The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1891-05-22
Millions of shad Turned Out Every Year.
Food for Eels, Cat Fish, Black Bass, Terra
pins, Turtles and Perch.

The artificial Matching of shad is an interesting
process. as seen at Battery Station. U. 5. Fish
Commission, which is situated in Chesapeake Bay,
four miles below Havre de Grace. For many years
Maryland and other States have been engaged in
this work, but it never attained its present magni-
took hold of it. The headquarters of the Fish
Commission are in Washington, Col. Marshall Nc
Donald having charge OF all its operations.
At Battery Station shad alone are Matched, but
at various points throughout the country other
stations have been established where cod, rock,
black bass, trout carp, NC, are Matched. The
young fry are sent to all parts of the country and
placed in waters congenal to their habits. Mr.. w.
dec. Ravenel, an enthusiastic and experienced
plsiculturst, has charge of Battery Station. which
includes supplementary station in the city of
HaVre de Grace. where the greater part OF the
Matching is done and from whence shipments are
made. The latter is in charge of Mr.. ID. " kenly,
with Thomas NJ. sumption and J. L. Owner, as
siStants JOS. I. c. kenly and A. L. Lyon, messen-
Battery Station covers several acres. in the middle
OF the bay. The water has been converted into dry
land by the construction OF pens OF heavy timbers:
into which stone has been dumped and on top of
these sand and earth has been placed. Here are
the headquarters of the U. s. fish Matching opera
tons in Maryland. About "a men are employed
during the fishing season, and at its close the build
ings are left in charge of two men. who with Mr..
George W. Mitchell, the light house keeper con
stitute the inhabitants of the island and lead
lonely life. Among the men employed at Battery
Station are Benjamin Nelson. James III. Mitchell
and w. Crawford Norris. of Hartford county.
The location is admirably adapted for the pur
ing floats and within easy access of the waters
most frequented by shad OILERS.
After nlghtfall, during the hshlng season, the
surface of the water is dotted with lights which
denote the location of the giing boats. Men are
sent from the station to these boats the catch is
examined and the ripe roe shad-those ready to
Spawn-are stripped" of their eggs into a pan.-
Each shad will yield, on an average, 10000 eggs
The eggs are then impregnated, little water is
added and the Matching process begins. The
government pays 25 cents Tor each shad stripped.
and the fisherman afterwards sell them as he best
can or salts them down for winter use.
The eggs are taken to the Battery and emp
tied into glass jars which hold about two gallons
they settle the lar is about half full The eggs ar
counted in an ingenious way. By first ascertainns
the average number Of eggs to an inch in height
IN a lar IT IS easy. with gauge, TO compute the
A stream of water through small rubber tube
e e gently Of Tsre
from three TO ten days, according to the tempera
ture of the water. The warmer it is the more
the eggs placed in the jars develop into fish. The
abortive eggs, being lighter than the Others rise to
the top, from whence they are drawn OFF by a 81
phon.
In the course of time the eggs present the ap-
pearance of air-bubbles little more than eighth
of an inch in diameter, in the centre which APP
pears little black speck, which afterwards forms
the eyes of the shad. The tiny eggs soon begin to
have some vitality, and move about in spaSmO-
die way. When fully Matched the young fry breaks
forth from its prison. 1t then consists OF black
speck, smaller than pin-head, and wiggling tail
three-eighthS of an inch in length. 1t
dot and dash.
into the clear water above its yet unmatched COM
panions 1t meets current of water setting up
wards through tube and allowing itself to be car
ried along the young fry is dropped into large
aquarium. From this aquarium they are placed
in tanks, from whence they are taken. put into
cans and shipped sometimes to far distant points
Young fry are mostly placed in Maryland waters
as soon as matched, but when needed for diStribu-
tion at distance the eggs are sent on cars spe-
constructed nlIrD0Sa h1tphp6
while on their journey. On Friday last carload
containing several million eggs. was sent to
Salt Lake City, Utah. for distribution in the streams
emptying into Salt Lake. and on Saturday as many
more were sent to Southwest Missouri.
1t is necessary to watch the process of Matching
night and day. in order to keep the siphons clear
and remove the unfertile eggs.
Shad fry are placed in the Susquehanna river as |
far up as Columbia. Thousands of enemies are |
ready to devour the infantle shad the moment it |
Is released from captivity. OF these the most |
yoraeious and destructive are the eels Mr.. JOS 7.
c. Kenly relates that on the I'd of May, while en-
gagged In depOsiting 100000 shad fry in the SuS- |
quehanna, at Peach Bottom he observed long |
posed of millions of eels three four inches In |
length, which had taken refuge in the shallow |
these slippery, wrggling creatures has insatia-
Bile appetite for shad fry and is capable of consum
ing thousands in day., Black bass, rock fish. or
striped bass, cat fish, yellow and white perch and |
terrapins all have the epicurean taste for shad |
which the eels possess and deVour the fry and |
young Sllad In immense numbers.
The young shad remain in the rivers where they |
placed until the middle of the summer or later
when they follow The current to the sea. They re-
main in some undiscovered part of the ocean, for
four or five years. it is believed, by which time |
being ready to spawn, they RETURN with unerring |
instinct. to their first home where if they escape
the Gordon of nets which bar the mouth of the SuS
quehanna for example, they deposit their eggs in |
the river, ascending as far up as they can. The |
largest and strongest fish it has been noticed. 20
farthest up the river If it were not for the nceS
SAINT destruction of the fish ana the young fry our
waters would be over-stocked. Nature, however, |
preserves balance, and the full-grown fish, the |
and reptile and room is thereby left in the waters
for other kinds of fish.
Opinions differ as to the value of the operations
of the Fish Commission. Old fishermen growl |
about the waste of money but every one ofthem
would complain still more loudly if the Commits |
borne in mind, in estimating the value of artificial
propagation. that more fishermen are at work |
catching Shad than ever before. Statistics show that
the number of shad taken in all parts of the coun
try has greatly increased. 1t may be safely infer
red that but for the means employed by the
general and State governments Shad would almost
entirely disappear from the SuSquehanna and
other rivers in which they are natives. In Seekir
the mouth OF the river the shad encounters huno-
reds OF nets set Tor his capture and 1t is remarka
Bile that any escape. If the mouth of the river
were open to them probably no artificial means
would be needed to keep up the supply.
1t is stated that i'll 1888 the number of fry and eggs
sent out from Battery Station amounted to s0,000
600 in 1885, A. 1000 00O in $780, % 900 OO0 This year
Mr. Ravenel hopes to be able to send out bout
35 900. The quantity depends entirely upon the
number of ripe Shad obtained from the fishermen.
Slad have been sent 10 the Commission from
waters in California and Oregon. previously stock
ed by its efforts, where the fish was not
known before.
The State of Maryland also conducts shad hatch
ing operations in small way at Havre de Grace