REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 109 



continuously until the suspension of the fishery in JJecember. A 

 report embodying the results of the investigation was submitted to the 

 Commissioner in May, 1895. 



Tlie menhaden is probably the most abundant fish found on the 

 Atlantic coast of the United States, and its capture constitutes one of 

 the principal fisheries of the country. The fishery is prosecuted from 

 Maine to Xorth Carolina, inclusive, and in almost every State between 

 those limits an important shore industry is dependent on the fishery. 

 In recent years over 50 establishments for the making of menhaden oil 

 and fertilizer have been operated annually. The business on land and 

 water has given employment to about 3,400 men. The steam and sail 

 vessels used, numbering about 135, have a value, with their seines and 

 et[uipmeut, of nearly $1,000,000. The other property devoted to the 

 industry brings the investment up to over $2,500,000. The annual 

 catch has been from 400,000,000 to 000,000,000 fish, which have yielded 

 manufactured products having an average annual value of over 

 $1,000,000. 



The menhaden fishery has been and still is the subject of much oppo- 

 sition, because of its supposed efiects on the abundance of other fish. 

 The grounds on which those opposed to the fishery base their com- 

 plaints may be summarized as follows: (1) Large numbers of desirable 

 food and game fish are taken, which are landed at the factories to serve 

 the same purpose as the menhaden ; (2) the supply of food-fish on the 

 coast has been greatly reduced on account of the menhaden fishing, 

 fishing grounds once productive having been destroyed; (3) food-fish, 

 when not actually caught, have been driven oil the coast or have been 

 prevented from reaching their spawning-grounds in the inshore waters. 



Those pecuniarily interested in the menhaden fishery deny the fore- 

 going points. They contend that only comparatively few food-fish are 

 taken in the fishery, and those only incidentally or unavoidably; that 

 they are not sufficient to keep the vessels' crews regularly supplied 

 with fresh fish food ; that the thousands of sharks and other predaceous 

 fishes destroyed in fishing for menhaden would do infinitely more dam- 

 age to the food- fish fisheries than the menhaden fishery does; and that 

 there is no evidence to show that this fishery is in any way responsible 

 for the real or apparent scarcity of certain food-fish. 



It was with a view to gathering information bearing on some of these 

 disputed questions that the Commission conducted a special investiga- 

 tion in lSt)4. The original plan of the inquiry was to place the entire 

 available force of the di\ision on menhaden vessels having headquar- 

 ters on various parts of the coast, and to have each agent continue his 

 observations on a given vessel throughout the fishing season. Owing, 

 however, to the necessity for carrying on other work, it was found 

 impracticable to utilize all the field force in the menhaden inquiry, and 

 it was finally determined to restrict the studies to two vessels. 



The agents were instructed to use the greatest care in obtaining 

 information and to refrain from the expression of any opinion as to the 



