Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-17

the ger eral government. Prior to the ex-
periments on the Connecticut certain spe-
cies of the salmon family had been prin-
cipdlly dealt with in fish culture, and dif-
ferent methods from those in use were nee
essary for shad Matching, owing to the less
specific gravity Of shad ova and the much
shorter period of time required for the de-
velopment Of the fish from the egg.
By 1854 shad culture was established on
large scale, and the work conducted on
shore. The basins of the Chesapeake bay
the United States fish commission as the
natural seat of operations after every
river on the Atlantic coast from Massa-
chusetts downward had been examined by
experts in order to determine the natural
spawning ground of the shad.
The Shad Stations.
The United States fish commission oper-
ates stations at Bryan's Point. twelve
miles below Washington, on the Potomac,
and at Battery Island at the mouth Of the
Susquehanna, while the Fish Hawk fitted
up as floating hatchery, is engaged dur
ing the. shad season ON the Delaware river.
These stations can receive 10000. 600, 49,
100000 and 12.000,OoO eggs, respectively. but
as the average Matching period is eight
days and three of the special cars of the
commission are hatcneres in themselves
capable Of taking aboard 2,000,O00 to 1000
600 eggs at time the hatcher:es can cas-
lily be relieved when taxed to their capac-
ity.
The eggs collected at Bryan's Point are
shipped to Washington and Matched here
at the GENITAL station. The Potomac river
adjacent to Fort Washington is probably
more productive of ripe shad than any
other area of the same size. In May, 1889,
an average of over 5,OOO.0OO eggs per day
was collected for five days This was be-
fore and just after a freshet. Many of
the eggs are taken by gill fishermen, which
are usually superior to those taken from
seines. AT the commencement of the sea-
son many of them secure spawning pans
which they keep in their boats, taking and
fertiiizing the eggs themselves, and when
accidentally overlooked by the commission
spawn takers sometimes row several miles
to bril- in pans of eggs.
Collecting the Eggs.
Collecting eggs is the work of experienced
watern en-. who must be prepared to endure
all kinds of weather in open boats The
boats are towed out to the fishing grounds
by steam launches. where the spawn
takers visit the nets of the market fisher
men, obtaining from them the spawning
hsh. The price for eggs is always above
the market price of the shad and payment
Is made at the eId OF the season on the
basis OF 5000 to the liquid quart the
price being SO to $50 per 100000 On the
fo'omac 40 to 80 spawn-takers are en-
proved at the station, besides II or 10 men
mach1nists, hremen and cooks
Stripping and Fertilfxfur.
In stripping the eggs the shad is lifted
With the right hand and caught above the
tail with the left. All slime and loose
scales are removed by going over the fish
Two or three times in quick succession with
the right hand. The head is carried to tho
left side under the arm, and there retained
Dy the arm, the tail Being bent slightly
upward with the left hand. The fish is
Eeid hrmly ever moist pan, and with a
Moderate downward pressure of the right
hand the eggs will flow freely if mature
10 obtain the milt the spawn-taker catch
es the male fish by the back, taking hold
OF the under side with the right hand.
w., " s'ro oiit =, refaAing pressure at any point
tne miit Is forced out with the thumb and
forefinger. A teaspoonful will fertiIize
10000 to 1900 eggs.
Matching the Young FRY.
In little more than twenty minutes
after the milt Is deposited on the eggs the
latter, which Were soft before, become
hard like shot. This shows they are fer
tilted. and the milf is rinsed off and the
eggs removed to the hatchery. The Nc
Donald universal Matching jars in which
they are placed. are arranged on tables
Two quarts of water per minute is required
for each jar, which is a cylindrical glass
Nessei VI seven quarts capacity, provided
with inlet and outlet tubes through the
metallic top, or screw top, which seals the
opening Theoretically. If the Jar is work.
ing properly the movement of the water
current establishes a regular boiling mo-
ton in the mass of eggs. which brings each
i'll succession to the surface. The dead
eggs remain on top, forming a distinct
layer, and are taken out by the escaping
water The number of shad eggs in a jar
is setimated at 1000 to the running inch.
The fry when Matched are about a third of
an inch long, and swim vigorously by rapid
vibration of the tail as soon as it leaves
the egg.
1t is colorless, transparent and gelatinous,
and several hundred in a dipper are scarce
ly discernible. In the fall in the Potomac
their size is usually three to four inches.
Good healthy fry will pass from the jar to
the collector tank as fast as hatehed and
as many as 100000 to 100000 are collected
in each tank. In transporting tin-lined
cans are preferable: zinc being destructive.
Minute conical teeth make their appear
ance on the lower jaws and in the pharynx
about the second or third day after hatch
ing. The jaws at three months are armed
with teeth slightly curved.
Young shad feed on other minute organ
iSms, such as exceedingly small crus.a-
ceans. AT the age of three weeks an
abundance of food is found. They have
been known at this early age to eat their
own kind. and later the young carp and
salmon. When cold, raw winds drive the
shad follow them, and in aquaria they take
crustacea freely. In saltwater aquaria
they may be fed upon chopped oysters and
canned herring roe.
The Shad Ponds in Washington.
For ten years past two or three million
shad fry have been reared annually at the
fish ponds, Washington, d. c. A 6-acre
pond is used, the water supply being taken
from the city water works. The depth
varies from two to three feet, and through
out the whole extent there is a dense
growth of water plants, among which crus-
tacean food multiplieS-new supplies being
brought in from the water pipes. Finger
ling shad are so tender that the numbers
annually liberated cannot be ascertained;
they cannot withstand the handling conse-
quent upon counting them, not even under
going transfer in dippers of water, and
their scales drop off on being touched; con-
sequently at high tide they are liberated
into the Potomac through a sluice gate
with an outlet pipe about two feet in diam
eter. They require some days to make
their escape. By conservative estimate 20
to 60 per cent are held safely until about
October.
Shad have been transplanted with great
success in waters where it was either IN
known or found in small quantities.
Modes of Hatching Other Fish.
All fish are not Matched in the same way