FISHEKIES OF THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. 253 



FISHERIES OF MAINE. 



The number of persons employed in the coast fisheries of Maine in 

 1902 was 19,832. Of these, 2,017 were on fishing vessels, 310 on trans- 

 porting vessels, 6,880 on boats in the shore fisheries, and 10,625 were 

 shoresmen, chiefl}" in wholesale fish establishments, sardine canneries, 

 and smokehouses. Compared with 1898 the returns for 1902 show an 

 increase of 2,878 persons, or 16.97 per cent. 



The total investment in the fisheries of the state was 1^6,939,503, an 

 increase since 1898 of $2,926,450, or 72.92 per cent. The number of 

 vessels emploj'ed was 585, valued at $722, 190, with a net tonnage of 

 8,970 tons, and outfits valued at $227,512; the number of boats in the 

 shore fisheries was 6,297, valued at $305,181; the value of the fishing 

 apparatus used on vessels and boats was $176,332; the value of shore 

 and accessor}" propert}^, $3,715,483; and the cash capital amounted to 

 $1,462,475. 



The products of the fisheries aggregated in weight 242,390,371 

 pounds, valued at $2,918,772, dn increase over the returns for 1898 of 

 118,985,810 pounds, or 96.41 per cent in quantity, and $263,853, or 9.93 

 per cent, in value. The yield comprised a large number of species, the 

 more important of which, with the quantity and value of each, includ- 

 ing fresh and cured fish, were cod, 17,390,464 pounds, $376,676; cusk, 

 2,492,517 pounds, $33,508; haddock, 7,003,240 pounds, $124,992; hake, 

 18,775,755 pounds, $144,891; pollock, 5,376,371 pounds, $49,123; hali- 

 but, 209,771 pounds, $14,195; herring, 162,404,266 pounds, $510,189; 

 mackerel, 1,723,370 pounds, $101,490; sword-fish, 642,784 pounds, 

 $44,613; alewives, 2,389,453 pounds, $21,732; salmon, 60,768 pounds, 

 $13,394; shad, 848,999 pounds, $28,959; smelt, 1,125,268 pounds, 

 $108,055; eels, 221,050 pounds, $12,683; lobsters, 12,163,389 pounds, 

 $1,066,407; clams, 554,656 bushels, $194,486; and scallops, 19,109 

 bushels, $14,013. The secondar}" products, as caviar, fish roe, livers, 

 sounds or swim-bladders, tongues, and oil were also of considerable 

 importance, having a total value of $38,370. 



Cod. — The yield of cod in this state in 1902 was slightly larger than 

 in 1898. Practically the entire catch was taken on trawl and hand 

 lines. In some localities the fishermen have gill nets, with which 

 profitable catches were taken in former years, but in recent years the 

 run of cod inshore has fallen ofl' so much that net fishing is seldom 

 profitable. The presence of squid is also said to interfere with the 

 use of nets in the cod fishery. More than one-third of the entire 

 catch of cod in 1902 was taken b}^ vessels on the Grand Banks. These 

 fish are usually sold in a salted condition. 



Cask. — The catch of cusk in 1902 was more than twice as large as 

 in 1898. It is taken with hand and trawl lines in both the vessel and shore 



