REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES 57 



This appears to have been largely at the expense of seines, the number 

 of which was reduced by over 1,200, mostly of small size and chiefly in 

 New York. Many more gill nets were found to be employed, the increase 

 amounting to 6,701, valued at $139,952, the expansion of this fishery 

 being due to the development of the shad and sturgeon fisheries in the 

 Hudson and Delaware rivers. 



The outcome of the fishing industry presents a very gratifying 

 increase, which is participated in by many important products. The 

 aggregate augmentation in the value of the yield was $935,142, of 

 which $591,674 is to be credited to New York and $343,468 to New 

 Jersey. The catch of the following products among others has in- 

 creased: Alewives, bkieflsh, butter-fish, catfish, eels, flounders, mullet, 

 sea bass, shad, squeteague, sturgeon, tomcod, lobsters, quahogs, and 

 oysters. The following are taken in smaller quantities than formerly, 

 namely: Cod, mackerel, menhaden, scup, sheepshead, Spanish mack- 

 erel, striped bass, soft clams, crabs, and terrapin. 



THE MACKEREL FISHERY. 



In May and June, 1893, the field force was placed in the New Eng- 

 land States for the special purpose of making a detailed investigation 

 of the commercial aspects of the mackerel fishery. This inquiry was 

 in progress at the close of the fiscal year. 



Owing to the great attention the mackerel has recently been receiv- 

 ing on account of the unprecedentedly long period of scarcity, it vas 

 important for the purposes of the Commission, in order to afford the 

 best basis for determining the cause and extent of the scarcity, to have 

 accurate and detailed information relating to the various topics which 

 could be legitimately considered by this division. To facilitate the 

 collection of uniform data, provision was made for having the agents 

 obtain the statistics on two printed forms relating, respectively, to the 

 fisheries carried on with vessels and to those carried on from boats and 

 the shore. 



For the vessel fishery the following information was obtained for 

 each vessel: Name of vessel, hailing port, rig, net tonnage, present 

 value, value of outfit, number and value of each kind of fishing appa- 

 ratus used, the number of crew specified by nativity and nationality, 

 the kinds, quantities, and value of bait caught by the vessel or pur- 

 chased in America or British provincial ports, the number of entries of 

 foreign ports and the expenditures therein for each i)urpose, the lay 

 of the crew, the quantity and value of each grade of mackerel taken in 

 each region with each kind of apparatus, the fishing season in each 

 region, the number of trii)s from each region and to each port, and the 

 kinds, quantities, and value of other fish taken with mackerel. 



In the case of the shore and boat fisheries the information secured 

 for each proprietor- fisherman included the number and value of each 

 form of apparatus employed, the number and value of boats, the fishing 

 season, the number, nativity, and nationality of the fishermen, the wages 



