The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-05-17
Interesting Facts from the
United States Hatchery
at Gloucester.
LEADING THE FISH UP STREAM.
Twenty Million Eggs a Week to
Enrich the Delaware
Perch and Pike.
Special 70 The Sunday Morning Mems.


millions of shad at Gloucester. There are
three Government shad hatcheries. One
is at Washington, and distributes the
young shad in the waters of the Potomac
and its tributaries. Another station is at
Havre de Grace. and from this the waters
OF the Susquehanna are stocked The
third Is the Gloucester hatchery, from
which the young shad That owe their
being TO Uncle Sam are sent to the head
waters of the Delaware and to the Hudson.
The Gloucester station is the largest of
the three, and has been the most success
full in observable results. Some idea may
be gained Of the Immense value of these
Government stations in replenishing the
supply of food fish from the statement OF
MIR. John Gay, superintendent of the
Gloucester station, that twenty million
young shad can be Matched in D week at
that place. For some years prior to the
Government taking up the work OF pToBa-
eating fish. the shad had grown SO scarce
IN the Delaware that it seemed only
question of time when this valuable food
supply would disappear. Last year Il, 600
fish were caught IN one haul at Gloucester,
and shad were never more plentiful In the
Delaware than now.
IdE QLQQOE9IEh dAIGAEn4
The Gloucester shad- Matching station is
a one-story frame building with high
peaked roof Il Is located at the rear OF
Thompson's Hotel, is within few min
utes' walk of the ferry, and Is open 20 the
public. MIR. John Gay of the United
States Fish Commission has charge OF
the station, and during the season he has
from twelve TO fifteen men employed ia
gathering and caring for the shad eggs,
These include the crew OF the Petrol,
small steam launch used in visiting the
shore fisheries aud gathering the eggs.
The Fish Commissioners steamer Fish
Hawk has for several seasons been sta
toned at Gloucester as an auxiliary to
the shore station, but this year Will be
used in other branches of the con1nis-
sion's work.
The interior of the station is taken up
almost entirely by one large room, where
the work OF Matching is carried on. 1t is
q most interesting and novel process To
be rightly understood ii must be follow ed
from the moment the parent shad are
caught until the young fish are shipped
away 10 be liberated in the waters of the
river
The eggs to be Matched are obtained at
either the Gloucester fishery or the How
ellis Cove fishery, just below. Most of the
ripe female shad are caught at the latter
place, as they come into The cove there to
spawn. The men from the Governm ent
station are present at every haul of the
big shore nets. AS the shad are taken
from the net they pick out the largest and
ripesr of the females A ''ripe'' female,
or roe shad, is one That is ready TO spawn;
that is, the membrane which holds the
eggs together in the roe in a compact
mass has broken and the eggs begin to
separate from each other.
LAYING THE EGGS
Taking the, live female shad in his
L. -
pressure on the sides OF the fish. causes
the ripe eggs to pass from the shad into
jar or other receptacle The shad is then
returned 10 the fishermen and is sold by
them with the other fish. The Govern
ment pays SO a million for the eggs, the
count being made BY well-detined
measurements, the standard being about
2s, 600 eggs to the quart. This money is
nearly all profit to the fisheries. as the
sale of the shad is but slightly, If at all.
affected by the process of stripping"
and the ripe eggs would be unfit for
table use.
While collecting the eggs from the
female shad the Government empioye
has an important duty TO perform, and
on which the success OF the subsequent
Matching depends, He must impregn ate
the eggs. 10 do this he selects several of
the largest and Notwithstanding .'buck"
of male shad from the net, aud, holding
tkt StIuES1iuH Asu OfCI tlG tRk6. NC
strips it, thus Initiating the natural pro-
cess of impregnation.
The eggs are now taken to the Matching
station. In this building there are eight
tables, with twenty-five high glass Jars
on each. The Mcdonald Universal jar is
used by the United States Commission.
1t has capacity of six quarts. A brass
cover fits the top. through which two
glass tubes go down into the jar. Que of
these tubes is connecIed by rubber hose
with q water pipe through which a sire am
OF water constantly runs, the water escap-
ing through the other tube. This circu-
lation keeps the eggs constantly in mo-
ton, a condition necessary to the success
of the Matching Up to the present sea-
son the station has been using water from
the Gloucester city water works, but as
this is partly spring water, and its cool
ness somewhat retards the Matching pro-
cess, it was decided to introduce river
water, which has temperature Of about
seventy degrees. A boiler and steam
pump have been placed In the station, and
workmen are now completing the but
tings. A four-inch iron pipe was laid to
the river. and yesterday this pipe was car
ried sixty feet out into the river in front
of Thompson's pavilion. The pump has a
capacity of $50 gallons minute, and the
river water can be used separately or in
connection with the city water.
HATCHING.
It would be tedious 10 follow all the
different stages of the development of
the eggs. IL takes from five to six days
for the eggs to become transformed into
a wrigglipg little fish, something like
tadpole in shape, and with two tiny black
bullying eyes. At first the eggs are cir
cnlar and transparent Then tiny sloud-
like speck appears at one side of the in
ner edge OF the circle. After a day or SO
it shows movement. and gradually grows
and wrigges until it bursts she shell, and
the lively little fish swims around as gay
as u lark soaring In the air. During this
process the eggs are transferred from jar
TO jar. Some of the eggs prove worthless
from not having been ifnpregnated, or
from some physical defect. They are
easily distinguished by their milky color
ing, and, being lighter than the good
eggs. they float 10 the top and escape
through the discharge pipe
Superintendent Gay says the station is
all ready to begin operations, but they
are waiting for ripe flsn. The first ripe
shad of which they have knowledge was
caught last Tuesday. They expect to be
able 10 get some eggs by Tuesday or
Wednesday, aud WILL as fast as the eggs
can be obtained, run the station TO its
fullest capacity. They can handle %, &c.,
900 eggs week. and MIR. Gay hopes to
hatch out 100, 0eo,0 600 young shad by the
the 10Th of June. when The season
closes.
THE DESTINY OF THE YOUNG FISH
The shad Matched at Gloucester will be
liberated in the upper Delaware river and