REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OE INLAND FISHERIES. 7 



1800 Il,58:n5:inels. 



181)1 20,286 



1802 28,055 " 



Total 100,401 " 



The followirig' table shows the catch of menhaden for the last 

 seven years : 



188G 282.471 Barrels. 



1887 175,607 " 



1888 877,007 " 



1880 508,482 '' 



1800 500,086 



1801 225,000 " 



1802 51,708 



THE MENHADEN FISHERY. 



The present season has been worse than the last, which was ex- 

 ceptionally a poor season for these fish. 



These two past years have proved a serious set back to this im- 

 portant fishery of our state. 



The menhaden fishery may be said to have commenced with 

 the invention of the purse net about 45 years ago and has de- 

 veloped into an important industry. In the statistics furnished 

 by the United States Commission we find as follows : 



" Ehode Island is now more interested in this branch than any 

 other New England state and the industry ranks among- the most 

 prominent enterprises of the state. The capital invested in 1889 

 was $452,925. 573 persons were employed and 177,133,333 fish 

 were handled, for which $265,700 was paid. The manufactured 

 product consisting- of different g-rades of oil and various kinds of 

 fertilizers were worth 1427,757, an increase of $217,208 over 1887 

 and $93,070 over 1888." 



The failure of this fishery the past two years was in part to be 

 attributed to the restrictive leg-islation of other states. 



