16 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



pounds, valued at $235,406; redfish or red drum, 2,986,180 pounds, 

 valued at $175,109; and menhaden 14,413,942 pounds, valued at 

 $110,608. 



Compared with the Bureau's returns for this region for 1902, there 

 has been a decrease of 17.42 per cent in the number of persons em- 

 ployed, but an increase of 38.88 per cent in the investment, an in- 

 crease of 15.15 per cent in the quantity of products, and an increase 

 of 86.31 per cent in the value of the fisheries. Compared with the 

 returns published by the Bureau of the Census for 1908, the increase 

 in the catch amounted to 10,69 per cent in quantity and 33.95 per cent 

 in value. 



Partly at least as a result of the Bureau's efforts to extend the 

 use of fishery products in the Gulf region, particularly neglected 

 fishes or by-products, an increase in the catch and uses of such 

 products is to be noted. For example, the yield of black drum in 

 1890 amounted to 136,053 pounds and in 1918 to 2,011,288 pounds; 

 of groupers in 1890 to 427,781 pounds and in 1918 to 5,935,825 

 pounds ; and of Spanish mackerel in 1890 to 700,459 pounds and in 

 1918 to 3,494,845 pounds. The yield of the by-products of the 

 fisheries amounted to 17,409,496 pounds, valued at $310,682. This 

 included more than 1,600 tons of fish scrap with a value of $119,384; 

 over 109,000 gallons of oil, valued at $106,618 ; more than 6,000 tons 

 of ground oyster shells for poultry grit, with a value of $61,177, 

 and several items of minor importance. 



The quantities and values of the products by States were as fol- 

 lows : West coast of Florida, 54,753,639 pounds, valued at $3,420,363 ; 

 Alabama, 5,609,219 pounds, valued at $230,567; Mississippi, 20,592,- 

 089 pounds, valued at $762,770; Louisiana, 24,953,876 pounds, 

 valued at $1,419,367; and Texas, 25,014.760 pounds, valued at 

 $677,243. 



FLORIDA SPONGE FISHERY. 



The Bureau has continued to maintain in Florida a sponge-inspec- 

 tion service to give effect to the law regulating the size of commer- 

 cial sponges from local waters that may be landed at American 

 ports. 



The Florida sponge fishery appears to be in a state of equilibrium be- 

 tween the natural supply and the catch, and if it can be so maintained 

 no concern need be felt for the future. There is perhaps some sur- 

 reptitious traffic in sponges of less than the legal minimum diameter 

 of 5 inches, but the open and flagrant sale of such sponges which 

 occurred some years ago has been suppressed. The cargoes of 

 sponges on sale at the sponge exchanges sometimes contain a large 

 proportion of sponges barely meeting legal requirements, and a num- 

 ber of persons engaged in the business express themselves in favor 

 of an increase of the legal minimum to 5J or even 6 inches. The 

 superabundance of small sponges is attributed to the gradually re- 

 turning productiveness of the beds in comparatively shallow water 

 which were depleted by the spongers a number of years ago. There 

 is no doubt that if the small sponges were permitted an additional 

 year's growth these formerly exhausted beds would yield a larger 

 quantity and, owing to the higher value of the larger sizes, a much 

 greater financial return to the spongers. 



