REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XXXV 

 Steamer Fish Hawk. 



SEASON OF 1888. 



Previous to leaving for the Delaware Biver, the steamer Fish Rawh^ 

 commanded by mate James A. Smith, U. S. Navy, was supplied at Bal- 

 timore, Maryland, with additional hatching apparatus j two hatching 

 tables were placed on each side of the hatching deck, with a capacity 

 of thirty-seven McDonald automatic jars each, the water supply being 

 furnished by two good-sized wooden tanks, placed on the upper deck ; 

 the hatching facilities were thus increased so that about 12,000,000 

 eggs could be under process of hatching at one time. 



Spawn was secured from five haul seines, operated on the New Jer- 

 sey side of the river below Gloucester City, and from gillers near by. 

 The first eggs were taken May 7, and operations continued until June 

 5, when orders were received to cease collecting spawn ; 48,607,000 shad 

 eggs were collected, of which 1,800,000 were delivered to the New York 

 Fish Commission, 4,397,000 to the Delaware Fish Commission, and 

 2,139,000 were forwarded to Utah, and hatched en route, on Fish Com- 

 mission car No. 2, which is equipped with the McDonald closed jar, it 

 being the only hatching jar that can be used on this car, which may be 

 called a traveling hatching station. 



Thanks are due the Pennsylvania State Fish Commission for the 

 assistance rendered in transporting fry by messenger to the upper 

 stretches of the Delaware, where the numerous beautiful pools afford 

 protection to the young shad during the period of their river life. Six- 

 teen million eleven thousand fry were deposited in the upper waters of 

 this river, and 14,840,000 were liberated in the vicinity of Gloucester 

 City, New Jersey. 



It is worthy of mention here that during the evening of May 29 a 

 violent thunderstorm occurred, lasting from 6 o'clock until midnight. 

 The hatching jars at this time contained 4,481,000 eggs, in apparently 

 excellent condition, with the embryo shad well formed and plainly visi- 

 ble with a glass, scarcely any dead or unfertilized eggs being in the jars. 

 About 8 p. m. it was observed that the majority of the eggs were rap- 

 idly turning white. In some jars as many as one-half were dead. 

 There being no perceptible change in the condition of the water, it is 

 reasonable to suppose that the loss, amounting to 1,918,000 eggs, was 

 due to the water being thoroughly charged with electricity, caused by 

 the violent electrical disturbance taking place at the time. 



On June 4 William Johnson took from one shad a pau of eggs, 

 which, when placed in a jar, and carefully measured, was found to con- 

 tain 115,000, 



