BULLETIN 



OF THE 



UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



1884. 



1.— INSPECTIOIV OF FISa A>"I> OTHFR 1?IARINE PKOUrCTS IIV TBE 

 DISTRICT OF COtilJ^IBIA, 1S»9 TO ISSS, II\CI.IJS2VJE. 



By CHAS. \¥, SMILE ¥. 



For several years a careful inspection of the marine products brought 

 into the District of Columbia has been made under the direction of the 

 health of&cer of the District. Five years ago an arrangement was per- 

 fected by Prof. S. F. Baird, Commissioner of Fisheries, with Hon. Smith 

 Townsheudj M. D., health officer, whereby the daily receipts of fresh 

 fish, oysters, &c.j should be tabulated and transmitted in monthly tables 

 to the Fish Commission. These monthly tables have all been footed 

 and transferred to yearly tables in this office. I am able herewith to 

 present annual tables for 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, and 1883 (Tables I, II, 

 III, TV, V). In Table VI may be seen the annual summaries of the 

 different kinds of marine edible products for these five years, the total 

 summations of which are as follows: 



Products. 



Miscellaneous pounds. . 



Shad number . . 



Sturgeon do ... 



Herring do 



Clams do — 



Crabs do — 



Crawfish do 



Lobsters do . . . 



Oysters bushels.. 



Terrapin number.. 



Turtles do 



1879. 



1, 391, 852 



311, 585 



1,200 



3, 605, 984 



1, 167, 000 



528,400 



259, 356 



1,452 



454 



1880. 



2, 920, 136 



320,799 



1,176 



6, 853, 721 



1, 384, 950 



682,370 



340 



378, 295 



3,154 



501 



1881. 



2, 710, .331 



458, 368 



1,289 



9, 633, 568 



1, 131, 000 



314, 800 



1882. 



1, 385, 010 



350,292 



1,904 



6, 499, 865 



1, 219, 850 



527, 001 



315,290 i 

 2, 574 

 117 ' 



11 



4U,255 

 834 

 116 



1883. 



1, 402, 803 



261, 478 



1,673 



4, 983, 998 



1, 380, 000 



690, 372 



400, 564 



1,646 



95 



The yield of shad and herring may be supposed to have been influ- 

 enced somewhat by the artificial propagation under the direction of 

 the United States Fish Commission, which has been carried on at the 

 Potomac for a number of years. The run of shad and herring is also 

 affected by the temperature, which varies somewhat for the same date 

 in different years. This is presented in Tables YII to X, inclusive. 

 Bull. U. S. F. C, 84 1 January 3 1 , 1 8 84. 



