XI.VLIl 



turned loojse in these waters, liad not the U. S. Com- 

 missioner again come to onr aid and satisfied tlie fisher- 

 men by offering tlieni other inducements for furnishing 

 ripe fish. 



As this ''strike," as it may be designated, took place 

 in the very height of the season, the number of fish pro- 

 duced at tliis station was no doubt diminished by several 

 millions. 



I cannot but condemn the short-sighted policy Avhich 

 instigated such action on the part of our lishermen ; for 

 the results of the work — especially in this locality — have 

 been such as to conA'ince the most skeptical among them 

 of our capacity to increase shad to a very marked extent* 

 and thereby, to correspondingly increase their crop. 



The number of young fish produced at the Havre de 

 Grace station — notwithstanding the adverse conditions of 

 the season, and the interruption of the work from the 

 causes above mentioned — reached 12,058,000. Of these 

 9,148,000 were deposited in the Maryland, waters and 2,- 

 485,000 transported to other waters by the V. S. Com- 

 mission. 



The details of the distribution of the hsh produced at 

 this station as well as those hatched at the Xavy Yard, 

 and on the Steamer ''Lookout." will be found on page 43 

 et seq. 



It will be seen that the nuniber deposited in Maryland 

 waters reaches the total aggregate of 23,498,000. 



HEEEINC4 — Clupeidce. 



The commercial imxjortance of this family, and the 

 ease with which it can be increased in those localities 

 where it is diminishing and re-established in streams 

 from which it has entirely disappeared, mark it as an 

 object not only of our care, but close consideration and 

 study. 



On the Atlantic coast of the United States occur nine 

 fishes belonging to the herring tribe. Four of these, the 

 sea-herring, a fish of njuch economic importance on both 



