424 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
before known. Sbitd weighing as much as 9 pounds have been frequently taken, and although there 
has been no special effort made to catch them, and what have been taken were caught in pound nets 
set for salmon, 50,000 pounds is a safe estimate of the catch of 1891. This amount has been disposed 
of in the markets of Portland, Astoria, and the cities of Puget Sound. Five cents per pound was 
received for the fish, making the value of catch $2,500. — (Report 1891.) 
This desirable table fish continues to increase in number and size in the waters of the Columbia 
River, and, although no effort has been made to take them, enough have been caught to net the 
owners of pound nets, traps, and set nets about $2 000. They have been taken as far up the river as 
the Cascades, about 150 miles. The shad is not a native of the Pacific Ocean, but was first intro- 
duced by the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries into the Sacramento; later some were 
placed in the Columbia River. From this beginning they have increased until they are considered a 
staple article among the fish-dealers. Their flavor and size will compare favorably with the shad of 
the Hudson River. — (Report 1892.) 
STATISTICS OF THE SHAD CATCH OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 
Figures are available to show the quantities of shad taken and sold in the 
Pacific States in each of the years 1888 to 1892, inclusive. These statistics are based 
on the field inquiries of Mr. W. A. Wilcox, agent of the Commission, and represent 
the results of the examination of records of fishermen, dealers, and transportation 
companies. In each State the yield shows a large annual increase since 1888, 
although the value of the fish to the fishermen was less in 1892 than in the previous 
year, when the output was over 20 per cent smaller. The yearly decrease in the 
average price per pound received by the fishermen illustrated by the table herewith 
presented (until in 1892 the average gross price was under 3 cents) suggests a reason 
for the diminished output in the subsequent years, which is disclosed by incomplete 
statistics gathered in San Francisco and elsewhere. 
Summary of the quantities and values of shad sold by fishermen of the Pacific States from 1888 to 1892. 
Years. 
California. 
Oregon. 
Washington. 
Total. 
Pounds. 
Value. 
Pounds. 
Value. 
Pounds. Value. 
Pounds. 
Value. 
1888 
90, 871 
$6, 513 
10, 000 
$500 
200 $50 
101, 071 
$7, 063 
1889 
263, 788 
10, 833 
29, 990 
2, 999 
21,010 2,055 
314, 788 
15, 887 
1890 
318, HO 
11, 891 
50, 100 
4,008 
36,092 ' 2,860 
404, 332 
18, 759 
1891 
445, 006 
15, 856 
70, 500 
4, 230 
59, 900 3, 590 
575, 406 
23, 676 
1892 
526, 494 
14, 372 
109, 000 
3, 270 
103, 350 3, 183 
738, 844 
20, 825 
PRICES OF SHAD ON THE WEST COAST. 
The first shad taken on the Pacific Coast were regarded chiefly as curiosities 
and brought extraordinary prices, and even after the supply became comparatively 
regular the market value of the fish continued very high for some years. 
Mr. J. H. Kessing, who has been in the fish business in San Francisco for forty years, 
states that when shad were first caught in California they were in great demand and 
he sold them at wholesale at $10 to $15 each; many brought $1 to $1.50 per pound. 
These prices are confirmed in the early reports of the California fish commission. By 
1880 the abundance of shad had reduced the market price to the consumer to 20 to 25 
cents a pound. In 1887 and 1888 the average price was about 10 cents a pound, while 
at the height of the season it was sometimes as low as 5 cents. In 1889 the average 
retail market value of shad was 5 cents a pound; in 1890 it dropped to 4 cents; in 1891 
it was 3 cents; in 1892 it was not over 2f cents; in 1893 and 1894 it was 2 cents or less. 
During the years 1893 and 1894 the prices often fell to one-half or 1 cent a pound, and 
thousands of fish could not be disposed of at any price. To protect themselves against 
