FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 15^ 



191 



FLORIDA SPONGE FISHERY 



The quantity of sponges sold at tlie Tarpon Springs Exchange in 

 Florida, in 1923. was 490/200 pounds, valued at $734,391. This 

 total included large wool sponges, 243,230 pounds, valued at $004,343 ; 

 small wool, 54,292 pounds, valued at $59,721; yellow, 87,878 pounds, 

 valued at $46,868; grass, 88,772 pounds, valued at $15,979; wire, 

 16,028 pounds, valued at $7,480. It is estimated that sponges to the 

 value of $50,000 were sold at Tarpon Springs outside of tJie exchange. 



SHAD AND ALEWIFE FISHERY OF THE POTOMAC RIVER, 1922 AND 



1923 



The shad and alewife fishery of the Potomac Kiver was canvassed 

 for the calendar years 1922 and 1923. The statistics show that in 

 1922 this fishery employed 832 fishermen, with a total investment 

 of $190,532. and produced 884,176 shad weighing 3,115,571 pounds, 

 valued at $420,022, and 11,367,000 alewives weighing 4,546,800 

 pounds, valued at $38,342. The same fishery in 1923 employed 888 

 fishermen, with an investment of $240,832 and produced 351,546 

 shad weighing 1,187,382 pounds, valued at $198,619, and 11,428,569 

 alewives weighing 4,570,828 pounds, valued at $49,421. 



Comparing these data with the average for the three previous 

 years (1919, 1920, and 1921), we find that in 1922 there were fewer 

 fishermen b}^ 1 per cent, with an increase of 79 per cent in the number 

 of shad and 22 per cent in the number of alewives caught; and in 1923, 

 with a 5 per cent increase over the three-year average of fishermen 

 employed, there was a 29 per cent decrease in the number of shad 

 and a 23 per cent increase in the number of alewives caught. 



The following tables give the detailed statistics of this fisherv in 

 1922 and 1923: 



Shad and alewife fishery of the Potomac River, 1922 



