﻿EEPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  65 
  

  

  SHAD 
  AND 
  HERRING 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  CHESAPEAKE 
  BAY, 
  

  

  Inquiries 
  conducted 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  spring 
  fishing 
  

   season 
  of 
  1913 
  was 
  the 
  poorest 
  in 
  many 
  years 
  in 
  most 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   Chesapeake 
  Basin, 
  and 
  the 
  aggregate 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  spring 
  

   fish 
  — 
  shad 
  and 
  herring 
  — 
  much 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  recent 
  years. 
  The 
  effects 
  

   of 
  the 
  diminished 
  run 
  of 
  fish 
  wiU 
  be 
  seen 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  five 
  years 
  

   hence, 
  when 
  the 
  reduced 
  progeny 
  of 
  the 
  1913 
  season's 
  supply 
  comes 
  

   back 
  to 
  spawn. 
  

  

  The 
  conditions 
  in 
  the 
  Potomac 
  River, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  

   tyi^ical 
  for 
  aU 
  the 
  major 
  streams, 
  were 
  in 
  some 
  respects 
  the 
  worst 
  in 
  

   40 
  years. 
  The 
  upper 
  reaches 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  were 
  almost 
  barren 
  of 
  fish 
  

   durmg 
  the 
  entire 
  season, 
  and 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  shad 
  and 
  herring 
  fishermen 
  

   failed 
  to 
  meet 
  expenses. 
  At 
  Ferry 
  Landing, 
  Va., 
  the 
  largest 
  seine 
  

   on 
  the 
  river, 
  1,200 
  fathoms 
  long, 
  discontinued 
  operations 
  in 
  the 
  mid- 
  

   dle 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  scarcity 
  of 
  fish. 
  In 
  former 
  years 
  this 
  

   celebrated 
  fishing 
  shore, 
  with 
  a 
  smaller 
  seine, 
  sometimes 
  yielded 
  

   200,000 
  or 
  more 
  herring 
  at 
  a 
  haul, 
  and 
  up 
  to 
  10 
  or 
  15 
  yeare 
  ago 
  took 
  

   probably 
  15,000 
  to 
  30,000 
  fish 
  at 
  a 
  haul 
  on 
  an 
  average. 
  Only 
  a 
  few 
  

   years 
  back 
  from 
  1,000 
  to 
  1,500 
  shad 
  were 
  frequently 
  taken 
  at 
  one 
  

   set 
  of 
  the 
  seine. 
  In 
  1913 
  the 
  largest 
  haul 
  was 
  3,000 
  herring 
  and 
  100 
  

   shad, 
  while 
  many 
  times 
  only 
  6 
  to 
  20 
  shad 
  were 
  taken. 
  

  

  The 
  shad 
  hatcheries 
  operated 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau 
  on 
  the 
  Potomac 
  and 
  

   Susquehanna 
  Rivers 
  had 
  a 
  very 
  unsuccessful 
  season. 
  Their 
  opera- 
  

   tions 
  afford 
  a 
  good 
  criterion 
  of 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  in 
  the 
  

   fresh 
  waters, 
  because 
  the 
  whole 
  field 
  is 
  covered 
  and 
  nearly 
  every 
  

   ripe 
  fish 
  that 
  is 
  caught 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  is 
  stripped 
  of 
  its 
  eggs 
  by 
  

   spawn 
  takers 
  sent 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  hatcheries. 
  

  

  Shad 
  culture 
  on 
  a 
  scale 
  that 
  is 
  entirely 
  feasible 
  can, 
  with 
  minor 
  

   protective 
  legislation, 
  maintain 
  the 
  shad 
  fishery 
  in 
  almost 
  any 
  stream, 
  

   but 
  shad 
  culture 
  under 
  existing 
  conditions 
  is 
  deprived 
  of 
  one 
  very 
  

   essential 
  requirement, 
  namely, 
  an 
  adequate 
  supply 
  of 
  ripe 
  eggs 
  for 
  

   hatching 
  purposes. 
  

  

  The 
  immediate 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  shad 
  and 
  herring 
  fisheries 
  

   in 
  1913 
  is 
  the 
  diminished 
  run 
  of 
  spawning 
  fish 
  into 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  

   from 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  the 
  enormous 
  quantity 
  of 
  apparatus 
  among 
  which 
  

   a 
  limited 
  catch 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  divided. 
  Inasmuch 
  as 
  the 
  great 
  bulk 
  of 
  

   the 
  yield 
  is 
  taken 
  in 
  salt 
  water, 
  the 
  remnant 
  that 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  reach 
  

   the 
  spawning 
  grounds 
  in 
  the 
  streams 
  was 
  insignificant 
  and 
  wholly 
  

   inadequate 
  to 
  mamtain 
  the 
  supply. 
  

  

  The 
  remote 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  condition 
  is 
  excessive 
  fishing 
  in 
  

   former 
  years 
  and 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  even 
  the 
  minimum 
  amount 
  of 
  protection 
  

   that 
  is 
  demanded 
  by 
  regard 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  elementary 
  principles 
  of 
  

   fishery 
  conservation. 
  Fish 
  entering 
  Chesapeake 
  Bay 
  have 
  to 
  ruA 
  

   through 
  such 
  a 
  maze 
  of 
  nets 
  that 
  the 
  wonder 
  is 
  that 
  any 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  

  

  