IV-186 



One of the most significant features shown in this table is that 

 earnings per fisherman from shellfish changed only slightly from 

 1939 to 1965, while earnings from finfish increased six times, 

 all during a period when shellfish prices increased much more 

 than finfish prices. This suggests that the shellfishery in 

 Narragansett Bay is unable to compete economically with the fin- 

 fishery and that it may be declining as a significant resource 

 use. 



DEFENSE ESTABLISHMENTS 



One of the oldest uses of Narraganset Bay, and certainly the most 

 important today from the point of expenditures, is the role of the 

 Bay in the National military establishments. The strategic 

 location and excellent harbor led to its early use as a base for 

 Naval operations, and, with accommodation to the changes and 

 innovations of modern warfare, so it remains today. Located at 

 Newport, .where important fleet units and academic activities are 

 based, and at Quonset Point (North Kingstown), the United States 

 Navy in Rhode Island is the largest single employer in the State 

 and produces the highest level of dollar output direct attributable 

 to the Bay. 



About 90 percent of the U.S. Navy expenditures in the Narragansett 

 Bay area are paid as wages and salaries to civilian and Military 

 personnel. Substantial sums are also expended annually on contract 



