Three Fish Stories

AMERICAN SHAD

During the winter of 1776, Gen George Washinton's troops were near starvation. Food was scarce and the Continental Congress had no more funds to appropriate to what looked like a lost cause. We were on the verge of losing THE WAR. The Revolutionary War! History would have to be re-written. Washington's troops hung on until Spring. Barely. Then came the annual American Shad run up the Schuylkill River near Washington's encampment at Valley Forge, Pa. Armed with pitchforks, Washington's men set upon the Shad. Historians believe that the sudden supply of fresh fish helped win the war!

BROWN TROUT

The Brown Trout has been around for 70 million years. However, they were not always swimming around the North American Continent. They were native to Europe and North Africa. In 1882, William Gilbert of Plymouth, Mass imported 5000 Brown Trout eggs from Scotland. At first, this experiment seemed to be a disaster. Nearly all the eggs proved to be infertile. Then of the few tiny fry that actually hatched, only 3 of them grew to maturity. Miraculously, from those 3 originial Brown Trout imported in 1882, their descendents  are now caught in 43 US States and most of Canada and are one of the most sought after freshwater fish in North America.

STRIPED BASS

Striped Bass, as we know, are the MOST POPULAR GAMEFISH on the US East Coast. There is also a very productive West Coast Fishery that pretty much centers in San Francisco Bay. This wasn't always the case. In another incredible case of Fishery Management and Experimentation, in 1879 135 Striped Bass fry were hauled across the Country by Railroad by the US Fish Commission. These fish were kept in Milk Cans that were cooled with ice and aerated by hand in an arduous around-the-clock, by hand method. Of the original lot, so few actually survived that instead of setting up a West Coast Hatchery, these fish were merely dumped in San Francisco Bay. The experiment was considered a failure. Not to be denied, 500 more Striped Bass fry were released in the Bay in 1881..... A few years later, by 1888 in fact, Striped Bass were thriving on the West Coast and supporting a Commercial Fishery.