ECONOMICS OF THE FISHERIES 291 



mostly qualitative, of the economic nature and characteristics of the fisheries; 

 the second, to a quantitative consideration of the subject with somewhat 

 special emphasis on the oyster and the shrimp because of their local impor- 

 tance to North Carolina. The qualitative division is based largely on the 

 writer's personal observations, experience, and general reading. 



The quantitative division on fish production and values of the United 

 States, both state and national, is based on the statistical data of the U. S. 

 Fish & Wildlife Service, and its predecessor agencies. This is done in order to 

 obtain the maximum of consistency, comparability, and uniformity. For 

 foreign countries, the data are taken from official sources. General economic 

 data, not on fisheries, are derived from standard sources, all of which are 

 cited. 



The Government record of fisheries statistics is indispensable, of course, 

 but much more could be desired of it, both qualitative and quantitative. It is 

 perhaps idle now to say that data collected without specific purpose in view, 

 as they were, are almost certain to omit facts that the analyst will need to 

 answer critical questions, and that economic analysis should run concurrently 

 with collection of data. It is not now possible to separate seed oysters from 

 market oysters prior to 1902, nor to arrive at the total production and value 

 of particular fishes that were included in "all other" in some regions, and 

 shown separately in others half a century ago; nor is it possible to convert 

 menhaden oil and scrap to fresh menhaden with any accuracy. We must make 

 the most of the record as it stands. 



The statistical record is defective principally in its failure in many cases 

 to explain sufficiently what was done and to make clear exactly what the 

 figures represent, and in the discontinuity of the record. Some of the doubts 

 arising from insufficient explanation were resolved by correspondence with 

 the officers of the Fish & Wildlife Service, who upon reexamination of the 

 record were able to supply some of the missing information. Especial thanks 

 are due to Mr. Andrew W. Anderson, Chief of the Division of Commercial 

 Fisheries, Mr. Fred F. Johnson, and Mr. E, A. Power, for their generous and 

 painstaking compliance with many requests for assistance of this and many 

 other kinds. 



The Government data are all annual totals. It is therefore not possible to 

 analyze the short-term behavior of production and prices, and, from the 

 nature of the canvasses as we understand them, it appears that values were 

 oftener estimates than actual records of sales by fishermen and dealers; 

 prices shown herein are these values, whatever they are, divided by the 

 reported quantities. 



To overcome the defect of discontinuity of the record it was necessary to 

 fill in the years of missing statistics by interpolation as the only means of 

 arriving at a continuous series and at totals for the whole country or large 



