34 REPORT OP THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



April 25 at Atlantic City, N. J.; these fish weighed If pounds each 

 and sold in New York at 22 cents a pound. The Cape Shore fleet 

 numbered about 32 sail, or about 8 more than in the previous year. 

 These vessels were very successful, and more vessels than ever before 

 made second trips, and one vessel made three trips. 



Swordjisli. — The catch of swordfish landed at Boston, Gloucester, 

 and Portland amounted to 1,772,312 pounds, valued at $238,279. 

 The swordfish fleet was not so large as in the previous year, and the 

 receipts at Boston and Gloucester declined 483,345 pounds in quan- 

 tity but increased $14,743 in value. 



FISHERIES OF THE PACIFIC COAST STATES. 



The Bureau has completed a canvass of the commercial fisheries of 

 the Pacific Coast States for the calendar year 1915, and a buUetin 

 embodying the results of the canvass has been prepared for distribu- 

 tion to the trade. The statistical agents of the Bureau visited every 

 fishing community and obtained data by personal interviews with 

 fishermen and fish handlers and by personal examination of all 

 available records. The last general canvass of the fisheries of this 

 region was made by the Bureau in 1904. 



The number of persons engaged in the fisheries of these States was 

 found to be 28,936; the investment in vessels, boats, fishing appa- 

 ratus, shore and accessory property, and cash capital amounted to 

 $24,025,172; and the products aggregated 286,204,558 pounds, with 

 a value to the fishermen of $9,300,672. Washington ranks first 

 among these States in the extent of its fisheries. In 1915, this State 

 had 14,609 persons employed, an investment of $14,133,908, and 

 products amounting to 158,983,478 pounds, valued at $5,317,080. 

 California ranked second with 8,457 persons employed, an invest- 

 ment of $5,827,113, and products of 92,513,457 pounds, valued at 

 $2,488,098. In Oregon the number of pereons employed was 5,870, 

 the investment $4,064,151, and the products aggregated 34,707,623 

 pounds, valued at $1,495,494. 



The pack of canned salmon in the three States aggregated 1,961,026 

 cases, valued at $9,298,566; the pack of canned tuna, all of which is 

 put up in California, aggregated 258,427 cases, valued at $1,517,858, 

 and other canned articles amounted in value to $858,907; a total 

 of $11,675,331. 



The species taken in largest quantities were albacore ■ or tuna, 

 21,049,190 pounds, valued at $316,103; cod, 10,487,401 pounds, 

 valued at $343,338; halibut, 40,825,874 pounds, valued at $2,050,709; 

 and salmon, 131,128,934 pounds, valued at $4,089,865. 



Compared with the returns for 1904, there has been a very large 

 increase in the fisheries of these States. The number of persons em- 

 ployed has increased 9,278, or 47.19 per cent; the investment 

 $11,185,223, or 87.11 per cent; and the output 117,604,882 pounds, 

 or 69,75 per cent, in quantity, and $2,619,806, or 39.21 per cent, in 

 value. Statistics of the fisheries, including the quantity and value 

 of canned products, of the Pacific Coast States in 1915, and compara- 

 tive statistics of products for various years from 1888 to 1915, are 

 given in the following tables : 



