REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 19 



II. The Collection of Data and Statistics Relating to the 

 Commercial Fisheries. 



The fishing season on the whole was very good, and it was quite 

 free from severe storms. Among the various fish caught in Rhode 

 Island waters, the following deserve special notice. 



Scwp. 



The scup season was one of the best in a good many years. Not 

 only was there an abundance of fish, but they were also quite large. 

 The run began about April 23 and ended near the first of July. 



Mackeral. 



The mackerel season was not very good, although a number of 

 good catches were reported by the menhaden boats and others out- 

 side of the " fleet." The school seemed to be broken up and the 

 " fleet " did not have good success in finding the fish. 



Codiish. 



These seemed to be as plentiful as ever, and the dogfish menace 

 was not particularly severe. 



Menhaden. 



The menhaden in the Bay were as abundant as usual. There 

 were no indications of the plague which destroyed so many in 1904. 

 The first menhaden caught in the West Passage in 1906 was caught 

 April 16. 



The line fishing was slightly above the average. Tautog, squit- 

 eague, flatfish, etc., were fairly abundant. 



INIany schools of young fish were observed, and this is a good omen 

 for the future. 



The difficulty of collecting complete and accurate statistics of the 



