REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 15 



Tlie nunibor and value of shad taken in this river for various 

 vears from ISOG to 1919 was as foUows: 189G— G84,()G;i, $();i,(>()S; 

 1901—794,402, $119.^00; 1904— :?72,G47, $08,052; 1909— 2();},971, 

 $5^,732; 1915—182,402, $72,127; and 1919— 544,409, $832,;597. The 

 added protection afforded these fish in recent years by restricting 

 the distance from shore at which the fixed nets may be set, sui)ple- 

 nienteil by active operations of the hatchery at Bryans Point, Md., 

 has apparently been of direct benefit to the fishery, which is very 

 intense, owing to the prevailing high prices. 



FISHERIES OF THE OREAT LAKES STATES. 



The Bureau's complete statistical canvass of the commercial fish- 

 eries of the (treat Lakes during 1917 was duly finished, and the re- 

 sults Avere published in a form to show the fisheries by lakes. A 

 regrouping of the figures has been made so as to set forth the fish- 

 eries by States. 



The number of persons ascertained to be engaged in the fisheries 

 of the Great Lakes was 9.221, of whom 3,183 are credited to Michigan, 

 1,909 to AVisconsin, 1,701 to Ohio, 083 to New York, 008 to Minnesota, 

 604 to Illinois, 440 to Pennsylvania, and 07 to Indiana. The invest- 

 ment in the fisheries in the different States arranged in order of im- 

 portance was as follows: Michigan, $2,937,080; Ohio, $2,402,832; 

 Wisconsin, $1,008,529; Illinois, $1,205,004; Pennsylvania, $919,919; 

 New York, $793,371; Minnesota, $428,443; and Indiana, $79,825; 

 total, $10,555,009. Arranged in the order of the value of the prod- 

 ucts, the States ranked as follows: Michigan, 29,737,355 pounds, 

 valued at $2,035,889; Ohio, 20,442.993 pounds, valued at $1,570,230; 

 Wisconsin, 24,042.103 pounds, valued at $1,320,102; Pennsylvania, 

 8,151,241 pounds, valued at $508,382; Minnesota, 10,041,840 pounds, 

 valued at $429.007 ; New York, 3,481,230 pounds, valued at $208,215 ; 

 Illinois, 1,350,294 pounds, valued at $87,375; and Indiana, 1,010,155 

 pounds, valued at $75,099; total output, 103,759,223 pounds, valued 

 at $0,297,909. 



Detailed tables and discussions of the fisheries of the Great Lakes 

 and certain tributary w^aters and of Lake of the Woods and Rainy 

 Lake are included in the report of the division of fishery industries 

 for 1919. 



FISHERIES OF THE GULF STATES. 



A canvass of the coastal fisheries of western Florida, xVlabama, 

 Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas for the calendar year 1918 was 

 completed during the past fiscal year, and the detailed tables and 

 discussions have been included in the divisional report. 



In 1918 these fisheries gave employment to 14,888 persons, the total 

 amount of capital invested Avas $(3,537,859, and the products ag- 

 gregated 130,923,583 pounds, valued at $0,510,310. Some of the more 

 important products taken were mullet, including roe, 28,041,304 

 pounds, valued at $1,318,379; oysters, 23,754.405 pounds, or 3,393,495 

 bushels, valued at $1,100,725; shrimp, green and dried, 27,142,999 

 pounds, valued at $1,098,427; sponges, 452,188 pounds, valued at 

 $725,155; red snapper, 9.429,802 pounds, valued at $009,312; sque- 

 teagues or "sea trout," 4.900,738 pounds, valued at $414,593; Spanish 

 mackerel, 3,494,845 pounds, valued at $251,197 ; groupers, 5,935,825 



