DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES,

35
SHAD.
Native shad still continue to increase on the St. John River, as will be seen by
the following table compiled from the annual returns. As stated on former oc
casions, these fish are taken in May on their way up the river to spawn, while the
Bay fishery does not begin usually until the 20th June, at which time our
iiative shad are in the fresh water spawning, and do not descend till early in
July, when they are a poor useless fish until some weeks later, hence the Bay fishery
belongs to rivers further south where they spawn in March and April, and after de
.scending to salt water come north to feed, as the temperature of the water suits them
Year. Bbls. Year. Bbls.
1878.. 429 1883 ... 1,728
1879..... 521 1884 2,420
1880 613 1885... 2,189
1881... 1,85 188d 2,716
1882 . 1,882 1887 3,950
The following table gives the catch on the Shubenacadie River, the only one
producing any shad in Nova Scotia on the Bay of Fundy coast.
Year. BbIs. Year. BbIa.
1880 17 1885 13
1881. 30 1886..... 15
1882 ...... 31 1887 18
1883.... 24 1888 110
1884 . 12
The decline of shad along the American coast may be judged of by the following
t1gures, giving the catch during the years indicated.
The catch in the State of Massachusetts was in the year,
1882 .... . 44,736 fish.
1883 15,160 do
1884 17,699 do
1885 25,347 do
1886 .... 19,446 do
The catch on the Connecticut River, was in
Year. Fish. Year. Fish.
1879 436,981 1883 177,308
1880 269,981 1884 150,045
1881 351,678 1885...... ..... ..... 190,300
1882 272,903 1886 117,950
These fish are caught as on the St. John and Shubenacadie, daring the spawning
season, and the spawn taken from them is sold in the Boston and New York fish
inatkets in immense quantities each year for food, and is enjoyed as a luxury. Thi&
state of things, over which we have no control, is, in my opinion, what is largely
affecting our Bay fishery, and until our neighbors improve their fishery by artificial
culture, better protection and improved fishways, I do not expect to see much ini
provement in the Bay.
COD.
The aggregate yield of this item, covering what is known as the whole cod
family, i.e., cod, haddock, hake, pollook, &c., amounted to 1,133,152 qtls., an increase
ever the previous year of 44,568 qtls.; though the item of cod itself fell off this year
40,850 qtls. below that of 1887, which may be accounted for by the short catch in the
shore fisheries, chiefly caused by stormy and unfavorable weather for boat fishing.
HALiBUT.
There is a decline in this item as compared with last year of 192,598 lbs., the
xesult of bad weather for boat fishing along the coast.