﻿VII 
  

  

  ability 
  to 
  render 
  our 
  waters 
  as 
  productive 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  useful 
  

   varieties 
  of 
  food-fishes 
  as 
  they 
  have 
  ever 
  been. 
  

  

  That 
  we 
  are 
  daily 
  becoming 
  bettor 
  fitted 
  to 
  realize 
  this 
  ex- 
  

   pectation 
  is 
  evidenced 
  by 
  the 
  marked 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  fish 
  produced 
  at 
  the 
  headquarters 
  of 
  shad 
  hatching 
  opera- 
  

   tions 
  in 
  Maryland. 
  

  

  A 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  tables 
  giving 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  our 
  efforts 
  

   will 
  show 
  that 
  we 
  deposited 
  in 
  these 
  waters 
  during 
  the 
  spring 
  

   of 
  1876, 
  2,724,000 
  young 
  shad. 
  Kext 
  season 
  this 
  number 
  

   was 
  increased 
  to 
  2,134,800 
  ; 
  in 
  1878 
  to 
  8,285,000 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  1879 
  

   to 
  7,757,000. 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  inauguration 
  by 
  us 
  of 
  the 
  new^ 
  system 
  of 
  hatch- 
  

   ing 
  shad 
  — 
  which 
  is 
  independent 
  of 
  the 
  necessity 
  for 
  a 
  strong 
  

   current, 
  to 
  obtain 
  which 
  we 
  were 
  often 
  compelled 
  to 
  visit 
  re- 
  

   mote 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  — 
  the 
  yield 
  has 
  been 
  steadily 
  increas- 
  

   ing, 
  and 
  now 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  hatching 
  are 
  such 
  that 
  the 
  quantity 
  

   produced 
  is 
  limited 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  trained 
  experts 
  

   available 
  for 
  collecting 
  the 
  eggs. 
  In 
  1874, 
  when 
  the 
  Fish 
  

   Commission 
  was 
  organized 
  in 
  Maryland, 
  there 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  

   person 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  who 
  had 
  ever 
  taken 
  or 
  artificially 
  hatched 
  

   shad 
  eggs, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  to-day 
  many 
  men 
  trained 
  by 
  the 
  Com- 
  

   mission 
  in 
  the 
  manipulation 
  of 
  shad 
  and 
  other 
  fishes 
  who 
  are 
  

   as 
  expert 
  as 
  any 
  in 
  the 
  country. 
  

  

  An 
  account 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  given 
  of 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  experi- 
  

   ments 
  by 
  the 
  Commission 
  in 
  the 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  of 
  smelt 
  

   and 
  herring, 
  and 
  we 
  are 
  now 
  enabled 
  to 
  record 
  our 
  success 
  in 
  

   propagating, 
  by 
  similar 
  means, 
  another 
  species, 
  more 
  import- 
  

   ant, 
  perhaps, 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  that 
  have 
  hitherto 
  been 
  

   the 
  object 
  of 
  the 
  care 
  of 
  fish 
  culturists. 
  We 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  rock- 
  

   fish 
  {roccus 
  lineatus). 
  

  

  Our 
  previous 
  reports 
  have 
  called 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  importance 
  

   of 
  this 
  species, 
  which 
  we 
  consider 
  second 
  to 
  none 
  of 
  those 
  

   frequenting 
  our 
  waters. 
  We 
  have 
  also 
  reported 
  our 
  constant 
  

   but 
  futile 
  search 
  for 
  its 
  spawning 
  grounds, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  ripe 
  

   female 
  of 
  this 
  fish. 
  We 
  are 
  now, 
  however, 
  happy 
  to 
  record 
  

   our 
  success, 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  search 
  for 
  the 
  ripe 
  fish, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  

   discovery 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  grounds; 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  been 
  reason 
  

   ably 
  successful 
  in 
  the 
  manipulation 
  of 
  the 
  eggs. 
  

  

  