irregular line feet high across the stream. 

 Above Stillwater the river is comparatively level for a distance of 12 or 



13 miles, almost to the Saratoga dam, which is of stone, 8 feet in height, 

 built in 1873. Above Saratoga there are several other dams from 2 to 

 16 feet in height, among which are those at Fort Miller, Fort Edward, 

 Sandy Hill, Glens Ealls, Palmer Falls, etc. Prior to the construction 

 of the Troy dam, in 1826, shad ascended the Hudson to the falls at 

 Sandy Hill, 50 miles above Troy, and up to fifteen years ago they were 

 taken in some abundance within a short distance below Troy. But 

 during recent years there has been little fishing above Castleton, a 

 short distance below Albany. 



Shad enter the Hudson usually during the first week in April and 

 remain until the last of June. The legal season extends from March 



14 to June 15 of each year, with a close time operative from sunset 

 on Saturday until sunrise on Monday of each week. The fisheries 

 extend from the mouth of the river nearly to Albany, the river being 

 well filled with twine up to Hudson, in Columbia County, while above 

 that town few fish are taken. The yield fluctuates considerably from 

 year to year. In 1880 there were 711 men employed and the catch of 

 shad numbered 639,000. In 1885 the yield was reported at 1,174,835, 



