FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1927 489 



Sea hass. — The production of sea bass reached its highest level in 

 1891, when 5,358,000 pounds were taken. Since then the catch 

 has fluctuated, that of 1926 amounting to 2,370,000 pounds. 



Shad. — The production of this fish, which is considered by some to 

 be the choice fish of the Atlantic seaboard, suft'ered the severest decline 

 of any in this region. The peak catch was taken in 1901, when 

 21,814,000 pounds were caught. In 1904 the production dropped to 

 6,623,000 pounds, or slightly more than in 1880. A further decline 

 was recorded for 1908, and in 1921 only 390,000 pounds were reported, 

 or about 2 per cent of the amount taken in 1901. In 1926 there was 

 a recovery and 952,000 pounds were produced. 



Squeteague or wealcfish. — The production of this fish during the 

 period under discussion has varied between the low mark of 6,259,000 

 pounds in 1887 and the high one of 25,567,000 pounds in 1908. 

 Since 1908 the catch has declined considerably, although that for 1926 

 amounted to 9,401,000 pounds, which greatly exceeded the produc- 

 tion of any of the species of fish under discussion. 



Striped hass. — During late years the production of this game and 

 commercial fish has declined, the catch in- 1926 amounting to 197,000 

 pounds and being only about one-fifth as large as the greatest catch 

 recorded — in 1888. 



Lobsters. — The production of lobsters, one of our most desirable 

 crustaceans, has increased considerably in late years, the peak having 

 been reached in 1921, when 1,446,000 pounds were taken. In 1926 

 there was a slight decline, the catch amounting to 1,119,000 pounds, 

 which is still greatly in excess of the production prior to 1921, however. 



Grabs. — The catch of this species of crustacean has shown an almost 

 uninterrupted decline from 1880, the most productive year on record, 

 to 1926, the poorest year. In 1880 there were 3,180,000 pounds of 

 crabs taken in this locality and in 1926 only 394,000 pounds. 



Oysters. — This sea food, our most important mollusk, has yielded 

 almost uniform catches in these States from 1887 to date, which have 

 varied between about 4,595,000 bushels and 6,179,000 bushels. The 

 catch in 1926 was a little over 5,644,000 bushels. 



Hard clams. — The production of hard clams reached its peak in 

 1891, when 1,000,000 bushels were taken. However, since that year 

 the records indicate a constant decline, the catch for 1926 having 

 amounted to only 160,000 bushels. 



Scallops. — While the amount of this popular mollusk taken never 

 has reached large proportions in this section, it has grown fairly 

 steadily in late years, the catch for 1926 amounting to 236,000 bushels. 

 This is the largest catch on record. 



Considered in general terms, the catches of butterfish, croaker, 

 scup or porgy, lobsters, and scallops have increased in size, while 

 those of bonito, cod, sea bass, and oysters have remained fairly con- 

 stant, and the bluefish, shad, squeteague, striped bass, crab, and clam 

 catches have decreased. The following table shows the comparative 

 statistics of the catches of fish and shellfish. 



