FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1930 131 



From this tabulation it will be noted that the yield of the com- 

 mercial fisheries of the United States (excluding Alaska) has increased 

 from 1,614,789,000 pounds in 1880 to 2,915,854,000 pounds in 1929, 

 an increase of about 80 per cent. In general the increase has been 

 consistently upward, showing the largest catch in 1929. 



Considered according to geographical sections the fisheries of the 

 New England States have shown comparatively little fluctuation, 

 although in the past few years there has been an upward trend. In 

 the Middle Atlantic States the trend has been downward, the catch 

 1880 never having been equalled in subsequent years. The catch 

 in the Chesapeake Bay States in 1929 closely approximates that of 

 1880, however, during the intervening years, the yield has usually 

 exceeded that of either the early or late years of the period. The 

 peak was reached in 1920. The catches in both the South Atlantic 

 and Gulf States have increased consistently from 1880 to 1929, the 

 catches in 1880 being the smallest and those in 1929 by far the largest. 

 In the Pacific Coast States the catch in 1929 exceeds by far that of 

 any year during the period under review. There were numerous 

 fluctuations in the trend until the past few years when there have 

 been consistent increases. The yield of the fisheries of the Missis- 

 sippi River and tributaries reached its peak in 1908. Since then 

 the trend has been downward, but it yet is more than double that of 

 1880. In the lake fisheries the yield increased rather consistently 

 from 1880 to 1890, when the largest catch was made. The period 

 since 1890 has been marked by many fluctuations in the catch, finally 

 reaching the lowest level on record in 1928. A partial recovery was 

 experienced in 1929. 



NEW ENGLAND STATES 



The most recent general statistics of these States, which are for 

 1929, show that both the catch and value of the catch exceeded that 

 in any year for which there are records. The catch increased 15 per 

 cent in quantity and 13 per cent in value as compared with the catch 

 in the previous year. Larger catches of haddock and mackerel were 

 mainly responsible for this increase. Landings of fish at Boston, 

 Gloucester, and Portland were the largest on record, although the 

 value of these fish was somewhat less than in the previous year. 



The output of packaged fish registered a decline of 7 per cent as 

 compared with that in the previous year. The frozen fish trade shows 

 a considerable increase in 1930 over 1929. The production of sar- 

 dines, which is the principal fish-canning industry in this section and 

 is centered in Maine, showed a decrease as compared with the pre- 

 vious year. The cured-fish industry increased in volume over that 

 in 1928. 



MIDDLE ATLANTIC STATES 



The value of the catch of the fisheries of the Middle Atlantic 

 States in 1929 exceeded that in any year for which there are records. 

 This increased value is due largely to increased activities in the oyster 

 industry. The weight of the catch was also greater than in 1926, 

 when the most recent previous general survey was made. 



Landings of fish at New York City and Groton, Conn., which 

 consisted largely of haddock, flounders, cod, mackerel, and tilefish, 



