﻿414 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  valued 
  at 
  $553,220; 
  Louisiana, 
  24,754,135 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $858,314; 
  

   and 
  Texas, 
  8,044,404 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  1353,814. 
  The 
  more 
  impor- 
  

   tant 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  these 
  states 
  are 
  oysters, 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  

   which 
  was 
  34,115,935 
  pounds, 
  or 
  4,873,705 
  bushels, 
  valued 
  at 
  

   11,263,689; 
  mullet, 
  including 
  mullet 
  Boe, 
  27,233,322 
  pounds, 
  $448,806; 
  

   sponges, 
  346,889 
  pounds, 
  $364,422; 
  shrimp, 
  12,366,915 
  pounds, 
  

   $198,979; 
  trout 
  or 
  squeteague, 
  4,789,047 
  pounds, 
  $173,207; 
  buffalo-fish, 
  

   3,006,610 
  pounds, 
  $26,556; 
  cat-fish, 
  2,415,315 
  pounds, 
  $72,991; 
  chan- 
  

   nel 
  bass 
  or 
  red-fish, 
  2,607,881 
  pounds, 
  $82,622; 
  Spanish 
  mackerel, 
  

   1,583,891 
  pounds, 
  $64,458; 
  sheepshead, 
  1,974,815 
  pounds, 
  $48,590, 
  and 
  

   crabs, 
  1,708,625 
  pounds, 
  $29,741. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  species 
  also 
  

   were 
  taken 
  in 
  considerable 
  quantities. 
  

  

  Since 
  1897 
  the 
  total 
  yield 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  has 
  increased 
  48,336,347 
  

   pounds, 
  or 
  73.95 
  percent 
  in 
  quantity, 
  and 
  $1,222,470, 
  or 
  53.81 
  per 
  

   cent 
  in 
  value, 
  divided 
  among 
  the 
  different 
  states 
  in 
  varying 
  pro- 
  

   portions, 
  with 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  in 
  Mississippi, 
  Alabama, 
  and 
  

   Florida. 
  The 
  most 
  remarkable 
  gain 
  was 
  in 
  Mississippi, 
  where 
  the 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  products 
  increased 
  199.20 
  per 
  cent 
  and 
  the 
  value 
  187.68 
  

   per 
  cent. 
  All 
  of 
  the 
  states 
  showed 
  an 
  increased 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  

   important 
  species 
  since 
  1897, 
  and 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  states 
  except 
  Texas, 
  there 
  

   was 
  also 
  a 
  large 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  oysters. 
  

  

  The 
  oyster 
  fishery 
  is 
  extensive 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  states 
  of 
  this 
  region, 
  the 
  

   yield 
  being 
  largest 
  in 
  Mississippi 
  and 
  Louisiana. 
  Oysters 
  have 
  been 
  

   cultivated 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  in 
  Alabama 
  in 
  recent 
  years, 
  and 
  in 
  1902 
  the 
  

   yield 
  from 
  planted 
  areas 
  was 
  53,844 
  bushels, 
  having 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  

   $39,475, 
  or 
  more 
  than 
  48 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  oyster 
  

   output 
  of 
  the 
  state. 
  In 
  the 
  other 
  states 
  not 
  much 
  progress 
  has 
  so 
  far 
  

   been 
  made 
  in 
  oyster 
  planting, 
  but 
  in 
  Mississippi 
  and 
  Louisiana 
  laws 
  

   have 
  recently 
  been 
  enacted 
  for 
  the 
  protection 
  and 
  improvement 
  of 
  

   the 
  natural 
  oyster 
  grounds, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  state 
  efforts 
  are 
  being 
  

   made 
  to 
  develop 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  unproductive 
  areas 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  

   03'ster 
  cultivation. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  earlier 
  publications 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  

   States 
  are 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico, 
  by 
  Silas 
  Stearns. 
  The 
  Fisheries 
  and 
  Fishery 
  

   Industries 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  Section 
  II. 
  Geographical 
  Review 
  of 
  the 
  Fisheries 
  

   for 
  1880. 
  

  

  Report 
  on 
  the 
  Fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  States, 
  by 
  J. 
  W. 
  Collins 
  and 
  H. 
  M. 
  Smith. 
  

   Bulletin 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  1891. 
  

  

  Report 
  on 
  the 
  Coast 
  Fisheries 
  of 
  Texas, 
  by 
  Charles 
  H. 
  Stevenson. 
  Report 
  U. 
  S. 
  

   Fish 
  Commission 
  1889-1891. 
  

  

  The 
  Fish 
  and 
  Fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Coastal 
  Waters 
  of 
  Florida. 
  Transmitted 
  to 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  Senate 
  by 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Fish 
  and 
  Fisheries, 
  January 
  28, 
  1897. 
  

   Senate 
  Document 
  100, 
  Fifty-fourth 
  Congress, 
  second 
  session. 
  See 
  also 
  pages 
  263-342, 
  

   Report 
  of 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Commissioner 
  for 
  1896. 
  

  

  Statistics 
  of 
  the 
  Fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Gulf 
  States. 
  Report 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  1899. 
  

  

  