REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. XVII 



during tlie entire year. Dr. H. C Rumpus, of lirown University, was 

 appointed director. The laboratory w<is opened on March 14, and by 

 June 1 accommodations for the summer had been assigned to investi- 

 gators to the full capacity of the station, and the season's work was in 

 satisfactory progress. 



DIVISION OF STATISTICS AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



The principal work of this division has consisted of canvasses of 

 the more important fisheries of certain of the New England and Middle 

 Atlantic States and the Great Lakes, begun in August, 1897, and the 

 South Atlantic and Uulf States, carried on in the spring of 1898. The 

 results of the earlier field work were at once published in the form of 

 bulletins, which were distributed to commercial organizations, boards 

 of trade, and newspapers, and sent to custom-houses and post-ofiQces, 

 where they could be posted for the benefit of those interested in the 

 regions to which reference was made. 



At Gloucester and Boston there has been a falling off in the aggre- 

 gate receipts of fish at the two ports since 1896. During the calendar 

 year 1897 there were landed from American vessels at both places 

 126,685,598 pounds, worth to the fishermen $2,878,635. Each port 

 participated in the decrease, though owing to certain changes in the 

 conditions affecting the business more fares were landed at Gloucester 

 than during the preceding year. 



The fisheries of Lake Ontario have shown a steady decrease for many 

 years, and, the yield of the past year does not really represent the 

 commercial importance of the fisheries. The yield in 1897 was only 

 920,996 pounds of fish, valued at $31,295, though the canvass shows 

 more decrease in the quantity and value of the herring taken than 

 with those species of more importance. A slight increase in whitefish 

 is shown. The numerous resorts on this lake, frequented by anglers 

 and pleasure seekers, afford better employment to the fishermen during 

 the season than fishing for the market. The falling-oft'in the supply of 

 imi)ortant fishes is due to a variety of causes, the conditions of which 

 have already been discussed in the publications of this Commission. 



The canvass of the South Atlantic States shows an increase as a 

 whole since 1890 in the product, the amount of capital invested, and 

 the number of persons employed. The increase was shared in by the 

 States of North and South Carolina and Georgia, while the fisheries of 

 the east coast of Florida have somewhat decreased. The total in 1897 

 was 80,390,465 pounds, with a value of $1,833,155. The increase was 

 12,674,400 pounds, valued at $252,191. The most important feature 

 has been the marked improvement in the yield of shad and oysters in 

 North Carolina and Georgia and of oysters in South Carolina, 



On the Gulf coast some 2,200 more persons were employed than in 



1890, but there has been a falling-off in the weight of fish taken, in the 



value of the product, and the amount of capital invested. This is 



undoubtedly due to unusual conditions. There have also been marked 



F. R. 98 II 



