REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 7 



Unfortunately there are no accurate statistics showing the actual 

 amount of the yearly catch of fish in the traps and their value. Some 

 general idea of the importance of the fishery, however, may be in- 

 ferred from the fact that the shipment from Newport alone ])y 

 regular transportation Unes was, for 1908, 48,814 barrels of fish, 

 exclusive of lobsters and other shell-fish and large fish like sturgeon, 

 horse-mackerel, swordfish, etc. 



STATISTICS OF LOBSTER FISHERY. 



The statistics of the lobster fishery, which have been gathered for 

 the last five years, are more nearly complete than those of any other 

 branch of the fisheries of the State, and, for several reasons, these data 

 are just now of paramount importance. For many years this in- 

 dustry had been evidently waning, so that the outlook had become 

 extremely serious, and numerous and various remedies were suggested. 

 This was the situation in 1901 when the General Assembly passed 

 laws that could be enforced and placed their enforcement in the hands 

 of the Commission of Inland Fisheries. These laws, designed to pro- 

 tect young lobsters and egg-lobsters, have, since 1901, been con- 

 scientiously enforced as far as possible by your Commission and their 

 deputies. In 1900, also, the lobster propagating establishment at 

 your Commission's Wickford station began to get practical results, 

 which have increased in importance from year to year. Since the 

 work of propagation and enforcement of the laws regulating lobster 

 fishery began there has been a remarkable increase in the catch of 

 lobsters. This is a fact which is commonly known to all those 

 interested, and one which requires no statistical proof. However, 

 statistics do confirm this fact and would seem to answer definitely 

 the much-discussed question whether or not artificial propagation 

 and protective regulation can be effective in maintaining the lobster 

 industry. 



The total catch of lobsters in the State has increased from 376,994 

 pounds in 1904 to 1,471,344 pounds in 1908,* an increase of 1,094,350 



*This number will be considerably increased by returns from some districts from which we 

 have been unable to get reports. 



