CLXVIII REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



extent at tbe same season and in the same forms of apparatus. It is only justtosay, 

 l]owe^■el■, that it is claimed by good authority that the alewife has an advantage over 

 the shad. When it is caught it is commonly in a ripe condition ; the adhesive eggs are 

 Iiressed out in great quantities when the iish are taken in pound nets, and masses of 

 them can generally be seeu attached to the apparatus. Nevertheless, the compara- 

 tive figures in the tables show the alewife catch to have increased only about 23 per 

 cent, while the value of the Iish to the tisherraen has declined about 5 per ceut. This 

 relatively slight augmentation of the catch in 1888 as compared with 1880 indicates 

 actual diminution in thesi:pply, when the increased quantities of a])paratu8 used for 

 the capture of this species are taken into consideration. 



The most important siugle fisliery product of tlie United States is 

 the oyster, the quantity and value of the catch of which in 1880 and 

 1888 are shown by States and sections. The aggregate yield in 1880 

 was 22,195,915 bushels, valued at $12,029,502; in 1888 it was 21,765,640 

 bushels, worth $11,329,918. The decrease in output was relatively 

 small, but the tables show that a much more unfavorable presentation 

 was prevented only by an almost phenomenal increase in certain States 

 having only minor oyster interests in 1880, while the most important 

 oyster region in the country, viz, Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, 

 underwent a very significant decline. 



Report on the Fisheries of the Pacific Coast of the United States. (Report, 

 1888, pp. 3-269, 49 plates, including maps of fishing-grounds.) 



This is thought to be the most complete and comprehensive report 

 ever issued on the fisheries of the Pacific States. The fisheries and 

 the various shore branches dependent thereon are discussed by civil 

 or natural divisions, and the history, methods, and statistics of the 

 industry are given in great detail. The number of persons employed 

 in the fisheries of this region is shown to be 13,850. The capital 

 invested was $6,498,239, aud the value of the products was $6,387,803. 

 The most important objects of capture were salmon, worth $2,082,809; 

 sea otters, fur-seals, and other i)innipeds, worth $1,832,552; whals- 

 bone, oil, and iv^ory, worth $690,729; and oysters, worth $601,999. Th.s 

 salmon-canning industry utilized 41,632,223 pounds of salmon, for which 

 $1,783,227 was paid, aud prepared 622,037 cases of canned fish, for 

 which $3,703,838 was received. Compared with 1880, a gratifying 

 increase in the fisheries of the region has occurred, amounting to 3,177 

 in persons engaged, $4,196,856 in investment, and $2,111,300 in value 

 of catch. The usefulness of the report to the fishing interests is con- 

 siderably enhanced by the incorporation of 32 plates of the i^rincipal 

 commercial fishes and cetaceans of the region, aud 15 folding charts 

 showing the littoral and fluvial fishing-grounds. Census Bulletin 167, 

 on the Fisheries of the Pacific States, is based entirely on this report. 

 The Fishing Vessels and Boats of the Pacific Coast. (Bulletin, 1890, pp. 13-48, 

 13 plates and 4 text figures.) 



This paper is sui)plemental to the article on the fisheries of the Pacific 

 coast, and was originally prepared for incorporation in that report. 

 The vessels and boats employed in each of the more important commer- 

 cial fisheries are described and figured, and their adaptation to the 

 special branches is discussed. Special chapters treat of the whale 



