12 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
industry, which began in 1885. This has been regarded as an indica- 
tion that this industry might regain its former importance, though 
the results of the season of 1901 have so far not been so encouraging. 
The canvass of the Great Lakes for the calendar year 1899 shows 
that the yield and value were nearly equal to those of 1890, the largest 
on record. The total yield was 113,728,000 pounds, worth $2,611,400. 
There were 9,670 persons engaged in the fisheries and %6,617,000 
invested. The most important species, commercially, was the her- 
ring, followed by the lake trout, pike, pike perch, and white-fish. 
The values of the fisheries in the different lakes vary considerably, 
from Lake Erie, where they are worth $1,150,900, to Lake Ontario, 
which yielded products valued at $101,000. 
In recent years the fisheries of the Mississippi and its tributaries 
have developed to such a degree that in 1899 they exceeded in quan- 
tity and nearly equaled in value the entire yield of the remaining 
interior waters of the United States, except the Great Lakes. The 
most important products are buffalo-fish, cat-fish, and German carp. 
Mussel shells, extensively used in the manufacture of pearl buttons, 
were another valuable item, some 45,500,000 pounds being secured, 
for which the fishermen obtained $207,000. . 
There has been a marked increase in the fisheries of California, Ore- 
gon, and Washington since 1895, when the last canvass of those States 
was made. This is owing in great measure to the extension of the 
salmon-canning industry in northern Washington. The total invest- 
ment in these three States is $12,875,000, and employment is given to 
nearly 20,000 people. Since 1895 the investment has increased by 
$5,600,000. The salmon fishery is altogether the most valuable, being 
worth to the fishermen $3,500,000, but oysters, whale products, cod, 
and halibut are also important factors. 
In Florida, since 1890, the decreasing supply of sheep’s-wool sponges, 
the favorite commercial grade, has brought about an advance in price 
and also a demand for other qualities. In the aggregate, while the 
number of sponges taken is smaller, the value is considerably greater. 
In 1900, 365,000 pounds were taken, worth $567,600. 
In July, 1900, the assistant in charge of the Division of Fisheries 
visited the Pribilof Islands to obtain data regarding the fur-seal 
herd for the Treasury Department, as required by law. His report 
was made to that Department. It was found the number of seals born 
in 1900 was not much less than in the previous season, attributable 
probably to the small pelagic catch in 1897. About 5,000 more skins 
were taken than in 1899, owing to their increased value, which influ- 
enced the lessees of the islands to kill some 13,000 two-year-olds. It 
has always been customary to confine the take of skins to seals three 
years old, but in 1900 only 9,000 of this class could be found. The 
report calls attention to the fact that the increased catch of pelagic 
seals during the past two seasons does not indicate that the herd is 
becoming more plentiful, for while the average take by each vessel is 
