FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 131 



the year 1918 large numbers of persons entered the military branches 

 of the Government or engaged in other war activities, such as sliip 

 building. 



The total amount of capital invested in the fisheries of these States 

 in 1918 was $6,537,859. In Florida the investment was $2,404,245; 

 in iUabama, $334,741; in Mississippi, $1,433,585; in Louisiana, 

 $1,475,188; and in Texas, $890,100. There has been an increase of 

 $1,830,399, or 38.88 per cent, in money invested in the fisheries of 

 this region since 1902. The investment included 533 fishing and 

 transporting vessels, valued at $1,259,840, and having a net tonnage 

 of 8,655 net tons and outfits valued at $273,682; 6,642 boats, valued 

 at $1,175,017; fishing apparatus used by vessels and boats, valued at 

 $503,985; shore and accessory property to the value of $2,669,135; 

 and cash capital to the amount of $656,200. The forms of fishing 

 apparatus, arranged in order of value, are: Seines, 825, valued at 

 $201,390; gill nets, 2,092, valued at $114,055; sponge apparatus to 

 the value of $71,145; trammel nets, 516, valued at $44,910; tongs, 

 2,377, valued at $15,506;., otter trawls, 422, valued at $13,755; lines 

 to the value of $13,534; stop nets, 136, valued at $6,810; dredges, 

 198, valued at $5,950; and other apparatus to the value of $16,930. 

 The use of the otter trawl, introduced in the shrim]> fishery at Fer- 

 nandina, Fla., about 1915, which is spreading rapidly along the Gulf 

 coast, probably represents the most miportant change in apparatus 

 smce 1902. 



The products of the fisheries in 1918 aggregated 130,923,583 

 pounds, valued at $6,510,310. Of this quantity, the west coast of 

 Florida produced 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 $762,770; Louisiana, 24,953,876 poumls, valued at$l,419,367; 

 and Texas, 25,014,760 pounds, valued at $677,243. The more im- 

 portant species taken in these States were black drum, 2,011,288 

 pounds, valued at $49,140; catfish. 851,265 pounds, valued at $40,072; 

 croaker, 714,692 pounds, valued at $43,446; groupers, 5,935,825 

 pounds, valued at $235,406; menhaden, taken mostly in Texas, 

 14,392,920 pounds, valued at $109,939; mullet, including roe, 

 28,641,364 pounds, valued at $1,318,379; redfish, or red drum, 

 2,986,180 pounds, valued at $175,109; red snapper, 9,429,802 pounds, 

 valued at $609,312; Sj)anish mackerel, 3,494,845 pounds, valued at 

 $251,197; squetcagues, or "sea trout," 4,960,738 pounds, valued at 

 $414,593; shrimp, green and dried, 27,142,999 pounds, valued at 

 $1,098,427; crabs, 821,244 pounds, valued at $34,529; and oysters, 

 23,754,465 nounds, or 3,393,495 bushels, valued at $1,106,725. 



Compared with the Bureau's returns for 1902, there has been an 

 increase in the products of the fisheries of 17,226,613 pounds, or 15.15 

 per cent, in the quantity and of $3,016,114, or 86.31 per cent, in the 

 value. Com])ared with the census returns for 1908, the increase 

 amounts to 12,649,583 ])Ounds, or 10.69 per cent, in quantity, and 

 $1,650,310, or 33.95 per cent, in value. 



F'ollowing are comnarative figures of some of the more important 

 species taken in the nsheries of the Gulf States in 1902 and 1918 for 

 which there have been long-established fisheries: Catch of mullet, in 

 1902, 27,233,322 pounds, in 1918, 28,641,364 pounds; pompano, in- 

 cluding permit, in 1902, 548,344 pounds, in 1918, 271,555 pounds; 



