FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1930 343 



Catch of shad in the Potomac River for various years, 1896 to 1930 



Year 



1896 

 1901 

 19M 

 1909 

 1915 

 1919 

 1920 

 1921 

 1922 

 1923 

 1924 

 1925 

 1926 

 1927 

 1928 

 1929 

 1930 



Value 



$63, 608 



119,366 



68, 052 



53, 732 



72, 127 



332, 397 



334, 464 



207, 370 



420, 022 



198, 619 



88, 450 



163, 398 



217, 461 



113,825 



214, 687 



141, 589 



98,041 



Note.— The number of shad taken in the Potomac River in 1878 was 186,000; in 1880, 552,872; in 1889, 

 868,900; in 1890, 731,453; and in 1891, 621,977. 



TRADE IN FRESH, FROZEN, AND SMOKED FISHERY PRODUCTS IN 

 WASHINGTON, D. C. 



The municipal fish wharf and market in Washington, D. C, was 

 built about 14 years ago in the southwestern part of the city on an 

 arm of the Potomac River. At the present time 18 fishery firms have 

 stalls in this market. In addition four are located across the street 

 from the market, and six elsewhere in the city. About one-half of 

 the firms sell at wholesale exclusively, although each of the remaining 

 establishments engages more or less in wholesaling fish in addition 

 to selling at retail. Altogether the 28 above firms employed 136 

 persons, who received $181,787 in salaries and wages. Of the total 

 employees, 78 were regularly employed by those firms at the municipal 

 fish wharf. 



The municipal fish market is so situated that fishing boats may land 

 their fish directly, although only about 10 per cent of the fish are 

 received in this way. The greater part are received by truck from 

 New Jersey, North Carolina, Maryland, and Virginia, the bulk of 

 these arrivals coming from the latter two States. Fish arriving from 

 the Atlantic coast, Gulf, Pacific coast, or the Great Lakes States by 

 rail are transported by truck from the rail terminals to the markets, 

 as they have no direct rail connections. 



Some of the fish from the vessels, boats, and trucks are sold at 

 auction direct to the dealers. Several of the wholesalers also sell fish 

 by auction to retail merchants and hucksters. However, the greater 

 part of the business in the market, of both buying and selling, is 

 transacted at a set price. 



During 1930 the receipts of fresh and frozen fishery products at 

 the mimicipal wharf amounted to 8,926,026 pounds. This is a decrease 

 of a little more than 3 per cent as compared with the receipts during 

 1929. However, it is an increase of approximately 12 per cent com- 

 pared with the average receipts during the past five years. It is esti- 

 mated that 3,000,000 pounds of fresh and frozen fishery products 

 entered the District of Columbia direct from outside sources through 

 hotels, restaurants, fish markets, and grocery stores. This, added to 

 the amount received at the municipal fish wharf, would make a 



