﻿KEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  25 
  

  

  APPROPRIATIONS. 
  

  

  The 
  appropriations 
  for 
  the 
  Commission 
  for 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  1903 
  were 
  

  

  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Salaries 
  $241 
  , 
  140 
  

  

  Miscellaneous 
  expenses: 
  

  

  Administration 
  12, 
  500 
  

  

  Propagation 
  of 
  food 
  fishes 
  175, 
  000 
  

  

  Inquiry 
  respecting 
  food 
  fishes 
  22, 
  500 
  

  

  Statistical 
  inquiry 
  7, 
  500 
  

  

  Maintenance 
  of 
  vessels 
  36, 
  000 
  

  

  For 
  repairs 
  to 
  buildings 
  in 
  Washington 
  3, 
  000 
  

  

  For 
  surf 
  boat 
  f(_)r 
  steamer 
  Albatross 
  500 
  

  

  For 
  steam 
  boiler 
  at 
  Woods 
  Hole, 
  Mass 
  2, 
  000 
  

  

  For 
  purchase 
  of 
  site 
  for 
  station 
  at 
  Tupelo, 
  Miss 
  2, 
  000 
  

  

  For 
  purchase 
  of 
  additional 
  land, 
  for 
  improvements, 
  and 
  for 
  completion 
  of 
  

   stations 
  at 
  — 
  

  

  Erwin, 
  Tenn 
  5, 
  000 
  

  

  San 
  Marcos, 
  Tex 
  2, 
  500 
  

  

  Green 
  Lake, 
  Me 
  4, 
  000 
  

  

  Gloucester, 
  Mass 
  2, 
  500 
  

  

  Duluth, 
  Minn 
  2, 
  000 
  

  

  Beaufort, 
  N. 
  C. 
  (biological 
  laboratory) 
  12, 
  500 
  

  

  A 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  expenditures 
  under 
  these 
  appropriations 
  will 
  be 
  

   made 
  to 
  Congress, 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  law. 
  

  

  GENERAL 
  CONDITION 
  OF 
  THE 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  The 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  excluding 
  insular 
  

   possessions, 
  are 
  now 
  more 
  valuable 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  country. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  the 
  leading 
  branches 
  are 
  peculiar 
  to 
  this 
  country, 
  and 
  con- 
  

   tribute 
  largely 
  to 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  its 
  fishing 
  industry, 
  while 
  in 
  

   others, 
  which 
  are 
  common 
  to 
  many 
  lands, 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  is 
  pre- 
  

   eminent 
  or 
  has 
  prominent 
  rank. 
  

  

  The 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  industry 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  1903 
  was 
  on 
  

   the 
  whole 
  prosperous. 
  While 
  the 
  great 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  are 
  sub- 
  

   ject 
  to 
  seasonal 
  fluc^tuations, 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  no 
  indication 
  of 
  a 
  perma- 
  

   nent 
  downward 
  tendency 
  except 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  cases, 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  

   improvement 
  may 
  be 
  ett'ected 
  by 
  artificial 
  propagation. 
  

  

  From 
  data 
  collected 
  by 
  the 
  Commission, 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  persons 
  directly 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  fishing 
  industry 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  is 
  about 
  

   213,000, 
  of 
  whom 
  155,000 
  are 
  fishermen 
  and 
  58,000 
  are 
  shoresmen 
  and 
  

   employees 
  of 
  fishing 
  and 
  fish-curing 
  establishments. 
  The 
  aggregate 
  

   capital 
  invested 
  is 
  about 
  $76,860,000, 
  of 
  which 
  $13,450,000 
  represent 
  

   vessels, 
  $-1,530,000 
  boats, 
  $8,220,000 
  apparatus 
  of 
  capture, 
  and 
  the 
  

   remainder 
  shore 
  and 
  accessory 
  property 
  and 
  cash 
  capital. 
  The 
  6,340 
  

   registered 
  vessels 
  employed 
  in 
  fishing 
  have 
  a 
  net 
  tonnage 
  of 
  172,400. 
  

   The 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  at 
  first 
  hands 
  is 
  $49,882,000, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  ocean 
  

   and 
  coast 
  fisheries 
  represent 
  $44,964,000 
  and 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  and 
  other 
  

   interior 
  fisheries 
  $4,918,000. 
  

  

  The 
  ocean 
  fisheries 
  of 
  New 
  England, 
  which 
  have 
  always 
  been 
  the 
  

   most 
  important 
  of 
  their 
  class, 
  liave 
  been 
  in 
  a 
  satisfactory 
  condition. 
  

  

  