﻿142 
  KEPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIi:s. 
  

  

  egg-bearing 
  females. 
  The 
  strict 
  enforcement 
  of 
  these 
  laws 
  is 
  at 
  pres- 
  

   ent 
  impossible, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  safe 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  very 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  lobsters 
  

   caught, 
  no 
  matter 
  what 
  their 
  size 
  or 
  condition, 
  are 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  

   water. 
  

  

  STATISTICS 
  OF 
  THE 
  LOBSTER 
  FISHERY. 
  

  

  The 
  Commission 
  has, 
  through 
  its 
  statistical 
  inquiries, 
  kept 
  well 
  

   informed 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  actual 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  lobster 
  fishery, 
  and 
  has 
  pub- 
  

   lished 
  detailed 
  statements 
  of 
  the 
  quantity 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  product 
  at 
  

   short 
  intervals, 
  beginning 
  with 
  1880 
  and 
  ending 
  with 
  1902. 
  In 
  1900 
  the 
  

   lobster 
  fishery 
  gave 
  employment 
  to 
  4,318 
  persons; 
  the 
  vessels 
  employed 
  

   numbered 
  191 
  and 
  were 
  valued 
  at 
  $216,674; 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  boats 
  used 
  

   was 
  3,960, 
  worth 
  $261,918; 
  the 
  pots 
  or 
  traps 
  set 
  aggregated 
  208,.563 
  

   and 
  were 
  valued 
  at 
  $224,111; 
  and 
  the 
  shore, 
  accessory, 
  and 
  other 
  

   property 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  industry 
  was 
  valued 
  at 
  $965,375, 
  making 
  

   a 
  total 
  investment 
  of 
  $1,668,060. 
  The 
  quantity 
  of 
  lobsters 
  caught 
  and 
  

   sold 
  was 
  15,767,741 
  pounds, 
  for 
  which 
  the 
  fishermen 
  received 
  $1,390,579. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  fishery 
  is 
  prosecuted 
  from 
  Maine 
  to 
  Delaware, 
  inclu- 
  

   sive, 
  it 
  is 
  and 
  always 
  has 
  been 
  comparatively 
  unimportant 
  in 
  New 
  

   York, 
  New 
  Jersey, 
  and 
  Delaware; 
  in 
  these 
  States 
  in 
  1900 
  only 
  109 
  

   fishermen 
  were 
  engaged, 
  and 
  their 
  catch 
  was 
  only 
  200,660 
  pounds, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $27,960. 
  The 
  lobster 
  fisher}^ 
  in 
  that 
  section 
  may 
  therefore 
  

   be 
  omitted 
  from 
  further 
  statistical 
  consideration. 
  

  

  The 
  New 
  England 
  lobster 
  fishery 
  reached 
  its 
  climax 
  in 
  1889, 
  during 
  

   which 
  year 
  30,449,603 
  pounds 
  of 
  lobsters 
  were 
  taken 
  and 
  sold 
  for 
  

   $833,736, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  table: 
  

  

  In 
  1902 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  lobsters 
  in 
  New 
  England 
  was 
  14,028,845 
  pounds, 
  

   which 
  sold 
  for 
  $1,271,962, 
  the 
  catch 
  being 
  apportioned 
  as 
  follows 
  

   among 
  the 
  five 
  States. 
  Although 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  the 
  output 
  was 
  54 
  

   per 
  cent 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  banner 
  year 
  (1889) 
  the 
  value 
  was 
  52^ 
  per 
  cent 
  

   greater: 
  

  

  