310 



U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



Summary of the yield 



MASSACHUSETTS 



In 1924, as in previous years, Massachusetts fisheries were the most 

 important among the New England States. There were 7,123 per- 

 sons engaged in the fisheries, of whom 3,087 were employed on fish- 

 ing vessels, 29 on transporting vessels, 3,643 in the shore or boat 

 fisheries, and 364 as shoresmen. The total investment amounted to 

 $8,428,998, which included 333 fishing and transporting vessels, 

 valued, together with their outfits, at $6,433,568; 1,608 motor boats, 

 valued at $770,640; 1,780 sail and row boats, valued at $60,730; 

 fishing gear and apparatus to the value of $848,702; and shore and 

 accessory property to the value of $315,358. Some of the most 

 important species, arranged in order of value of their yields, were 

 cod, 65,815,041 pounds, valued at $2,398,033; haddock, 77,683,707 

 pounds, valued at $2,286,877; mackerel, 21,675,831 pounds, valued at 

 $1,241,941; flounders, 22,996,081 pounds, valued at $1,009,031; hali- 

 but, 4,359,919 pounds, valued at $766,940; clams, 3,764,918 pounds, 

 valued at $660,692; lobsters, 1,679,601 pounds, valued at $557,437; 

 swordfish, 1,732,922 pounds, valued at $347,621; oysters, 697,851 

 pounds, valued at $285,586; scallops, 697,992 pounds, valued at 

 $241,637; and herring, 11,798,504 pounds, valued at $204,223. Other 

 important species were pollock, hake, whiting, crabs, and squid. 



Fisheries. — The vessel fisheries yielded a total of 188,766,122 

 pounds of fishery products, valued at $7,746,831. In this fishery, 

 lines were most important, yielding 100,417,198 pounds of cod, had- 

 dock, halibut, and other fishes valued at $3,800,819. Otter trawls 

 were next, with 61,124,581 pounds of haddock, flounders, cod, and 

 other fishes valued at $2,126,728. Purse seines followed, with 12,912,- 

 964 pounds of mackerel and other fish valued at $743,776. Gill nets 

 were fourth, with 12,058,391 pounds of mackerel, cod, herring, and 

 other fish valued at $559,187. Swordfish and whales were taken with 

 harpoons; clams, oysters, and scallops were taken with dredges; 

 lobster pots took lobsters; and rakes took clams, all of which prod- 

 ucts made up thg remainder of the yield in the vessel fisheries. 



The yield of the boat fisheries was 54,596,571 pounds of fishery 

 products, valued at $3,052,767 ; tongs, rakes, forks, and hoes, used in 

 taking shellfish and Irish moss, produced the most valuable products 

 in this fishery, which totaled 3,800,062 pounds, valued at $721,007. 

 Lobster, crafy and eel pots were next, with 3,595,136 pounds, valued, 

 at $615,245. Lines followed, with 11,240,295 pounds of cod, haddock, 

 and other fish, valued at $445,619. Pound and trap nets were next, 



