FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1929 1065 



Pacific halibut fishery. — Statistics of the Pacific halibut fishery are 

 obtained by the bureau's agent in Seattle, aided by bureau repre- 

 sentatives in Alaska and American consuls in British Columbia. The 

 fleet classification has been arbitrarily applied by including in the 

 "Washington fleet" all vessels that land more than half of their catch 

 in that State. All other American vessels of the halibut fleet are 

 included in the Alaska fleet. Monthly and annual statistical bulle- 

 tins are available on this fishery, being published along with the 

 statistics of the landings of fishery products at Seattle, Wash. 



Shad and alewife fisheries. — Due to the importance of the Hudson 

 and Potomac Rivers in the production of shad, surveys for statistics 

 of the catch, value of the catch, and operating units are made annu- 

 ally. On the Potomac River similar statistics also are obtained for 

 the alewife fishery. The surveys are conducted by agents in a man- 

 ner similar to that employed in the collection of general statistics, 

 except that probably more fishermen are interviewed as great care 

 is exercised to make these canvasses as accXirate as possible. 



The State of New York obtains statistics for the fisheries of the 

 Hudson River that closely parallel those desired by the bureau for 

 this fishery, which alleviates the work on this river. Both Maryland 

 and Virginia license the shad and alewife fishermen of the Potomac 

 River, which gives a very satisfactory list of fishermen for the agents 

 surveying this district. 



Statistics of the shad and alewife fisheries are not published sepa- 

 rately in bulletin form, but a summary of the year's activities is 

 published in the annual report of this division. 



Fisheries of Lakes Pepin and Keokuk. — As a means of ascertaining 

 the effect of the Keokuk Dam upon the fisheries of the upper Missis- 

 sippi River, annual statistics of the fisheries of Lakes Pepin and 

 Keokuk are obtained by personal surveys conducted by employees 

 of the bureau at the Fairport (Iowa) biological station. Their 

 methods are like those employed in the general surveys. The sta- 

 tistics are not published in bulletin form, but summaries of produc- 

 tion appear in the annual reports of this division. 



Fisheries of the Mississippi River. — Statistics of that portion of the 

 Mississippi River lying between Lakes Keokuk and Pepin were ob- 

 tained for the 3'^ear 1929 for the first time since 1922. These data 

 are collected by representatives of the bureau's biological station at 

 Fairport, Iowa, and the fish-cultural station at La Crosse, Wis. 

 Statistics covering this production are not available in bulletin form 

 but a summary appears in this report. 



Statistics of the production of fresh-water mussel shells in the United 

 States also were obtained for the year 1929 for the first time since 

 1922. These data are collected by questionnaire and personal survey. 

 A summary of the production is published in this report. 



Fisheries of Lake Okeechobee. — Statistics of the fisheries for Lake 

 Okeechobee were obtained for the first time in 1927 as a part of the 

 general statistical canvass of the Gulf States. 



Landings at certain important United States ports. — Statistics of the 

 landings at the principal New England ports — Boston and Gloucester, 

 Mass., and Portland, Me. — are similarly obtained. An agent is 

 permanently stationed at each of these ports. His duties include 

 the obtaining of statistics on the quantity of fish landed each day 



