Fishes of the Western North Atlantic 339 



in the "fishing effort" — the number of men, vessels, and amount and efficiency of the 

 gear used — but it may be assumed that there was no decrease in this respect. Federal 

 Government statistics, which have been taken at irregular intervals, report total catches 

 in round numbers for the Atlantic coast of the United States as follows: 62,067,000 

 pounds in 1896, 52,061,000 in 1905, 35,809,000 in 1921, 35,290,000 in 1929, 

 and 29,542,000 in 1941. The greatest proportionate decline took place in New 

 England, for which the following catches are listed: 12,116,000 pounds in 1896, 

 8,429,000 in 1905, and 3,975,000 in 1924; however, from 1924 to 1941 the catch 

 there remained fairly even. 



South of New England the decline in abundance began later and was more gradual 

 and less pronounced. For example, the Chesapeake Bay states (Maryland and Virginia), 

 which have furnished a larger part of the total catch of "Alewives" than any other section 

 of the coast since the beginning of this century, yielded a fairly even catch until about 

 1925. Thereafter a decline has been indicated by the statistics: 25,61 1,000 pounds in 

 1925, 21,129,000 in 1930, 18,884,000 in 1937, and 17,012,000 in 1941. The catch 

 in the South Atlantic states, from North Carolina to Florida, is also very large, has 

 fluctuated greatly, and has shown a slight downward trend: 15,857,000 pounds for 

 1897, 11,601,000 for 1902, 15,186,000 for 1918, 7,571,000 for 1923, 11,176,000 

 for 1929, 6,218,000 for 1937, 11,611,000 for 1938, and 9,116,000 for 1940. The 

 over-all catch of the two species combined has ranged between 47,300,000 and 

 57,700,000 pounds for the United States (1940, 1945, 1 950-1 953), and between 

 6,250,000 and 41,000,000 pounds for Canada (1940, 1945, 1950-1952). 



The Graybacks and blueback herring are still abundant. In fact, every state 

 along the Atlantic coast exclusive of Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Georgia, make 

 substantial contributions to the catch, as do Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Canada. 

 Although these species are among the cheapest fish on the market, they furnish a sub- 

 stantial income because of their abundance. During recent years the annual yield to 

 the fishermen from this fishery alone has been % 400,000-800,000 in the United States, 

 and $ 33,000—350,000 in Canada. 



Most of the "Alewives" caught are salted, but an increasingly large part of the 

 catch is sold in the fresh state. Although the flesh is quite bony, as in other herrings, 

 it is delicious and is in demand whether fresh, salted, or smoked. At the salting 

 houses the roe generally is separated for canning and the offal is made into fish meal 

 and oil. 



Although these fish have become common to abundant in some freshwater lakes, 

 as in Lakes Ontario and Erie, they are of little economic importance there because of 

 their small size. However, in 1892 Smith said that they were of more economic impor- 

 tance in Lake Ontario than is generally realized {118: 189). He pointed out that they 

 had replaced more important foodfishes (young ciscoes and suckers) as bait for sturgeon 

 and lake trout in the trawl-line fishery, that the young were used as bait in extensive 

 sport fishing, and that many tons of those that wash ashore annually are used as 

 fertilizer. 



