Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-03-22
Something About Its CareerWhat the State Is Doing for It.

The time for the toothsome shad i'll
Maryland is near at hand and the fisher
men are getting their nets ready for the
catch. Next to the oyster industry the
shad brings more money to the fisher
men than any other product of the riv-
ers and bays of Maryland. IL has been
said that these splendid fish are not so
plentiful now as they were some twenty
year ago. but this is mistake. IL is a
fact that the people up the rivers do not
catch as many as they might if the
mouths of the rivers were freer of fish
pounds. One day last spring while the
fishermen inland were bewalling the
dearth of shad, one fish pound owner at
the mouth of an up Shore river took
ont of his pound over one thousand fine
shad at a single fishing. The next day
another fish pound owner captured
nearly as many more. Twenty years
ago there were not so many persons en-
gagged in fishing for living rs there are
destructive devices for the capture of
shad. Many things have been done to
lessen the supply of shad in our rivers,
and if it were not for the work of the
State Fish Commission and the U. 5.
Fish Commission there i little doubt
but what the shad would he very
scarce article Of commerce III IN" waters
of the Eastern Shore. because of the
pollution of the waters aud the catch
ing of the mother i,h before they have
an opportunity to spawn
The principal shad rivers on the East
ern Shore are the Choptank. Nanticoke,
Wicomico. Pocomokc, Chester and Elk
River. bur there are more shad caught
in the Susquehanna than any other. and
glance at the map of our state and "A
knowledge of the habits of the shad
will easily account for this.
The shad passes most of IT. lifeiu the
Driny deep, only coming up our rivers
for purposes of spawning. l. Is during
these spring migrations. when the tenn
perature of the river l. from III 10 ,ij de
grees, that il il possible for the fisher
man to capture them This Is always
done by net, because the shad has no
teeth. and will not bite the line Their
food is acquired by swimming with
mouth open. ana Illccting on their gi!l>
the minute forms uf aquatic life. which
are filtered out a. the water passes
through.
AS the shad l. only captured at the
time of breeding. 1t was i'll great danger
of extinction In fact. in 1879. IL was al
most extinct, owing To its capture IN
such large numbers during the breeding
season and from the pollution of the wa
tiers it frequented Each female fish lie
posits from $1,000 10 100000 eggs. the
highest record being that OF "A specimen
caught in the Delaware River in 1888.
which gave lJ6.OO cggs Though This
may seem very prolific. 1t l. exceeded
by very many other species of food
fishes. and very small percentage of the
shad eggs reach maturity. many of them
escape fertilization aud freShet may
bring down lots of mud. which would be
deposited on the eggs and destroy them.
They are also very susceptible before IN
cubation. which takes several days. to
sligh, changes of temperature. and.
again. they are devoured by other aquat-
ic creatures. especially cels These
evolves cf the rivers are so rapacious
a. to attack the fish caught in gill nets,
and il L. no uncommon thing for the
fisherman to find his catch already half
eaten by the eelS. Thus II will be- seen
the poor shad has IA hard struggle for
existence, and is certainly entitled 10
the charitable aid our good State sees
fit To bestow upon il.
On the Choptank. wicomico aud Nan
ticoke the Maryland FISH Commission
has shad Matching stations, aud perch
Matching station on th" St Martins
Brook trout are Matched at the Druid
Perch Matching has been commenced AZ
the Hatchery ON the Tuckahoe and also
at the Nanticoke hatchery. because ripe
perch can be obtained there sooner than
on the St Martins. just as soon, how
ever as ripe shad are found IN the vicin-
ity of the Matching stations the roe is
secured from the fishermen aud the
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