﻿22 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  the 
  Bryan 
  Point 
  hatchery 
  to 
  permit 
  of 
  frequent 
  transfers 
  of 
  eggs 
  by 
  

   messenger. 
  

  

  The 
  shad 
  spawning 
  season 
  opened 
  April 
  12 
  and 
  extended 
  to 
  May 
  

   17, 
  by 
  which 
  time 
  the 
  shad 
  run 
  had 
  ceased. 
  The 
  egg 
  collections, 
  

   amounting 
  to 
  30,919,000, 
  produced 
  28,428,000 
  excellent 
  fry, 
  which 
  

   were 
  carefully 
  distributed 
  over 
  the 
  spawning 
  grounds 
  in 
  the 
  Potomac 
  

   River. 
  The 
  high 
  percentage 
  of 
  hatch 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  holding 
  of 
  aU 
  

   eggs 
  delivered 
  at 
  the 
  station 
  for 
  48 
  hours 
  before 
  measuring 
  them, 
  

   and 
  returns 
  to 
  the 
  fishermen 
  were 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  that 
  measure- 
  

   ment. 
  

  

  In 
  Albemarle 
  Sound 
  and 
  the 
  contiguous 
  waters 
  seaward, 
  shad 
  were 
  

   more 
  plentiful 
  than 
  for 
  many 
  years. 
  The 
  mild 
  whiter 
  caused 
  spawn- 
  

   ing 
  fish 
  to 
  make 
  their 
  appearance 
  in 
  the 
  sections 
  operated 
  from 
  the 
  

   Edenton 
  station 
  somewhat 
  earlier 
  than 
  usual, 
  the 
  first 
  eggs 
  being 
  

   secured 
  March 
  20. 
  Five 
  days 
  later 
  the 
  receipts 
  of 
  eggs 
  at 
  the 
  station 
  

   had 
  become 
  so 
  enormous 
  as 
  to 
  tax 
  the 
  hatching 
  facilities, 
  and 
  shortly 
  

   afterward 
  the 
  superintendent 
  was 
  compelled 
  to 
  discontinue 
  collections 
  

   for 
  several 
  days 
  to 
  relieve 
  the 
  congested 
  condition. 
  In 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  

   the 
  spawning 
  season, 
  which 
  lasted 
  46 
  days, 
  there 
  were 
  three 
  addi- 
  

   tional 
  periods 
  when 
  eggs 
  came 
  in 
  faster 
  than 
  they 
  could 
  be 
  cared 
  for, 
  

   and 
  on 
  this 
  account 
  many 
  eggs 
  were 
  lost. 
  The 
  season's 
  collections 
  

   amounted 
  to 
  138,912,000, 
  and 
  had 
  it 
  not 
  been 
  for 
  the 
  Ihnited 
  hatching 
  

   facilities 
  they 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  at 
  least 
  30 
  per 
  cent 
  greater. 
  The 
  

   output 
  of 
  fry 
  amounted 
  to 
  92,522,000, 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  20 
  per 
  cent 
  

   over 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  preceding 
  year. 
  

  

  The 
  propagation 
  of 
  white 
  perch 
  at 
  the 
  Edenton 
  station 
  having 
  been 
  

   decided 
  on, 
  three 
  trips 
  were 
  made 
  during 
  March 
  by 
  spawn 
  takers, 
  with 
  

   collecting 
  outfit, 
  to 
  the 
  spawning 
  grounds 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  about 
  20 
  

   miles 
  below 
  the 
  station 
  in 
  Albemarle 
  Sound. 
  Practically 
  no 
  fish 
  were 
  

   secured, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  information 
  gained 
  it 
  was 
  concluded 
  that 
  the 
  

   spawning 
  season 
  would 
  not 
  occur 
  until 
  sometime 
  in 
  April, 
  at 
  which 
  

   time 
  the 
  station 
  force 
  was 
  fully 
  occupied 
  with 
  the 
  shad 
  work. 
  An 
  

   attempt 
  to 
  propagate 
  the 
  hickory 
  shad 
  at 
  tho 
  Edenton 
  station 
  also 
  

   proved 
  futile, 
  owing 
  to 
  inabihty 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  cooperation 
  of 
  the 
  com- 
  

   mercial 
  fishermen. 
  

  

  In 
  advance 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  striped 
  bass 
  on 
  the 
  

   Roanoke 
  River 
  it 
  became 
  necessary 
  to 
  renew 
  the 
  hatchery 
  and 
  boiler 
  

   house, 
  the 
  old 
  plant 
  having 
  been 
  carried 
  away 
  during 
  a 
  45-foot 
  rise 
  

   in 
  the 
  river 
  in 
  March. 
  The 
  new 
  hatchery, 
  consisting 
  of 
  a 
  48 
  by 
  16 
  

   foot 
  floor 
  built 
  on 
  elevated 
  timbers, 
  and 
  securely 
  wired 
  and 
  anchored 
  

   to 
  the 
  ground, 
  with 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  resisting 
  future 
  floods, 
  was 
  completed 
  

   and 
  ready 
  for 
  the 
  reception 
  of 
  eggs 
  by 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  

   season, 
  April 
  25. 
  The 
  ideal 
  fishing 
  conditions 
  — 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  small 
  

   swells 
  in 
  the 
  river, 
  serving 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  water 
  roily 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  

   can 
  not 
  see 
  and 
  avoid 
  the 
  nets 
  — 
  were 
  entirely 
  absent 
  during 
  the 
  season. 
  

  

  