17'I REPORT OK COMMISSIONER OF IISJI AND FISHERIES. 



tlio yours ISST, 1SS8, iiiid 18.S!>, 8}>cci!il studies were also made of such 

 iiiijxtifaiit lniiiKlics ;is llie sardiiu" iiidustiy, the siii()k(MMi('rriii<;' indus- 

 try, the lobslcr caMiiiii^- industiy, tiic t-anninj;' of clams and other prod- 

 ucts, the mcnliadeii industry, tbe oyster-packing industry, the prepara- 

 tion of clam bait, and the frozen-herring- trade. In connection Avithtliis 

 investii^alion a careful study was conducted in Boston and Gloucester, 

 with a view to ascertain the extent of the wholesale trades in fresh iish, 

 salt llsh, smoked fish, lobsters, oysters, and other fishery products, 

 wiiich constitute such a lU'ominent feature of the industrial lil'e of those 

 cities. The manufactuie of glue, isinglass, and fish fertilizer, the trade 

 in ice and salt consumed in the fisheries, tlie nniking of boxes for the 

 l>acking of fish, the jneparation of boneless fish, and variims other 

 phases of the fishing industry were also considered. Several special 

 papers based on these inquiries, now in course of preparation, and a 

 detailed re])ort on the entire subject which will soon be issued, preclude 

 the necessity for more than a general reference at this time to the results 

 of the canvass. 



The following summary gives the extent and condition of the fisheries 

 in 1889 as determined by the inquiry: The number of persons engaged 

 in the fisheries of the region was 3G,53G, of whom 15,122 were vessel fish- 

 ermen, 12,295 shore fishermen, and 9,119 shoresmen. Of the 1,542 ves- 

 sels employed, 1,440 were actually used in fishing, and 102 were engaged 

 in the transportation of fishery x)roducts; the tonnage of the fleet was 

 79,738.49, and the value of the vessels and their outfits was $0,382,000. 

 The fleet consisted of 1,206 schooners, 171 sloops, 88 steamers, 38 barks, 

 30 cat-rigged A^essels, 5 ships, and 4 brigs. The boats used in the shore 

 fisheries numbered 11,501, and had a value of $057,010. The apj)aratus 

 fished consisted of 1,178 pound nets, trap nets, and weirs, 540 seines, 

 9,591 gill nets, 280 bag nets, 905 fyke nets, and 175,458 pots, which, 

 together with other miscellaneous apparatus, had a value of $1,081,575. 

 The shore and accessory property devoted to the fisheries was valued 

 at $5,850,979, and the cash cai)ital required to maintain the industry 

 was $5,52;',,224. The aggregate investment was $20,094,794. The 

 products taken weighed 053,170,040 jiounds, for which the fishermen 

 received $10,550,041. The gross return on the investment was, there- 

 fore, about 50 per cent. The most important single species is the cod, 

 of which 97,145,045 pounds, valued at $2,549,757, were marketed. The 

 fish taken in largest quantities is the menhaden, the catch of which 

 was 173,032,210 pcmiuls, ("(piivalent to about 300,000,000 fish, but the 

 valu<' of this enormous yield was only $428,228. After the cod, in point 

 of value, come oysters, worth $1,393,284; lobsters, worth $833,730; 

 whale i)roducts, worth $828,403; haddock, worth $738,732; mackerel 

 worth $731,424; and halil)ut, worth $725,750. 



The New England fisheries have always been jiiore important than 

 those of any other section of the United States, and the inquiry shows 

 that this precedence is still maintained^ notwithstanding a very serious 



