INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS DURING THE YEAR 1873. cxiii 



this purpose ; but, although the halibut were abundant, the 

 stormy nature of the region and other impediments rendered 

 it impracticable to continue the effort. 



A rapidly increasing trade is that connected with the men- 

 haden, mossbunker, or pogy {Brevoortia menhaden)^ a, large 

 species of the herring family valuable for the oil and scrap 

 the refuse after extracting the oil from the boiled fish, which 

 is used in direct applications to the land, or in the manufact- 

 ure of fertilizers. Some idea of the magnitude of the inter- 

 est may be learned from the fact that in 1873 sixty-two fac- 

 tories Avere in operation on the coast of New York and of 

 New England, requiring the use of 383 sailing-vessels and 20 

 steamers, the factories and vessels employing 2306 men, with 

 an investment of $2,388,000. The total catch offish amounted 

 to 1,193,100 barrels (250 fish to the barrel), yielding 2,214,800 

 gallons of oil, and 36,299 tons of guano. The oil is used 

 principally in dressing leather, and to some extent in rope- 

 making and for painting, but not as yet for lubricating. 



Another increasing fishery in the United States is that re- 

 lating to the sturgeon, which, though abundant, has been but 

 little utilized, thousands annually taken in pursuit of other 

 fish having usually been thrown aside as worthless. Now 

 several dealers on the lakes, especially the Messrs. Schacht, 

 of Sandusky, are entering into the trade, and manufacture 

 caviar, isinglass, and dried smoked meat in great quantities. 



The demand for fish-sounds continues very great, and the 

 shores of New England and the provinces are carefully glean- 

 ed of .all air-bladders procurable of the cod family. Of the 

 species, the bladder of the hake is most sought after, bring- 

 ing about one dollar a pound, and is used chiefly, it is said, 

 in the manufacture of gum-drops. 



The seal fishery during 1873 has also been very productive, 

 the number taken at the Fur-Seal Islands in the Behrinc: 

 Sea being up to the maximum namely, 100,000. The seals 

 resort by millions to these islands, and it is said that a con- 

 siderably larger number might be caught without any detri- 

 ment to the trade. The capture of the hair- seals ofi" the 

 coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland, although less exten- 

 sive than in 1872, has also been a source of very great 

 profit. This business is now carried on entirely by steamers, 

 of which not less than twenty belonging to Newfoundland 



