The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-02-20
STOP FISHING ON
 BREEDING GROUNDS
Such Action Necessary to Save the Shad

Much interesting material concern
 ing the decline of the shad fishing in-
 dustry and the need of protective leg
 game commissions report for the
 last two years, ended September 30,
 1910 The report says, regarding the
 shad hatchery on the Farmington Riv-
 CT, that in 1909 there were made sev-
 enty-seven hauls with the seine to ob-
 tain sixty-six ripe shad which produc-
 ed I'll GOO eggs, with the resultant
 were liberated in the Pennington Riv-
 CT and 643, 1000 were deposited in the
 Joshuatown retaining ponds. In 1910
 there were ninety hauls made with the
 seine, taking 101 ripe shad producing
 100000 eggs, from which were hatch
 ed 938.000 fry; 2S,000 were deposited in
 the Pennington River and 910,000 in
 of fry matched in 1910 was about per
 cent. less than in 1909. The report
 in part follows:
 One of the most serious problems
 confronting the commission is pre-
 scented by the steady decline of the
 shad fishery on the Connecticut River.
 The prolific run of shad on this river
 tant river in the country. It is a recognized fact that during recent years this river has become little more
 than an open sewer and each year finds conditions in this respect worse than the year before. As one writer says, everywhere, the country over streams once yielding bounteous sup ply of fish have long since been ut- terly and permanently ruined by hav- ing been converted into sewers for re- fuse which destroy all life." The great importance of the shad as food fish demands that this problem be given particular attention. It IS a recognized fact that polluted waters destroy a great many shad eggs which are deposited naturally, and even the young fish which are matched are un- able to withstand the conditions oe the waters while on their way to the sea, and the result is fatal. We hard 1y need to point out to you, who know about the fisheries of our state, that it is very hard work for big and precious fish like the slad to maintain itself in a river in the condition the Connecticut is at the present time, flowing through one of the most popu- lous and flourishing parts of New Eng. land, where all the circumstances CO., operate to destroy the shad life and to prevent it's propagation. It is not only the direct influence of highly de- velouped fishing industry after all that
 
 directly, regardless of the fishery the river has been spoiled, and the place of the future spawning fish closed Before this time the natural propaga- tion of shad was hourishing, but now, in the Connecticut River, the only way to keep up the stock remains by ar tificial propagation in the most in- tense way. No other anadromous spe- cies of fish has been more extensively cultivated in the United States and none is now so dependent on arti- ficial measures for it's perpetuation.
 When the shad first enter the river. their eggs are not ripe and are use less for hatchery work, therefore the eggs must be gathered as far up the liver as is possible. With the ex- haustive fishing the entire length of the river to the very spawning grounds so few fish escape that the egg col lection has diminished to an alarm ing extent, being now reckoned by the where it was formerly py millions Under these conditions 1t is to propagate enough fish to shad fishery is fast being deprived or it's one remaining support; while the present meager shad catch together with the enforced curtailment of pro- pagation, both natural and artificial, speaks more convincingly of the value Of the arC1uC1dl IHcdSuTSS. SOiy point is that the eggs from which the fry are matched are taken from fish that would be caught for the market, hence would be totally lost for any increase if the commits sion did not collect them. The nat ural reproduction, so seriously curtali- ed, is not sufficient to keep up the supply of commercial fish. This im- portant food fish is gradually nearing extinction and unless op- portunity is afforded for procuring sufficient quantities of eggs for artifi- cial propagation, with restrictive laws protecting the spawning grounds, the species will certainly become extinct within a very few years.
 The interest of the people of the state as a whole is paramount in the correct solution of the shad question. The selfish desires of local interests must give way to a growing apprecia- ton of a wide civic duty. It should not longer be possible for local inter- ssts to represent constituency solely; righteous public sentiment compe1s for claims of the people 1f the state. In all cases it is wise .o consider very carefully the respec- tive rights of all the interests involv- ed. While in general it is not best ,o legislate in such manner as to l1m- t the market demand rather than to increase the supply. we believe that he principle of prohibiting seining on breeding grounds of valuable food ishes is absolutely necessary. This n effect makes reservation for fish similar in purpose to that for game. In the same way the public who are most affected by the decline or dan- ger of the total extermination of a ishery, should be permitted to throw weight in the decision.
 Notwithstanding all of these serious conditions we positively affirm and it 1as been demonstrated by past exper- ence that with abundance of shad