REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 13 



fisheries devoted the gi*eater pail of the tiino lo the collection of data 

 descriptive of apparatus and niolhods of fishin<2: throughout the 

 country, with a view to the conipihition of a oonii)letc report upon 

 this subject. 



In 1908, as in the two j)revious years, the Bureau detailed a repre- 

 sentative to note the operations of American fishing vessels in New- 

 foundland waters, and to report as to the observance of the modus 

 vivendi. This detail was made at the request of the Department of 

 State, and extended from September to January. 



The Alaska salmon agents were in the field as usual, for the work 

 of inspecting the conditions of the fishery and its dependent indus- 

 tries, and enforcing the laws controlling it. Three instances of vio- 

 lation were found, and the offenders indicted and fined. The sea- 

 son's inquiries covered also the examination of possible hatchery sites 

 with a view to recommendation, and the collection of fishery statis- 

 tics for the entire region. All of this information has been published 

 in detail in the sj)ecial report of the Alaska salmon agents issued in 

 May, 1908, which shows a total investment of $9,21G,028 and a yield 

 of 178,358,301 pounds, valued at $10,160,183, for the fisheries of 

 Alaska during the calendar year 1907. 



The only other statistical inquiries have been by the agents 

 stationed permanently at Boston and Gloucester, the two greatest 

 fishing ports of the country, for which monthly bulletins showing 

 quantity of fish landed by American vessels have been issued as usual. 

 The summarj' of the receipts of fish at these ports during the calendar 

 year 1907 shows a catch of more than 191,500,000 pounds, valued at 

 over $5,000,000, from grounds off the east coast of the United States, 

 the Canadian provinces, and Newfoundland. The details of these 

 important operations are given in the following table, from which it 

 appears that the receipts at Boston were slightly less and those at 

 Gloucester very much more than in the previous year, while the aggre- 

 gate value was about $1,000,000 in excess of 1906. 



