IV 



history of the Maryland Fisli Commission, not only on 

 account of the success attained in the attempted propa- 

 gation of several varieties of valuable fish ])y artificial 

 means, but because of the accumulated proofs Avhich 

 have been afforded of the success of the effort to fully 

 restock the waters of the State with shad. 



In my Report of January, 1880, relating to the o^Dera- 

 tions of the Commission during the year 1879, it was 

 shown that there had been a very marked increase of 

 shad for that year at those points near the head of the 

 Chesapeake Bay and in the Potomac River, where com- 

 plete records had been kept. During the Sxoring of 

 1880, this increase was even more decided, as the catch 

 for that season not onlv exceeded, verv lar^elv. the 

 returns for any one of several j^revious years : but also, 

 and in a very marked degree, the catch for 1879— the 

 year immediately preceding. 



The following figures, compiled by Col. Marshall 

 McDonald, from returns secured from the various 

 sources of information made available by the investiga- 

 tions of the Census Bureau for the Census of 1880. show 

 most clearly the eff'ect which the operations at the head 

 of the Bay, and the large deposit of young shad in the 

 Potomac River, have had upon the yield of those waters, 

 for the catch of shad at the Head of the Bay and in the 

 Susquehanna River from 1870 to 1871 was as follows : 



In the vear 1870 642.000 



'• -^ ' ^' 1871 720.000 



'• ^' •• 1872 728,000 



•' '' 1873 516,000 



'^ '• 1874 583.000 



'^ '' 1875 578.000 



'' " 1876 490^000 



'' " 1877 464,000 



^' '' 1878 481.000 



•' ** 1879 578,000 



'' " 1880 614.929 



Total— 11 vears 6,394,929 



