REPORT OF COMMISSIOKERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 



Table of Shipments hy Old Colony Lines. 



Fish, Lobsters. Total. 



Bbls. Bbls. 



1886 17,434 



1887 16,057 834 17,491 



1888 15,033 1,161 16,194 



1889 19,306 2,047 21,353 



1890 8,933 2,650 11,583 



1891 18,032 2,204 20,236 



1892 26,832 2,123 28,955 



1893 24,452 1,399 25,851 



1894 17,769 2,392 21,161 



1895 24,622 2,119 26,741 



1896 20,425 1,728 22,153 



1897 20,900 1,959 22,859 



The last year is for ten months, ending November 1st. 



The following communication lias been received by the Chair- 

 man of the Commission: 



N. B. Church, Commission Mercliaiit, 



Agent for the U. S. Menliaden Oil aud Guano Association, No. 153 Maiden 



Lane. 



New York, January 3, 1898. 

 J. M. K. SouTHWiCK, Newport, R. I. 



Dear Sir: — Replying to your favor of 1st. lust., I desire to say that I would 

 like as usual to send you a full account of our Atlantic Coast fisheries, but fear 

 that I have not kept the matter so fully in mind as usual. The mackerel fisher- 

 ies began late in March, and was pursued with abundant' catches until late in 

 May when the fish disappeared, and were not seen in great quantities for the 

 balance of the season. Shad and all other species of food fish have been very 

 plentiful in their seasons on the whole coast north of Hatteras. Blue-fish, weak- 

 fish, and scup especially so, in fact, so plentiful that it has not paid to catch 

 them. 



Menhaden have been very abundant in sections, and the catch runs higher 

 than for several years. Although I have not the full statistics, I think the catch 

 for the entire coast will exceed 600,000,000 fish, or 2,000,000 barrels. 



