COMMON FISHES OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER 
169 
Herring a,re still taken by the seining crew at the Fairport (Iowa) station and are 
reported by commercial fishermen at various points on the river. At Keokuk and 
below at Warsaw, 111., and Canton, Mo., herring were said to be as plentiful (in 1926) 
as ever and even more plentiful than before the dam was built. Many of the fish 
seen near the last-mentioned places may, of course, be headed for the Des Moines 
River, which enters the Mississippi only a little below the dam. The swift current 
of the Des Moines seems well adapted for the river herring, which is known to 
frequent it. 
CONCLUSIONS REGARDING THE RIVER HERRING 
These facts seem now reasonably clear: Just after the dam was placed, river 
herring, at the approach of the spawning time, gathered in enormous numbers just 
below the obstruction. These assemblages became less conspicuous in succeeding 
seasons (for 2 or 3 years) but are still observable after 13 years. During the first few 
years after the construction of the dam the herring in the upper part of the river 
rapidly declined in abundance until a relatively low point was reached. The stock, 
which has been in a depleted condition, has been maintained up to the date of most 
recent information (1926), when there was reported to be noticeable evidence of 
partial recovery. Even while the decline was most rapid, there was evidence of breed- 
ing in the upper part of the river in the numerous small herring taken in the bureau’s 
seining operations in Lake Pepin. Breeding must also take place below Keokuk, 
since the herring appear at Keokuk in as great or greater numbers than were known 
before the dam was built 13 years previously. These facts would all comport with 
the supposition that the herring are extensively migratory but do not necessarily go 
to extreme northern or extreme southern waters, and that the breeding places from 
which the upper river was formerly chiefly stocked are no longer accessible to a great 
number of herring. The evidence points to the fact that one effect of the dam was to 
bring about a substantial diminution in the herring population of the upper river, and 
that this may account in part for the decline of the niggerhead mussel in the upper 
river. 
Ohio shad. Alosa ohiensis Evermann 
Almost nothing has been known about the indigenous shad of the Mississippi 
Basin. Although recognized by many fishermen, it was unknown to science until 
1902, when it was described by Evermann (1902). It is, according to him, much 
longer and slenderer than either the Alabama or the Atlantic shad, females having 
the depth scarcely more than one-fourth the length, and the males being still more 
slender. Although a true shad, it is more herringlike in form; its specific distinctness, 
as compared with the Alabama shad, has, however, been questioned by Regan (1916). 
While we found the shad very common at Keokuk for a brief season, we know of no 
previously published record of its occurrence in the Mississippi. Our specimens and 
photographs were destroyed by fire in 1917. The illustration herewith is from a 
photograph of a preserved specimen; it will serve to enable one to distinguish the 
shad from the river herring. Note especially the form of the mouth and the shape 
of the cheek. 
The Ohio shad in the Mississippi has no present economic value but must be 
treated as a potential asset, for Evermann (1902, p. 283) says that those who are 
familiar with the delicious Atlantic shad and who know how to prepare it find the 
Ohio shad not at all inferior; and Stringham, after many trials, concurred in that 
