Evening star., 1928-11-18
SHAD HATCHERY
TO Be READY SOON
Buildings at Fort Humphrey
to Provide Modern Expert
mental Station.

Work upon the new shad and perch
hatchery of the United States Bureau
of Fisheries is rapidly nearly compile
ton at the new station at Fort Hum
enreys Under the direction of Capt. j.
q. Harrcn of the bureau and with the
corporation of the military authorities.
the piece CT land on the shores of the
Potomac which was a wilderness bog a
few months ago. has been transformed
into a healthy building site, with a
clean. sand beach in front and an at
tractive woods as background The
original Potomac River Shad hatchery
was established at Bryans Point in 1892.
when the Government took l0-year
lease upon the property.
The recent law passed by Congress
recommending as much as possible the
use of Government lands for Govern
n1ent purposes instead of leasing o,
purchasing new lands. gave logical
solution to the problem of a new site
in the selection Of one at Fort Humph-
reys. The advantages of the new hatch
erv over the old are manifold, The water
supply is much better and purer, being
farther removed from the city pollu-
ton than Eryans Point. 1t is also much
nearer the field where the sha6 eggs
are secured in the carly Spring. IN
addition It is on Government property,
which insures a permanent existence
Several Buildings Completed.
Several buildings already have been
eorlpleted. These include the hatchery
itself. a bunk house which will accom-
modate 25 men: pump house In which
is installed the pump which supplies
the water from the river to the hatch
cry; a mess hall. large garage and
the superintendent'S house. A pier for
the landing of the bureaus new motor
boat as well as visiting boats, and those
Of the fishermen who supply the hatch
cry has been entirely completed and
this wharf is cited as an example 1f
Government economy. Most of the
materials were obtained at Fort
Humphreys. every pile being taken from
the dense woods surrounding the hatch
ery. Practically the only cost attached
10 the securing of the piles was the
labor of cutting them.
Were 1t not for the maintenance Of
the Potomac River shed hatchery. 1t
is nrobable that within few years
the species would disappear. Millions
Of shad eggs are secured each season
bv the hatchery and these eggs are
placed in jars where they develop.
closely guarded. through the period of
incubation. When the baby fish are
ebcut one day old, they are planted"
back in the river waters as closely as
possible to the grounds where they were
spawned. Thus each year millions uf
fish are given back to the rivers, which
were it not for the hatchery which
preserves them, would be entirely lost
TO nature and man.
The same thing holds true with The
yellow perch, the work on which goes
together nicely with that on the shad.
The perch are the first to spawn and
as the last of the young fish, or fry,
leave the hatchery, the first Of the
shad spawn arrives.
Fisherman Supply Adults.
Thus the hatchery is free to accomo-
date each species in turn. An interest
ing fact was related regarding the
ycung fish hetched from The eggs in
this experimental incubator. Each
baby fish. as soon as 1t is hatched. is
supplied by nature with small food
sack which supplies its nourishment
curing its first days. Shortly after it
is released in the waters of It's natural
habitat it quickly learns to secure food
from among the river grasses and the