IV 
In the year 1876 we transferred the base of onr operations 
to the “ Head of the Bay,” and during that season nearly two 
million. (2,000,000) of young shad were deposited in the Sus- 
quehanna and the Chesapeake Bay, near its mouth. The 
return of many of the males of these lish was to be expected 
in the spring of 1878, and of a much larger number, accom- 
panied by adult females, during the following season. 
As we have already stated in several previous Reports, the 
return of shad from the salt water to their native rivers is for 
the sole purpose of reproduction, and therefore only the adult 
shad make these annual migrations from the sea. Hence we 
could not expect, during 1877, any increase from the two mil- 
lions (2,000,000) of young shad deposited, as above mentioned, 
in the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay in 1876. 
Through the kindness of a firm which has shipped the 
largest portion of the catch of the gill-nets in the neighbor- 
hood of Havre de Grace for several years, we have obtained 
the following figures. (Although the books of this firm do 
not show the actual catch of shad at the Head of the Bay, 
they indicate approximately the relative amount taken each 
year.) 
For year 1870 48,527 
“ 1871 30,101 
“ 1872 62,451 
“ 1873 40,295 
“ 1874..., 50,246 
“ 1875 40,150 
“ 1876 35,539 
“ 1877 47,150 
“ 1878 50,310 
“ 1879 75,525 
We have the record of the shipment of 45,000 shad in ad- 
dition to the above in the season of 1879 by another merchant. 
The decided increase in the catch of shad by the gill-nets 
may not be entirely the result of the deposit of the large 
number of young shad by the Commission, yet it is, doubtless, 
due in a great degree to that measure. It may be objected 
that the increase in the supply of shad in 1878 was caused 
by the state of the weather or water, or by the prevalence of 
