FISHERY INDUSTEIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1924 



273 



SHAD AND ALEWIFE FISHERY OF THE POTOMAC RIVER 



The regular annual statistics of the shad and alewife fisheries of 

 the Potomac River were taken for the season of 1924. They show 

 that in 1924 the shad fishery yielded 172,310 shad, weighing 578,210 

 pounds and valued at $88,450 to the fishermen. This marks an un- 

 precedentedly small catch, amounting to only 49 per cent in number 

 and 45 per cent in value of the 1923 catch, which itself was less than 

 half as large as the previous year's catch. 



The catch of alewives, amounting to 15,133,388 fish weighing 

 6,052,756 pounds and valued at $56,552 to the fishermen, was greater 

 than the 1923 catch by 32 per cent in number and 14 per cent in 

 value and was the largest catch in recent years. 



The following tables give the detailed statistics for 1924 and com- 

 parative statistics on the shad and alewife catch of the Potomac 

 Kiver for the years on which statistics are available. 



Shad and alewife fisheries of the Potomac River, 1924 



Production of shad in the Potomac River in various years, 1896 to 1924 



Year . 



1924.. 

 1923.. 

 1922.. 

 1921 - . 

 1920.. 

 1919. . 

 1915.. 

 1909.. 

 1904.. 

 1901 . . 

 1896.. 



Maryland 



Number 

 37, 505 

 93, 619 



203, 682 

 49, 681 

 80, 944 

 94, 512 

 17,196 

 31,158 

 83, 147 



146, 000 



233,238 



Pounds 



127,285 

 308, 729 

 706, 501 

 138, 207 

 302, 237 

 354, 420 

 64, 485 

 116,843 

 311,801 

 547, 500 

 874, 643 



Value 



$20, 469 



52,917 



95, 140 



25, 191 



55, 963 



56, 833 



6,827 



9,232 



16,343 



14,800 



20, 524 



Virginia 



Number 

 134, 805 

 257, 927 

 680, 494 

 356, 191 

 448, 414 

 449, 957 

 165, 206 

 172,813 

 289, 500 

 648, 462 

 450, 825 



Pounds 



450, 925 



878, 653 



2, 409, 070 



1,022,231 



1,677,543 



1, 687, 339 



619, 523 



648, 049 



1,085,625 



2,431,733 



1,690,594 



Value 



$67, 981 



145, 702 



324, 882 



182, 179 



278, 501 



275, 564 



65, 300 



44, 500 



51,709 



104, 566 



43,084 



Total 



Number 

 172,310 

 351,546 

 884,176 

 405, 872 

 529, 358 

 544, 469 

 182, 402 

 203, 971 

 372, 647 

 794, 462 

 684, 063 



Pounds 



578,210 



1,187,382 



3,115,571 



1,160,438 



1,979,780 



2,041,759 



684, 008 



764, 892 



1,397,426 



2, 979, 233 



2, 565, 237 



Value 



$88, 450 



198, 619 



420, 022 



207, 370 



334, 464 



332, 397 



72, 127 



53, 732 



68, 052 



119,366 



63, 608 



