108 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



235 on the Teuuessee Eiver, 75 on the Mississii)pi Kiver, and 165 on 

 Eeelfoot and Open lakes. Without taking into consideration the dupli- 

 cations arising from the employment of two or more kinds of apparatus, 

 17 fishermen used seines, S7 trammel nets, 293 fyke nets, 364 set lines, 

 and 80 hand lines; 17 persons were specially engaged in the prepara- 

 tion of products. 



The number and value of the boats and apparatus employed in the 

 Tennessee fisheries were as follows: 440 boats, $4,879; 2 seines, $525; 

 46 trammel nets, $1,640; 1 trap, $1,500; 1,019 fyke nets, $13,190; 1,830 

 set lines, $1,897; 200 hand lines, $150; shore and accessory property, 

 valued at $6,422, the total investment being $30,203. Two -thirds of 

 the fyke nets were set in the Tennessee River and Eeelfoot Lake. The 

 trammel nets and hand lines were confined to the lakes; the set lines 

 were used principally in the Mississippi and Tennessee rivers. The 

 single trap net reported was a very large appliance built in the bed of 

 the Tennessee Eiver in Knox County. 



The economic fisheries of Tennessee in 1894 yielded over 2,445,000 

 pounds of fishery products, having a value of $82,500. In the value of 

 its catch, as in persons employed and capital invested, Tennessee ranks 

 third among the five States of this region now under consideration. 

 Bufi'alo-fish constituted nearly one-half the output, 1,057,000 pounds, 

 valued at $25,950, being taken. The catch of catfish was about 070,000 

 pounds, having a value of $28,400. The next important fish was the 

 drum, or sheepshead, the yield being 254,000 pounds, worth $10,255. 



The products of the fisheries of Eeelfoot Lake were greater than of 

 all the other waters combined. They consisted of 020,000 pounds of 

 buffalo-fish, 305,000 pounds of catfish, 107,000 pounds of drum, 85,000 

 pounds of crappy, and 250,200 pounds of other fish, the aggregate 

 being 1,373,200 pounds, for which the fishermen received $30,182. The 

 Tennessee Eiver fisheries produced 524,200 pounds, valued at $28,088, of 

 which buffalo-fish constituted 124,500 pounds, catfish 233,500 pounds, 

 and drum 112,410 pounds. The fishermen on the Mississippi Eiver took 

 370,500 pounds having a value of $9,454, and those on the Cumberland 

 Eiver 80,000 pounds, worth $5,953. In Open Lake, a catch of 91,285 

 pounds brought $2,225. 



More than one-third of the fishery products of Tennessee are taken 

 on set lines; in 1894 the yield was 935,848 pounds, valued at $31,000. 

 The fyke-net catch was 787,530 pounds, worth $31,028. The trammel 

 nets took over 575,000 pounds of fish, which sold for $12,705. The 

 yield of other forms of apparatus was comparatively unimportant. 



THE MENHADEN FISHERY. 



The inauguration of an investigation of some of the features of 

 the menliaden industry was referred to in the division report for 1894; 

 the desiral)ility of making this inquiry and suggestions as to its scope 

 and character were stated in the report of the division for 1892. The 

 work of the field agents, which began in May, 1894, was carried on 



