﻿yi 
  

  

  Ave 
  would 
  look 
  for 
  a 
  proportionate 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  nnniber 
  of 
  

   fish 
  brought 
  to 
  and 
  consumed 
  in 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Washington. 
  

   Unfortunately 
  for 
  us, 
  Washington 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  place 
  where 
  an 
  

   accurate 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  product 
  is 
  kept. 
  The 
  Health 
  Com- 
  

   missioner 
  of 
  that 
  city 
  is 
  required 
  to 
  inspect 
  all 
  marine 
  pro- 
  

   ducts 
  and 
  report 
  the 
  number 
  examined. 
  We 
  have 
  taken 
  from 
  

   his 
  reports 
  the 
  numbers 
  inspected 
  during 
  the 
  same 
  period, 
  and 
  

   there 
  the 
  increase 
  is 
  as 
  noticeable 
  as 
  at 
  the 
  Head 
  of 
  the 
  Bay. 
  

  

  In 
  1872 
  he 
  inspected 
  917,221 
  shad. 
  

  

  " 
  1873 
  " 
  852,900 
  " 
  

  

  " 
  1874 
  " 
  028,637 
  " 
  

  

  «' 
  1875 
  " 
  404,215 
  " 
  

  

  " 
  187G 
  " 
  319,079 
  " 
  

  

  " 
  1877 
  " 
  131,199 
  " 
  

  

  " 
  1878 
  " 
  121,785 
  " 
  

  

  " 
  1879 
  " 
  328,435 
  " 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  additional 
  testimony 
  tending 
  to 
  prove 
  that 
  the 
  in- 
  

   crease 
  of 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  shad 
  is 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  artificial 
  propa- 
  

   gation. 
  By 
  reference 
  to 
  our 
  report 
  of 
  January, 
  1877, 
  which 
  

   recorded 
  the 
  shad 
  hatching 
  operations 
  at 
  the 
  Head 
  of 
  the 
  Bay, 
  

   it 
  will 
  be 
  noticed 
  that 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  fish 
  were 
  deposited 
  

   in 
  Swan 
  Creek. 
  During 
  that 
  season 
  we 
  were 
  compelled 
  to 
  

   seek 
  a 
  locality 
  in 
  which 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  current 
  sufliciently 
  strong 
  

   to 
  afford 
  to 
  the 
  eggs 
  the 
  necessary 
  agitation 
  and 
  change 
  of 
  

   water. 
  We, 
  therefore, 
  established 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  hatching 
  stations 
  

   on 
  the 
  creek 
  just 
  mentioned, 
  as 
  it 
  ofi'ered 
  the 
  required 
  condi- 
  

   tions, 
  and 
  to 
  that 
  point 
  transferred 
  nightly 
  the 
  eggs 
  taken 
  on 
  

   the 
  flats. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  hatched 
  they 
  were 
  depos- 
  

   ited 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  hatching 
  station. 
  During 
  

   last 
  season, 
  after 
  an 
  almost 
  total 
  absence 
  of 
  many 
  years, 
  adult 
  

   shad 
  appeared 
  in 
  this 
  creek 
  in 
  such 
  numbers 
  as 
  to 
  attract 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  fishermen, 
  whose 
  laboi's 
  were 
  here 
  amply 
  rewarded. 
  

  

  The 
  fishermen 
  who 
  operated 
  there 
  last 
  season 
  report 
  a 
  pre- 
  

   ponderance 
  of 
  small 
  male 
  or 
  huck 
  shad. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  not, 
  hitherto, 
  felt 
  justified 
  in 
  promising 
  to 
  do 
  more 
  

   by 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  than 
  simply 
  to 
  arrest 
  the 
  alarming 
  

   decrease 
  in 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  But 
  from 
  

   the 
  results 
  alrea'dy 
  obtained 
  we 
  are 
  now 
  confident 
  of 
  our 
  

  

  