The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1940-05-03
RELEASE OF YELLOW PERCH IN
MARYLAND

The State Conservation Depart
ment has developed a comprehensive
program for the Matching of yellow
perch and shad to be released in
Maryland waters during the current
year. While the shad spawn collect
ing season is just in the ofiing, al
ready five hundred million yellow
perch eggs have been collected and
incubated in the two central hatch
cries located, respectively, at the
head of the Chester River, on the
Eastern Shore, and on the Severn
River in Southern Maryland. OF the
spawn collected, approximately eigh-
ty per cent was successfully hatch
ed, and these young fish, the fry,
are now being distributed through
out the upper reaches Of streams
tributary to the Chesapeake Bay and
certain bodies of water draining to-
ward the Atlantic Coast.
The main departure by the De-
partment in developing its hatchery
program is the fact that fish are not
merely being distributed to open
waters but in all cases samples of
the water are being collected and
analysed chemically, physically and
biologically to determine their fit
ness to afford perch population and,
in turn, develop an industry. The
samples are taken to Chesapeake
Biological Laboratory, at Solomons
Island, under which institution the
States hatchery program Is now op-
Grated. Here the specialists make
their analysis and determine the
availability of streams to receive
fish. In this program fish are dis
tributed to public streams providing
anexamination shows the planting
of the fish to be feasible and work
able.
Young perch require approximate
ly three weeks to develop from the
egg stage to IA sufficient degree to be
transported and planted. The fish
are placed In cans at the hatchery
and transported by fast truck SER
vice under the care and attention Of
members of the hatchery force and
supervised by DR.. r. v. Truntt, and
Mr.. David H. Wallace, Ichthyologist
at the Laboratory. Care is taken dur
ing transportation to maintain the
water in the cans at constant and
low level as far as possible, and the
young fish are released after the
water temperature in the can and in
the given stream are made approxi-
mately the same. While there is no
definite information at this time on
the period required for the yellow
perch fry to reach sexual maturity,
"a subject now under study at the
Laboratory, the data that has been
accumulated during the year indi-
Gates from three to four years time.
The Biological laboratory has eff
fected plan in cooperation with the
U. S. Bureau of Fisheries to CEN
tralize and intensity the shad hatch
cry work in the Fort Belvoir station
of the u S. Government located ON
the Potomac River. During recent
years shad have become SO greatly
depleted that only few sites re-
main in Maryland waters where a
sufficient quantity of breed fish Is
captured from which the spawn to
run hatchery is available. The
personnel of the Laboratory Is to
devote much time to the problem
of efficiency in shad hatcheries, since
in spite of very considerable effort
in the past to collect spawn and
hatch shad there has been a decline
in the fishery. Recently the Conser-
walton Department has held a SER
les of meetings with the shad fisher
men in an effort to work out plan
at home and in cooperation with
Virginia to effect reduction in fish
ing effort. The fishermen recognize
that the main problem facing the
industry is over fishing and they
are showing considerable interest
and cooperation in the program.
Paintings made in Cecil County
were as follows:
Northeast River, one-half million;
Elk River, one-half million; Bohem-
ia River, one-half million; Sassa-
fras River, three-fourths million;
Conowingo Pool, forty million.