The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1873-07-03
Hatching Shad in the Delaware.

The first attempt at hatchiug shad iu
the Delaware by artificial means is now
being prosecuted in that river About a
week ago Nj. G Holton aud Chester
Green, the latter son of Seth Green, OF
! Rochester, n Y, the famous fish cultur
ist, pitched their tents on the banks OF
the Delaware, at the lower end of the vii
| lage of Point Pleasant and close to the
fishery there, for the purpose of devoting
the spawning season to the work Of hatch
| ing shad. Mr.. Holton, who is the active
man in the enterprise, his companion be-
ing quite youth, has been engaged in
this business for some years, in the EN-.
ploy Of Seth Green, and has assisted in
stocking the waters of several of the riv
ers throughout the United States with
shad. Mr.. Green, it should be stated, is
the agent of Prof. Spencer L. Baird, Uni
ted States Fish Commissioner. aud it is
under his authority that the work now in
operation in the Delaware is being car
red on. Mr.. Holton has recently return
ed home from the South, where he has
been engaged for some time in Matching
shad in the Savannah and Neuse Rivers.
with fair success. AS the season for the
business was ended in that part of the
country, Mr.. Green turned his attention
to the northward. Mr. Holton therefore
made an inspection of several of the
fisheries along the Delaware, with the
view of fixing upon location for the
busidess. He finally concluded that the
place above named possessed the most
favorable conditions for the purpose
The first requisite is good fishery where
the shad can be caught, and it is also ne
eessary that the current at the Matching
place should not be too rapid, After
making the preliminary arrangements,
early last week, canvas tents for shelter
during the work were erected in the shade
of some trees near the river at the place
fixed upon. The process of Matching is
a very simple one, the principal difficulty
being at the first stage OF the proceed
ings, which is to catch the shad in sufi-
cient numbers This is done at night,
which is the most favorable time. After
the shad are caught, if found to be in
suitable condition, the spawn by gentle
pressure is forced into basin containing
water from the river, into which is also
pressed the mlt, taken from the male in
the same manner This allowed to stand
for about fifteen minutes, and gently stir
red few times until the eggs become
impregnated, when the contents of the
vessel are put into the Matching boxes =
The box used for Matching is one invent,
ed by Mr. Green, after many experiments,
and is found to answer good purpose.
1t is about two feet long, fifteen inches
wide aud a foot deep. The bottom is
covered with fine wire. The box is so
constructed that when anchored in the
river for the purpose of Matching, the end
will be tilted up stream. The current
striking the wire bottom at an angle
causes such agitation inside that the light
shad eggs are kept constantly free and
buoyed up, with the running water hav-
ing access to every eggs circumference.
Otherwise the eggs would become heaped
up, and large portion Of them would
spoil for lack of water and motion. The
boxes are placed in the river at cou-
veuient distance from the shore, and are
usually protected in some way to guard
them from injury by rubbish coming down
the stream. When spawned an egg is
about nine hundredths of an inch in
diameter, aud on being put into water it
enlarges to thirteen hundredths of an
inch. They are almost as transparent as
water. When spoiled they turn white
They cover the bottom of Matching box
% tho 1optb n ruartor Of an inch In
about three days, with water at 750,
Fahrenheit, and plenty of sunshine, they
are hatched, and the box will be filled
with the tiny fish swimming freely with
their beads to the current. The fish come
from the egg with a little sack attached
which supplies the young shad with
DourshmeDt for few days, when it is
absorbed and it must seek its own food
1t is during the time it is supplied with
this sack that it is in condition for trans,
portation. After that is gone it is very
difficult if not impossible to move them
any considerable distance. AS soon as
they are hatched the boxes are opened
and the young shad let out. BY an 10
stnct peculiar to themselves, they at once
seek the middle of the stream, in order
to escape from enemies near the shore
| which would devour them. There they
are comparatively free from the depreda
tions of the larger fish. The young shad
remains in his native river, feeding on
flies that deposit their eggs on the water
and on the larvae of the same in their var
ious stages, until September, when they
pass down the river to the ocean. Al
this time they are two or three inches
long In one year they attain to about
the size OF an average herring, and it re
qulres about three years to reach theil
full growth. Mr. Holton informs us that
it is always expected that fully 80 pei
cent Of the eggs win hatch under pr
management, whereas in the natural way
the greater part of the spawn is destroy
ed. As the average number of eggs pro
duced at n single spawninu i estimate,