﻿the 
  wind 
  in 
  a 
  certain 
  direction 
  ; 
  but, 
  upon 
  any 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  

   hypotheses, 
  the 
  same 
  favorable 
  conditions 
  would 
  cause 
  a 
  cor- 
  

   responding 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  lish 
  (the 
  her- 
  

   ring, 
  for 
  example), 
  that 
  usually 
  accompany 
  the 
  shad 
  in 
  their 
  

   annual 
  migrations. 
  So 
  far, 
  however, 
  from 
  this 
  being 
  the 
  

   case, 
  the 
  herring 
  fisheries 
  last 
  year 
  were 
  unremunerative, 
  

   there 
  being 
  a 
  great 
  scarcity 
  of 
  that 
  species. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  re- 
  

   membered 
  that 
  the 
  Commission 
  has 
  as 
  yet 
  taken 
  no 
  steps 
  

   towards 
  the 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  of 
  herring 
  in 
  Maryland 
  

   waters, 
  although 
  we 
  have 
  carefully 
  investigated 
  their 
  habits 
  

   with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  future 
  operations. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  ascertain 
  whether 
  there 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  same 
  

   marked 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  haul- 
  seines 
  Avhich 
  are 
  op- 
  

   erated 
  on 
  the 
  Susquehanna 
  and 
  Head 
  of 
  the 
  Bay 
  we 
  have, 
  

   through 
  the 
  courtesy 
  of 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  fisheries, 
  

   examined 
  their 
  books, 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  ascertain, 
  with 
  

   tolerable 
  accuracy, 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  shad 
  taken 
  since 
  1872 
  by 
  

   this 
  mode 
  of 
  fishing. 
  The 
  books 
  showing 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  nine- 
  

   teen 
  seines 
  in 
  this 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  give 
  an 
  aggregate 
  yield 
  

   of 
  shad 
  

  

  In 
  1873 
  150,213 
  

  

  " 
  1873 
  13^,050 
  

  

  * 
  " 
  1874 
  103,421 
  

  

  " 
  1875 
  252,8'-^9 
  

  

  " 
  1870 
  130,033 
  

  

  " 
  1877 
  152.705 
  

  

  " 
  1878 
  134,801 
  

  

  « 
  1879 
  188,870 
  

  

  The 
  decrease 
  of 
  shad 
  up 
  to 
  1877 
  is, 
  perhaps, 
  much 
  more 
  

   marked 
  than 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  this 
  table, 
  as 
  from 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  

   fisheries 
  we 
  could 
  not 
  obtain 
  accurate 
  records 
  further 
  back 
  

   than 
  that 
  year, 
  whereas 
  the 
  figures 
  for 
  1877, 
  '78 
  and 
  '79 
  show 
  

   the 
  entire 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  nineteen 
  seines 
  during 
  those 
  years. 
  It 
  

   will 
  be 
  noticed 
  that 
  in 
  1879 
  54,009 
  more 
  shad 
  were 
  taken 
  than 
  

   during 
  the 
  previous 
  season, 
  and 
  3G,005 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  total 
  

   catch 
  of 
  1877. 
  

  

  As 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1879 
  we 
  could 
  expect 
  the 
  return 
  of 
  

   the 
  shad 
  to 
  the 
  Potomac, 
  Patuxent 
  and 
  other 
  rivers 
  where 
  

   our 
  operations 
  were 
  also 
  conducted 
  on 
  a 
  considerable 
  scale,. 
  

  

  