The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-27
QUEST
 OF ELUSIVE SHAD

Stratford, May 27.-Centuries be-
 fore the. white man saw the shores or
 the Housatonfc river the shad was
 eagerly sought for by the aborigfnes
 who came for many miles and camp ed along the shores of the pictures
 que river and laid in stores of the
 fish for future use. The white man soon. discovered. that the Indians were real judges of what was good to eat and they also drew upon the countless thousands of the fish which ascended
 the river every spring. But instead of drying the fish, the resulting pro duct being a half rancid mess, they applied the only methods of preser- vation then known that of salt brine.
 The early settlers began salting down the shad for winter use. This cus- tom prevailed among the residents of
 large section of surrounding coun- try until the supply gave out about 20 years ago. Since that time eff forts have been made to ascertain why
 the fish had deserted the Housatonic
 river but still frequented the Con-
 necticut and other streams in the North. It is generally conceded that
 the sewage dumped into the stream
 from the manufactories along It's course had driven the toothsome fish
 from the river. The State has spent
 large sums in attempting to breed the
 fish and many thousands of fry have
 been matched artif1cially and set at
 liberty in the river. It is well known
 that shad will return year after year
 to spawn in the waters in which
 they themselves have been matched.
 To ascertain just why the fish refus-
 ed to follow this instinct has been
 the object of much experimenting.
 Capt Charles A. Plumb of this
 town, the descendant of long line
 of enthusiastic fishermen, was em-
 ployed by the state to make experi-
 kI--
 shad did really attempt to enter the
 stream but changed their minds when
 they struck the polluted waters of the
 river had deserted the vicinity en- tirely. He was instructed to draw his
 seine at the Derby Dam and also at
 the mouth of the river and such other places along the stream as he chose and see just how far the shad trave ed if they visited the waters at all. He began the work in the spring of 1911 and succeeded in getting fish all at the Derby dam. They were | all males or buck shad as the natives call them. Incidentally he was ar
 rested for violating the statute which forbids seining at the dam and was l obliged to show his authority before | the officers would release him. Last | spring he continued his experiments
 and succeeded in capturing two fish 1 at the dam and three at the breakwa- 1 ter. All of these were also buck shad. 1 It required week of hard work in | each place to get even these mea gre | results. The laws at present allow
 fishing for shad with seines from May l to June 20. Before the later date
 no seining is allowed in the river | with a mesh less than 2 1-2 inches
 This statute is relic of the time when
 shad were plentiful on the river and
 was intended to protect the young 1 shad in the return to the Sound after 1 being. matched in the warm waters
 p-stream. Last night Capt. PIurr1b b
 boarded his motor boat Olive and took | in tow "OIiyes Pup" which carried the gill net used by present day shad 1 fishermen. He proceeded to the | breakwater and set the seine across | the channel at the half-ebb of the | tide. The net remained all night or until the tide was we'll up this morn | ing. The haul resulted in a goodly l catch of bass, black fish and other | good eating but no shad. Capt. Plum b
 will try again every night this week or l until all hope of getting 8 shad is l over.
 ! The deductions drawn by the cap