FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1934 313 



industry of the South Atlantic States for 1912; the shrimp fishery for 

 1910; tiie oyster fishciy of the South Atlantic States for 1910; and the 

 oyster fishery of the Gulf States for 1911. 



In the Pncilic Coast States statistics on the catch of the marine 

 fisheries and those conducted in the coastal rivers and bays of these 

 States were collected for the years 1880, 1888, 1892, 1895, 1899, 1904, 

 1908, 1915, and for all the years from 1922 to 1933, inclusive. These 

 survej^s have usually included data on operating units and wholesale 

 and manufacturinc; trade. In addition to the above, statistics were 

 obtauied on the fisheries of California from 1918 to 1921, inclusive, and 

 for the oyster fisheiy^ in 1912. 



Statistics on the catch of the fisheries of the Great Lakes were col- 

 lected for the years 1880, 1885, 1890, 1893, 1899, 1903, 1908, and for 

 all the years from 1913 to 1932, inclusive. Statistics of the operating 

 units and of the wholesale and manufacturing trade were collected for 

 most of the years when canvasses were made from 1880 to 1908 and in 

 1917 and 1922 as well as in most of the years from 1926 to 1932, inclu- 

 sive. In addition to the above a survey was made of the fisheries of 

 Lake Ontario and of certain fisheries in other lakes for the year 1897. 



Statistics of the catch of the fisheries of the Mississippi River and 

 its tributaries were collected for the years 1894, 1899, 1903, 1908, 1922, 

 and 1931. In addition figures have been obtained of the fisheries of 

 Lakes Pepin and Keokuk for the years 1914 and 1917 and the years 

 from 1927 to 1933, inclusive, and of the fisheries of the Mississippi 

 River between Lakes Pepin and Keokuk for the years 1929 to 1933, 

 inclusive. 



Statistics also were collected on the fisheries of certain interior 

 waters, other than the fisheries of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi 

 River and its tributaries, for the years 1894, 1895, 1900, and 1902. 



Statistical agents. — The statistics contained in this volume have been 

 collected by a corps of trained statistical and marketing agents which 

 comprises a part of the permanent staft' of the Division of Fishery 

 Industries of the Bureau. Most of these men have been w^ith the 

 Bureau for a period of 5 years or more. In the main they are college 

 graduates and were recruited through civil-service examination. 

 XVhile in college, most of the men pursued biological or technical 

 courses largely in fishery work which has especially suited them for 

 coping wdtli the many biological and technical aspects encountered in 

 canvassing the fisheries. Tliis training has been especially helpful 

 in identification of the species which, because of the many local names 

 applied to a particular species, causes considerable confusion. 



Period covered. — In conducting the fishery statistical surveys, agents 

 are dispatched to the districts to be survej^ed as early in the calendar 

 year as thej^ can be spared from the tabulation and preparation for 

 publication of their previous season's work. They collect statistics 

 of fishery operations for the year preceding that in which they are 

 working; and, since their field work occupies the greater part of the 

 year, it is usually at least a year from the end of the calendar year for 

 which they are collecting data until the figures are published. Most of 

 the figures are collected for the calendar year. ^Vllere there are varia- 

 tions from this general i)ractice, explanatory notes appear in the tables. 

 Prior to 1930, statistics on the catch of oysters in the Atlantic and Gulf 

 States were collected for the oyster season; that is, from September to 



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