BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 125 



3r.— NOTES ON FI8III>0 PRODUCTS EXPORTED FROiTI SAN FRAN. 

 CISCO, CAIi., DURINO THE YEAR 18S3.*J 



By \¥. H. DALL. 



The followiug notes and tables give the result of a laborious searcii 

 through the detailed exportatious cited in the Market Eeview of San 

 Francisco, upon which the accuracy of the figures depends, except 

 cept in the case of exports by rail, which in the railroad tables are given 

 in pounds of freight without valuation, so that the value has been ar- 

 rived at bj" assigning an assumed value derived from the average value 

 of similar material exported by sea. This may be a little too high, as 

 the weight of cases, &c., are probably included in the returns, but there 

 is no doubt that the valuation of the shipments by sea (except in the 

 matter of a few standard articles like canned salmon) is greatly under- 

 estimated. 



These notes and tables give information which has a certain value, 

 even if merely ai^proximate in precision, and which cannot be found 

 elsewhere. It was thought, therefore, it might be acceptable for the 

 Fish Commission Bulletin. 



Table 1 shows the exportation by sea and rail of invertebrate pro- 

 ducts. jSTo absolute form being required for exports the classification 

 is confused, but is given just as furnished by shippers. 



The dry shrimp meats are prepared by the Chinese in California, win- 

 nowed of their shells (which go to China as a valuable fertilizer), and 

 are sent not only to China but wherever large numbers of Chinese are 

 found — as Australia, British Columbia, Hawaiian Islands, and Peru. 

 The value of this apparently almost worthless fishery carried on by a 

 few miserable but industrious barbarians is certainly surprising. 



The column " Haliotis " includes not only the shells which alone are 

 shii^ped to England, but the dried meats of Haliotis rvfescens, which are 

 prepared by fermenting under a bed of horse manure and then desic- 

 cated in the sun. These last form the bulk of the exports to China 

 and Chinese colonists in other countries. Under the head of " pearl 

 shell" are included only the shells of the " pearl oyster" fished in the 

 Gulf of California and brought thence to San Francisco for transi^or- 

 tation to Europe. The column of "shells unspecified" includes both 

 Haliotis and jDearl-oyster products as well as a small proportion of shells 

 used for " shell work " or scientific purposes. There is unfortunately 

 DO means of classifying the different sorts of exported shell. 



The shipments by the Southern Pacific Railway include chiefly goods 

 en route for Europe via New Orleans. Those by the Central Pacific 

 probably go to Europe via New York, excepting the small quantity 



*Reacl before the Biological Society of Wasbingtoa, April 5, 1884. 



