132 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



was $85,095, and their net tonnage was 5,740 tons; the number of 

 boats engaged in the shore fisheries was 0,714, valued at $349,770; the 

 value of the fishing apparatus used on vessels and boats was $691,728, 

 of shore and accessory property $833,395, and the amount of cash 

 capital utilized in the wholesale fishery trade was $638,500. The 

 principal forms of fishing apparatus were seines, gill nets, pound nets, 

 oyster dredges and tongs. 



The products of the fisheries aggregated 106,446,072 pounds, having 

 a value to the fishermen of $2,839,633. The more abundant species were 

 alewives, catfish, croakers, menhaden, mullet, shad, Spanish mackerel, 

 squeteague, striped bass, hard clams, oysters, and shrimp. Black 

 bass, blue- fish, and many other species are also taken in large quantities. 



The increase in the fisheries of this section in 1902 as compared with 

 the returns for 1897 was 36.46 per cent in the number of persons 

 employed, 63.55 per cent in the capital invested, and 54.90 per cent in 

 the value of the products. There was also a large increase in all 

 important respects as far as shown by statistics available for earlier 

 years. 



FISHERIES OF THE GULF .'■TATES. 



The coast fisheries of the states bordering the Gidf of Mexico gave 

 emploj'ment in 1902 to 18,029 persons, of whom 12,901 were engaged 

 as fishermen in the vessel and shore fisheries, including the crews of 

 vessels engaged in transporting fishery products, and 5,128 as shores- 

 men in connection with the fisheries and wholesale fishery trade. 



The amount of capital invested was $4,707,460. This included 714 

 fishing and transporting vessels, with a net tonnage of 9,221 tons, 

 valued with their outfits at $1,295,845; 7,102 boats in the shore fish- 

 eries, valued at $707,129; fishing apparatus used on vessels and boats, 

 having a value of $198,414; shore and accessory property, valued at 

 $1,586,672, and cash capital utilized in the wholesale fishery trade, 

 'amounting to $919,400. The more important forms of apparatus of 

 capture were seines, gill nets, trammel nets, stop nets, lines, 03^ster 

 dredges and tongs. The stop net, it ma}^ be explained, is a long piece 

 of netting stretched across a stream or creek to prevent the fish that 

 have entered from escaping when the tide recedes. 



The yield of the fisheries in 1902 was 113,696,970 pounds of prod- 

 ucts, with a value to the fishermen of $3,494,196. The species secured 

 in largest quantities were buffalo-fish, cat-fish, channel bass or red-fish, 

 red snappers, groupers, mullet, sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, trout 

 or squeteague, hard crabs, oj^sters, and shrimp. 



Since 1897, the year for which they were last canvassed, the fisheries 

 of the Gulf States have increased 29.08 per cent in the number of per- 

 sons emplo^^ed, 82.17 per cent in the amount of capital invested, 73.95 

 per cent in the quantity, and 53.81 per cent in the value of the prod- 



