The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-06-29
Propagation Of Fish-Is Shad Culture Poflt-
@ abIe2

The annexed article is copied from New
York paper, and to which our attention has
been directed. It discusses subject of much
interest in the Northern States, and one that Is
destined 10 receive more consideration in the
South hereafter, and as q statement Of the re-
cent progress in the North sit will repay peru
sal: ssses: :.;tt4'
8 About four years ago, the first movement was
made to demonstrate in apublic way that the
fishes in the great rivers could be assisted IN
propagation and their numbers be immensely
multiplied by the Artificial process. Seth Green
had previously been engaged in the cultivation
of brook trout with moro or less successful re-
suits. he had turned his attention to shad and
insisted that with small outlay of time and
money these excellent fishes could be produced
in such quantities as to glut the market and
make shad the cheap food for the poor: 10
demonstrate this it became necessary to lind
suitable place where the work could be done
under the protection of law, and some pecu-
mary aid from the public could be obtained;
Massachusetts and. Connecticut were induced
to lend their aid in a joint effort to stock the
Egonnecticut. Mr. Green made liberal propo-
sals to the Commissioners of these States, and
went to the dam at Holyoke, the head waters
of the Connecticut, for shad, and there began
his work under great sdisad dyantages, including
the opposition of the ignorant fishermen, and
receiving butIttle countenance from the pub
lie of the locality generally. He sought TO
denonstrate The truth Of his theories, and was
Wiling to mike almost any sacrifice to do this.
He had declared his firm belief that the shad
hatched in B particular river would annually
return to that river and would resort to no other,
and that By artificial propagation ninety per
cert. of tfespaWn would be productive, while,
,by the natural method, not five per cent. were
hatched. The correctness of his positions have
been Demonstrated. beyond all doubt. How
this has been done. let the Commissioners OF
the Stateof Connecticut tell. In their report
to the Legislature, Just received, are the fol-
lowing:
inf Mupnnrd, New York, under the joint pat
ronaoe df the Massachusetts, and Connecticut
Commissioners, made the first experiments in
the artificial propagation of shad in the Con-
necticut Riye, short distance below Holyoke
dam. MIR. Green's skill and large experience
in the cultu,e of fish, especially fitted him for
the work. His first attempt resulted in hatch
inc about wo per cent. of the ova. His sec
ond ATTEMPT, with improved arrangements,
brought oui seventy per cent. Bis third effort
semred niiety<nine per cent; and in three
weeks. he ,ut into the Connecticut River about
forty mill6ns of young shad. At this time
nothing WIS really known about the growth OF
the shad there was o great difference OF opln-
ion amons fishermen and naturalists; some as
serted thst it reached maturity, or marketable
size, in oie year others, that it took from two
to five years. The better opinion seemed to be
not less han three nor more than five years;
and thif was partially corroborated by the in
of of
which slowed that alewives, which are closely
allied t. shad. take four years to mature. It
was als corroborated by the time of the disap-
pearane of shad after the building of dams.
I'm thehll of 1867, more young shad were OBJ
seryedat various places along tho river, from
glastonbury to it's mouth on their way to the
sound. than had been noticed for several years.
| The fery-boats on the river repeatedly scooped
| them ID ON their aprons, while many were
caueh BY the fishermen in their fne-meshed
| In he following summer, June %, 1868, MIR.
Gree repeated his experiments in the Matching
| of shd, at Holyoke, under the direction of
! the Massachusetts Commissioners, and for
abot twenty days had complete success. He
tur,ed out Several millions" of young fry
daiy. On the 18th of July, the weather be-
cane 80 extremely hot that the temperature OF
tls water ranged from "a to 88 degrees, and
tie spawn was spoiled in the Matching boxes.
] is estimated that sixty millions of young
I had were put into the Connecticut that year.
During the same year, attempts were made
by the Connecticut Commissioners to hatch.
Ehad at BrockWay's Point, but it was on the 9th
Iof July before the ova were placed in the box
es. aud the extreme heat of the weather de-
stroyed them.
? No attempts were made to hatch shad in
1870, the Commissioners deeming it prudent to
await the results of the experiments OF 1867
and 1868, before incur1ing further expense.
The great increase of young shad seen in 1863,
as in 1868, confirmed the belief that they
would mature in due time, and an abundance
of marketable shad would appear by the year
1871, at tho farthest.
To the surprise and delight Of our people,
however, they appeared in unusually great
numbers in 1870. Such run of shad has not
been seen in twenty years. On Sunday, the
22d of May, they appeared in the sound IN vast
numbers captains Of vessels sailing through
the sound, reported immense shoals OF them
near the surface of the water, all making for
day morning, the 23d, over $4,000 shad, of
good size, we're taken from the ponds at and
near Saybrook. The same day, at Lewis
Pond, beyond Nuncatesick Point, 1850 were
taken at one time, being seven times the usual
catch. AT Haddam Island, 700 were taken at
one haul of the seine. At Wethersfeld, 900
were taken during the day. AT Holyoke Dam,
$50 were taken between 4 and 5 o'clock in the
afternoon: AT all the other fishing places on
the river, so far as heard from, the catches were
unusually large, and the fishing continued un-
commonly good throughout tho season. The
average quality and size of the fish were also
good. =,
Connecticut River, of which we have any au-
thentic record, was in 1911, when 2,2So shad
were caught at single draft at Ruttys Fish
Place. Prior to that time, the largest single
draft had been made in 1862, at Haddam Pier,
and it numbered about $500. Comparing these
figures with those given above, from N1ncates-